August 19, 2024 - The Loaded Push

Perhaps the easiest way to stop an opponent’s big serve and loop is the loaded push. Many players don’t understand how effective this can be for a simple reason – until they can do it, it isn’t particularly effective, and so when they first try it, it doesn’t work. And so they stop trying to give loaded pushes. And so players never understand just how important those extra few revolutions of backspin can be.

A key is the thinking involved. When players learn to push, they generally think of it as a “safe” backspin shot to keep the ball in play. And so they push with “good” backspin, and that’s it. But a good loop generally beats a good push, and so something more is needed.

And that’s where you want to develop that loaded push. That means stop thinking in terms of “safeness,” and think in terms of “How much backspin can I put on the ball?” (But even a loaded push is very consistent, once learned.) Focus on grazing the ball, and using both the forearm and wrist to really brush into the ball vigorously. The goal is to force your opponent into putting the ball into the net. Load the ball with so much backspin it’ll practically die on your opponent’s racket. Do that, and opponents will struggle.

This doesn’t mean you push all or most serves back, though that can be effective against many opponents. It’s still highly effective to loop long serves, while against shorter serves, learn to push long or short, or to flip. But if you are going to push long, do it EFFECTIVELY – and that means not just pushing to keep the ball in play, but a LOADED push, one that the opponent often will struggle to attack.

Learn a push that is loaded if you want your rating exploded!