Anja Hammerseng-Edin Praises Henny Reistad’s Unique Skills as a New Standard in Handball

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– I thought, “this is a new standard in handball,” says Hammerseng-Edin, who at that time played for the winning machine Larvik.

Henny Reistad, on the other hand, was at Stabæk and just starting her career. Against the decorated national team stars from Larvik, she immediately earned their respect.

Hammerseng-Edin recounted the meeting when she appeared on TVNorge’s handball broadcast in connection with Thursday’s national game against Slovenia.

– I remember the first time I met Henny on the court. She faked me out of the hall, and I became curious about what on earth she was doing. I had never seen anything like it before, she said.

– How did it feel to be subjected to such a fake?

– I was actually hoping that Ole Gustav (Gjekstad, the then Larvik coach) would call a timeout, so I could go to Henny as an opponent and say to her: “you have to teach me that!”

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– Means a lot

Reistad laughs when she hears the story recounted during Friday’s press conference in the Olympic village.

– I remember I was playing for Stabæk, was young and thought it was really cool to meet the stars from Larvik. I don’t remember the situation Anja is talking about, but I remember the match well, she says.

– She says you have set a new standard in handball?

– When it comes from someone like Anja, it means a lot to hear. Because she has played at a very high level and has extensive knowledge of handball. So that’s cool, says Reistad.

A mixture

Hammerseng-Edin has analyzed the way Reistad fakes and chooses to divide the movement into three phases:

– In phase one, she has a clear intent, doing everything she can to make the opponent think she is going one way. In phase two, we see that she pushes her body to the opposite side with incredible explosiveness.

– In phase three, she sets her foot directly towards the goal while simultaneously managing to jump straight up with her right leg. That is strength and explosiveness, and very unique. Many people have their foot slightly angled after such a fake, causing them to drift back towards the defenders. But Henny goes straight in, making it difficult for the defense to stop her. I find it immensely interesting, she says.

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Reistad says that the power she brings into her fakes is both about genetics and a lot of targeted training.

– It’s probably a mixture of talent in being explosive, and that I have trained a lot to sharpen those skills. I have trained a lot on strength and have repeated and repeated.

– You need to have enough strength in your legs generally to get a good push, but also work with the explosive muscles to ensure you move quickly enough, says Reistad.

She is still unsure if she is the fastest on the Norwegian national team:

– I think Camilla (Herrem) might be a bit faster, Reistad says, smiling.

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