Tall tosses, short stature, three world titles: the Yamaguchi method

Height helps significantly, of course. But you can be 5-foot-1 and still combine consistency with longevity on the Tour in a way envied by the best of the Chinese and the rest of the world. An Se-young has her number, but at 29, Yamaguchi is the last from the golden generation still contesting Tour finals, as she has done these last three Sundays.

The Chinese, right up to Xie Xingfang, Zhang Ning and Yihan Wang, believed in scouting tall players with long levers who could then be trained in skills. Japan simply saw a technically gifted and hardworking shuttler and ran with her, ignoring the prevailing doctrine entirely.

Two moments this week in Australia explained what gave the Japanese that conviction.

In her semi-final against Sindhu at Quaycentre, Sydney, the two were going at it on an even keel in the opening set. Sindhu went from 7-4 up to 11-15 down, then fought back to lead 17-15. Yamaguchi had beaten the Indian the last four times, but Sindhu was nowhere near out of the game, her crosscourt smashes thudding beyond the Japanese reach several times.

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But then Yamaguchi went to basics. She had been playing drops to the front court as a matter of policy. She pulled them back a tad, very close to the net and continuously, drawing Sindhu forward to bend and play desperate lifts, which she could then smash down. Her other plan was more audacious during the eventual 22-20, 21-12 win.

Yamaguchi had been teasing Sindhu with those low pick-ups. But her World champion CV is built on an altogether different winner-strategy. She dared Sindhu’s reach, the highest point her outstretched racquet could strike, with towering tall tosses. She would send four or five in a row. With Sindhu’s height, she is supposed to respond comfortably and keep the rally going. But repeatedly being summoned to strike high, raise arms, can tire anyone out quickly.

Yamaguchi knew she didn’t need to be tall herself. She just needed to launch the shuttle into the stratosphere, and she has the catapult power for those tall tosses. At 17-17, one of these arced over a hopping Sindhu’s outstretched hand and fell well in. It sealed her defeat. Five-foot-11 plus racquet length, and it wasn’t enough. That is the particular indignity Yamaguchi specialises in.

A toss is classified as a defensive, holding stroke. For Yamaguchi, it is laced with audacity, used to attack. The technique, discipline and resilience in those tosses get her the wins.

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It is a template for India’s new women’s singles players, not just the jump-smashing Isharani Baruah but also Tanvi, neither of them built tall. But developing that defensive agility needs strength in the legs, air in the lungs, a gymnast’s malleability and a read of the game that her longtime coach Harutoshi Kobayashi taught Yamaguchi as a mind-map on court.

The second instance came in the quarter-final against Tanvi Sharma. The Indian is a stroke-maker, but Yamaguchi was cruising. A shuttle landed in the back corner, comfortably in. A confused chair umpire kept telling Yamaguchi it was out. The Japanese didn’t argue or react. She simply picked up the shuttle and began to serve, before the umpire cleared up the mix-up. No vocal outburst, no flummoxed face, no elevated angst. Yamaguchi doesn’t do arguments on court.

It is debatable, given players should stand up for themselves, and this time she was right, backed by the line judge. But the Japanese has always been stoic about line calls. On her own mistakes and those of referees, she ruffles her hair, scratches her head, and gets on with it. Like Tai Tzu-ying sticking her tongue out. Neither wasted energy arguing. Opponents dreaded the kill on the next point.

Yamaguchi still bows before stepping out of court before every set or 11-point break. She poses with a polite smile and a funny fist-pump even when she wins a World Championship. A little more visible intensity wouldn’t hurt. But energy is better spent on out-thinking, out-jumping, out-tossing opponents. She has spent twelve years proving you don’t need to be the biggest person on court. You just need to be the one who makes everyone else feel small.