Photonic shock wave

From Memory Alpha, the free Star Trek reference

A photonic shock wave is a method of disabling a small group of ships in a space battle. It was first known to be used at the Battle of Vorkado, when a Romulan captain disabled two ships with it.

The knowledge of this battle was in the The Doctor's tactical database, as a part of his Emergency Command Hologram programming. In 2377, he used this maneuver to disable two Quarren patrol ships to cover USS Voyager's retreat.

The tactic involves firing a photon torpedo at the enemy, then hitting the torpedo with a phaser when it is between the enemy ships. Exact timing is required for achieving maximal efficiency. Due to his computer-controlled nature, the Doctor was able to pull off the move with high effectiveness. (VOY: "Workforce, Part II")

The photonic shockwave phenomenon, while never mentioned on-screen on any other occasion, might be an explanation as to why starships don't just shoot incoming torpedoes with their phasers in a point defense style.