Do you practice pushing?

[pingpongpaddy]

As a teenager I learned (1960's) in a YouTube free environment from inadequate books and still photos. By good luck a visiting international gave us a weeks camp.
He was a defender so his impact on our attacking strokes was ok but the main thing I got from it was information on the tactics of match play. 2 sessions a day for 7 days he had us play 1 push game(21 up) and showed us how being able to control the ball the ball and place it anywhere gave us the power to put opponent under movement pressure and to open up chances for attacking play. At first 1 21 up game might last 10 minutes but by the end of week it was 20.
After the camp we continued daily for rest of summer and 21 points might last an hour - every point full of short, long, angled, whatever.

2 years later my practice partner was national junior no 1.
The key came from that camp where we learned that pushing drills that combined with opening loops were a super useful drill, and that pushing should be attack minded.
As I became an adult I had more camps and developed modern attack properly, It was made easier because pushing all around the table improved both our footwork and ball control

 

[Tony's Table Tennis]

and that pushing should be attack minded.

100 points here.
pushing long, especially at an angle can get your opponent out of position - including both away from him and into him.

everyone can top spin
not everyone can push attack minded.

 

[Gozo Zyreruna]

The only pushing skill
one need to learn is

推长，放短。

'Push deep, drop short.'

 

[BetterTT]

We usually just practice drives and loops, with occasional serve-receive practices. And I have never seen people practicing or even discussing pushing. I find this quite interesting. For us amateurs, I think pushing can win more points than looping/smashing because usually we have better consistency with pushing. I have won points/gained advantages against 300-400 higher rating opponents by sudden fast and long pushing to their wide forehand, or short push to their forehand then a long push to their backhand. But since we never have pushing practice, I don't have good control on fast and long pushing. This is one area that I feel I could improve relatively quickly and easily and thus improve my overall gameplay a lot.

Any comment on pushing practice?

Pushing practice is extremely useful for me and can be fun. Example: I love to do "pushes only" matches where it's like an old school game to 21 points and we alternate serves every 5 points. I am under 2000 (USATT) and often do practice matches with players that are between 2300 and 2500...It's also a great equalizer and is awesome for focus training. We add in a rule where each player is allowed one attack per set...so we both make sure that our pushes are not sloppy and easy to attack. What is super interesting to me is that higher level club players (not Pros) seem to enjoy these practice "matches" and seem to value them more than players at my own level. Maybe they know something that lower level players don't. Anyways, it's always good when you can train something useful and have lots of fun doing it.

 

[XpingpingpongpongX]

Pushing practice is extremely useful for me and can be fun. Example: I love to do "pushes only" matches where it's like an old school game to 21 points and we alternate serves every 5 points. I am under 2000 (USATT) and often do practice matches with players that are between 2300 and 2500...It's also a great equalizer and is awesome for focus training. We add in a rule where each player is allowed one attack per set...so we both make sure that our pushes are not sloppy and easy to attack. What is super interesting to me is that higher level club players (not Pros) seem to enjoy these practice "matches" and seem to value them more than players at my own level. Maybe they know something that lower level players don't. Anyways, it's always good when you can train something useful and have lots of fun doing it.

I got a chance to practice serve -> push long -> open loop -> block/counter with a former pro. Her time was before the power looping era, so she wanted to practice open loops and counter. We both enjoyed the practice. She said she told many amateur players to practice short game controls, but most people don't realize the importance of it.

 

[ajtatosmano2]

Short push/touch during every warmup, usually one basket (~70 balls) of various push receives. And during backspin loop drills the one who gives the backspin does it seriously. Practicing with a defender is the only time when I practice long push-long push, against inverted long pushes are 99% looped.

 

[Souther]

We usually just practice drives and loops, with occasional serve-receive practices. And I have never seen people practicing or even discussing pushing. I find this quite interesting. For us amateurs, I think pushing can win more points than looping/smashing because usually we have better consistency with pushing. I have won points/gained advantages against 300-400 higher rating opponents by sudden fast and long pushing to their wide forehand, or short push to their forehand then a long push to their backhand. But since we never have pushing practice, I don't have good control on fast and long pushing. This is one area that I feel I could improve relatively quickly and easily and thus improve my overall gameplay a lot.

Any comment on pushing practice?

I used to play a lot at ICC, and back then I saw the coaches practice pushes with their students. I don't think it was ever practiced as a stroke just by itself. Usually it goes along with practicing flipping short or looping long pushes, so you learn spin and placement with pushing, and how to topspin a backspin ball.

 

[Der_Echte]

I used to play a lot at ICC, and back then I saw the coaches practice pushes with their students. I don't think it was ever practiced as a stroke just by itself. Usually it goes along with practicing flipping short or looping long pushes, so you learn spin and placement with pushing, and how to topspin a backspin ball.

