OOAK Table Tennis Forum

What do you all think is the most important aspect of the push? Placement, spin, low-ness?

What should we all strive to improve in our pushes? Obviously all three, but what's most important in a push?

I personally think keeping the ball low and short is most important. That way, they can, at the most, flick the ball.

--At lower levels, placement is most important. Learn to push low to areas near the net or the end line, and never to the middle section (because it's the easiest thing to do for you and your opponent to deal with).

Your goal is:

1. To stretch your opponent's arm (short push next to the net, or deep push to the extreme corner) or,
2. To compress/jam your opponent's arm (deep push to the elbow or body).
Both strategies are needed so he/she can't add much force to the ball, which is the key to playing modern table tennis.

--At higher levels you must combine placement with speed. A slow push to the most tricky areas will still be punished easily by opponents with extremely fast footwork.