When executing the forehand push you need to impart some backspin. This makes it hard for your opponent to attack the ball. By pushing short, your opponent will not be able to take a full swing at the ball.

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The Forehand Push

The start position for the forehand push

The Starting Position

The forehand push starts with your bat beside you and around hip high (similar to the start position of the forehand counterhit). As a basic stroke you can start with your bat slightly tilted back. The start position can be altered once you learn the basic stroke. The more spin that the opponent has played the more your bat should be tilted back to face the ceiling at the start of the stroke in order to counter the backspin.

The finishing position for the forehand push

The Finishing Position

Your swing is down and forward and should finish near the table with your palm facing the ceiling and at an imaginary line that is drawn in front of the middle of your body. You don’t need to swing past this line as it makes recovery slower.

A short forehand push

The Short Forehand Push

A short forehand push is a very useful defensive stroke that will stop your opponent from getting a strong attack in. You must ensure that you keep the ball nice and low over the net and that it will bounce at least twice on your opponent's side of the table. To keep the ball short, you will need to take a shorter swing at the ball. Take a look at the video above to see this in action.