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FAST PUSH TECHNIQUES
By: Richard McAfee, USATT Certified National Coach
The push is
not often thought of as an aggressive tool, but rather as a basic
keep-the-ball-in-play stroke. The reason for this is simple. Adding speed to a
pushed ball is difficult as underspin causes a ball to rise up during flight.
Push too fast and the ball will sail off the end of the table. Because of this,
most players emphasize producing heavy backspin (as opposed to fast speed) with
their pushes if they want to force errors or weak attacks from their opponents.
Rather than
only using heavy spin on your pushes to force weak returns, mixing in a fast
push can be a great surprise tactic. Often a surprise fast push will force a
weak shot from your opponent and enable you to step-around and attack with a
strong forehand loop or kill. Here is how to execute a fast push stroke.
First and
foremost, contact the ball at the top of the bounce. Your racket should make
friction contact with the ball (spin), contacting the middle of the ball and
pushing forward and down. This is very different from producing a spin push
where the ball is contacted on the way down and more towards the bottom of the
ball.
To practice
this shot, set your Newgy Robot to produce a push return and have it oscillate
over the entire table (Oscillator Lever positions 3 & 4). Now practice mixing
spin pushes with a sudden fast push until you can produce both shots with ease.
Good luck and good pushing.
Important
Notes: Adding sidespin to this stroke can make it even more effective. Also,
when you use the fast push in a game situation, look to attack the next return.
Basic Elements of Push Strokes
|
Stroke Element |
Spin Push |
Fast Push |
|
Timing |
As ball is descending |
Top of bounce |
|
Ball Contact Location |
Bottom of ball |
Middle of ball |
|
Ball Contact Type
(Friction or Force) |
Friction |
Friction |
(Editor's Note: If you have trouble learning this stroke, you may want to start off with
having the robot deliver the ball 12 to 18 inches high above your side of the
table. This will allow for a greater margin of error. When you gain consistency
with your stroke against a high ball, lower the ball delivery angle a little at
a time until you can fast push even a ball that is barely over the net.)
Courtesy of
Newgy Industries
Copyright © 2002 Newgy Industries. All rights reserved.
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