Forehand Push

Forehand push.

Forehand Push is a very often neglected stroke, as players prefer to attack. It is regarded to be the toughest of all the strokes as it requires a good deal of practise to master properly. However, a well placed push could gain advantage by putting an opponent off balance. The best place to push is either short, wide or into a crossover point. It is not an easy stroke and if anticipated by your opponent can be attacked more easily.  

In the stroke; the wrist is used to brush underneath the ball, producing backspin. If you are returning a short serve or touch, you must put the right leg (left leg for left-handed) under the table in order to get close enough to the ball. The shot is produced from the elbow and requires very little swing. The bat is held in an open angle and it moves forward and slightly downwards. The ball is brushed at the top of the bounce or just before. The wrist is used to give more or less backspin. After the shot is completed you should quickly come back to the ready position as the opponent can put you off balance by playing fast to the backhand.

It is good to practice that stroke using different amounts of spin as it could make your opponent misread the oncoming ball and give you a high return. In order to achieve that; you need to contact the ball at the back instead of underneath. To add some disguise to the spin, the follow through should look as if you have brushed the ball underneath.