I coach at Shashin's Fremont TT Academy (in S.R.)... both yesterday and today, I made it a HUGE focus of attention in students' one hour one on one lessons to explore importance of non-attacking shots... how to push short... push fast and deep... take off spin from a push and get a long light ball back... to make it easier to get back on attack.

Some how some way, what we did made me emphasize that many of the points' outcome is dictated on how well or poor the non-attacking shots go... and the reason to pay close attention to how points are won and lost in a tourney match.

One drill I had a few students do is to serve 10 balls... I would push if serve was short or half long or not so good to attack... student would 3rd ball attack... I would see if I could disrupt student with my non-attacking push... my goal was to win 5 points... 1/2. I know I can serve and win more than 1/2 of MY points... so I articulated the goal was to limit opponent to 5 of 10 points. Then it was my turn to serve and have student attempt to disrupt and contain me to 5 of 5 points.

That is a good milestone... if a player can get 1/2 of opponent's serve points and win small majority of his/her own serve points... that equals a won game.

That wasn't even counting the importance of staying even/ahead of opponent in push to push rallies that invariably happen... and how to get out of them and get upper hand on first attack.

It is a very good healthy idea to look at how/why to push in our sport and be ready.

Later with more time... what makes a QUALITY push.

 

[TTAntiPlayer]

I knew a coach who taught his students to start by learning pushing on both FH/BH as the first stroke, before learning anything else.
At the time I found it a bit strange, but now I think it was actually a good approach.

 

[Zezima]

I used to do pushing matches. I don't do it as much lately but just last week I trained it again.
My pushing is usually too advanced for my practise partners. Not that they cant push per se but one good push by me is enough to force them into an error.

I would actually try this more in my matches aswell but sadly the rally starts mostly them serving longish sidespin serves.

Nevertheless its a skill that will bring fruits once I force my opponents to serve me mostly short in the near future

 

[IB66]

We do practice pushing, the basic strokes when teaching new players are FH and BH drive, FH and BH push.
At 1st new players generally don’t really spin the ball well, and don’t have good speed and distance control so we do multi ball feeding at first. With multi ball there is at least some backspin on the ball to start!!
As players progress and can keep a rally going for 20 or so pushes and can do a short backspin serve, we use some games, one is that you can only win a point by getting a net cord that goes over. No penalty for dumping the ball in the net
2nd game is getting the net cord AND if the opponents push does NOT bounce twice on your side of the table. No penalty for dumping the ball in the net, which is fair as both players are trying to graze the net. This game means they have to control the push and be aware of the length, make a judgement if the ball isn’t going to bounce twice on your side or go long - leave or play a push.
A progression is that if the ball isn’t going to bounce twice on your side of the table, instead of just leaving the ball and claiming the point, you MUST open up to win the point, then the point is ended. If you miss the open up, no penalty, you just have to play an open up ( after all your opponent has pushed to long )the main point is to judge the length of your pushes and your opponents and to make the call to open up. Once proficient at open ups, then to win the point the open up must be successful.
We also use towels placed on the table leaving target areas to push to, usually with multi ball feeding, an additional tool is the TT trainer which is usually used for serve practice but additionally for serve return of short / half long backspin serves. The TT trainer is an adjustable tool that clamps to the net posts and a 2nd cord is pulled across the net, the gap between the net and 2nd cord is adjustable. Setting with a 50mm gap is a real challenge!! You learn to keep the serves and receives low.

 

[Yuomay]

We do practice pushing, the basic strokes when teaching new players are FH and BH drive, FH and BH push.
At 1st new players generally don’t really spin the ball well, and don’t have good speed and distance control so we do multi ball feeding at first. With multi ball there is at least some backspin on the ball to start!!
As players progress and can keep a rally going for 20 or so pushes and can do a short backspin serve, we use some games, one is that you can only win a point by getting a net cord that goes over. No penalty for dumping the ball in the net
2nd game is getting the net cord AND if the opponents push does NOT bounce twice on your side of the table. No penalty for dumping the ball in the net, which is fair as both players are trying to graze the net. This game means they have to control the push and be aware of the length, make a judgement if the ball isn’t going to bounce twice on your side or go long - leave or play a push.
A progression is that if the ball isn’t going to bounce twice on your side of the table, instead of just leaving the ball and claiming the point, you MUST open up to win the point, then the point is ended. If you miss the open up, no penalty, you just have to play an open up ( after all your opponent has pushed to long )the main point is to judge the length of your pushes and your opponents and to make the call to open up. Once proficient at open ups, then to win the point the open up must be successful.
We also use towels placed on the table leaving target areas to push to, usually with multi ball feeding, an additional tool is the TT trainer which is usually used for serve practice but additionally for serve return of short / half long backspin serves. The TT trainer is an adjustable tool that clamps to the net posts and a 2nd cord is pulled across the net, the gap between the net and 2nd cord is adjustable. Setting with a 50mm gap is a real challenge!! You learn to keep the serves and receives low.

Great! Going to try this soon.