In the wappler you lay the stock on its sole edge and let it wobble in a damped way. When it makes sense, how to build it and why it is not a must.
The wappler, also called wabbler or wobbler, is an attempt in which the stock is laid down not flat but deliberately on the edge of the running sole. It then moves towards the target in a damped oscillating motion. The honest answer to "Do I have to be able to do that?": no. The BÖE textbook says it itself in capital letters: the wappler is not a must [1].
Why it is nevertheless so widespread: formerly it was used mainly to "hide" behind a stock in the target area through the rotation imparted. Today it is played in many more game situations [1]. In team sport the wappler makes it possible, through the smaller friction area, to play even heavier running soles into the target area. In target sport it "forgives" small differences in oscillation intensity and makes scoring in the first and third round easier [1].
A classification from the textbook that pros should hear too: the wappler is seen as another variant of the measure attempt and counts as a bonus [1]. Many big titles have been won with perfect measure and stock attempts [1].
The wappler does not replace the basics. It sits on them.
Entry criteria (practice standard):
Just as you do not teach a child to ride a wheelie right away, you should teach the wappler only when measure and stock attempts work consistently. If you start too early, the basics are quickly unlearned [1].
Milestone: You hit consistently with measure and stock attempts before you train the wappler.
As with the measure attempt you start with short distances. Turning in behind an object is secondary at first, to avoid excessive rotation. The stock can be brought into a damped oscillation with very little rotation too; all that matters is that at the end of the main phase you lay it on the inner edge nearest the body of the sole [1]. That is somewhat easier if you grip the handle a little lower [1].
Milestone: You deliberately lay the stock on its edge, even at short distance.
For training the textbook recommends a high and light running sole [1]. This kind of landing has to be practised very intensively, and there will probably be many failures until the stock is laid down as imagined [1].
Milestone: You get 5 of 10 attempts into the target with damped oscillation.
So that the flat landing is not unlearned, change only one small thing in the preparation phase with the wappler, for example the swing intensity or the last swing up. That way the wappler consolidates in the head as a variant of its own, and the "normal" technique suffers less [1].
Milestone: You name your one adjustment without the rest of the sequence changing.
So as not to unlearn the flat landing, a few wappler attempts are enough at first, and training always ends with "normal" attempt variants, for example a match without the wappler [1]. The textbook adds: a variant mix in training should put flat attempts at the end [1].
Milestone: Each of your training sessions ends with flat attempts.
The wappler carries no particular safety risk, but a quality risk for your technique. The textbook states that players who start the wappler too early quickly unlearn the basics [1].
Make the wappler a supplement module: after each training play 5 to 10 wapplers at different distances, but end the session with flat attempts. That way you reinforce the wappler without weakening the base. The five-to-ten idea is practice, not a study finding; the advice to finish with flat attempts comes from the textbook [1].
An attempt in which the stock is deliberately laid on the edge of the running sole and is meant to reach the target in a damped oscillating motion [1].
No. The textbook explicitly calls it not a must [1]. Many big titles were won with perfect measure and stock attempts [1].
Because in team sport it brings even heavier soles into the target area and in target sport it forgives small differences in oscillation intensity [1].
Only when measure and stock attempts work consistently. If I start too early the basics are quickly unlearned [1].
For practice the textbook recommends a high, light running sole [1]. On ice you need special running soles for it [1].
Moving the Daube: Shifting the Target Itself Without Breaking the Rules