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  1. #1
    Unregistered Guest

    Pushing the ball

    I recently started to play tennis and my dad , my tennis trainer, told me to push the ball when I hit a forehand. Well i've tried and tried but I still dont get how to "push" the ball. Can anyone help?

  2. #2
    If you've started to play then your movements are probably not fluid and coordinated and your timing is not good yet. This all contributes to fast and jerky movements with which you can't control the ball well.

    So your father wants you to slow down your movements in order to achieve some success - some controlled shots. That's why he says to push to ball instead "to hit" the ball which you are probably doing.

    Pushing the ball is like pushing the door open. The main difference between pushing and hitting is that when you want to open the door, you move your arm SLOWLY to the door and THEN accelerate.

    But when hitting we accelerate BEFORE coming into contact with the ball.

    Imagine how you would open the door if you accelerated your arm BEFORE touching it.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    Vacaville, CA
    Posts
    13

    pushing

    I think by pushing he means staying in contact with the ball longer, which will increase your consistency (for a beginner). What may help you is to change your follow thru. At the end of your swing your raquet should be pointing towards where you are trying to hit the ball. Follow thru towards your target, I think this will help you get the "push" your father is talking about.

  4. #4
    If you approach the ball slowly, push rather than hit at contact then pull across rapidly finishing over the shoulder the ball will stay on the strings longer and accelerate with lots of topspin and control. If you start by gently touching the ball, let it roll on the strings as you pull across, then finish over the shoulder you will get the "feel" of pushing the ball. This is how the pros play.
    How good can your game get? You too can play like the Pros with The Wegner Method.
    Discuss The Wegner Method here at TW in the MTM forum or visit www.tennisteacher.com for more info.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Posts
    12
    think about your motion when you push open a door--(the kind without a doorknob)--notice how long you have contact in a smooth motion and follow through so the door doesn't snap back and hit you.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    New England
    Posts
    703

    What is meant by 'Pushing the Ball'

    Hi Everyone ~ I dug this Thread up out of the Nov. 2005 Basement. I thought it was a very interesting question but what got me were the replies that I found even more interesting.

    Scenario: This person tells us that his Father, who is his Tennis Trainer wants him to "Push the Ball" and try as he will, he just can't seem to figure out 'What - How & Why ' So I'm first wondering, why is he asking the Forum when all he needs to do is ask his dad who apparently must know the fundamentals of 'Pushing' since he requested it. In addition to this, he's telling everyone that he's a beginner so I'm wondering, how in the World would a Beginner understand these explanations?

    Quote Originally Posted by Answer One
    Pushing the ball is like pushing the door open. The main difference between pushing and hitting is that when you want to open the door, you move your arm SLOWLY to the door and THEN accelerate.
    But when hitting we accelerate BEFORE coming into contact with the ball.
    Imagine how you would open the door if you accelerated your arm BEFORE touching it.
    Quote Originally Posted by Answer Two
    I think by pushing he means staying in contact with the ball longer, which will increase your consistency (for a beginner). What may help you is to change your follow thru. At the end of your swing your raquet should be pointing towards where you are trying to hit the ball. Follow thru towards your target, I think this will help you get the "push" your father is talking about.
    Quote Originally Posted by Answer Three
    If you approach the ball slowly, push rather than hit at contact then pull across rapidly finishing over the shoulder the ball will stay on the strings longer and accelerate with lots of topspin and control. If you start by gently touching the ball, let it roll on the strings as you pull across, then finish over the shoulder you will get the "feel" of pushing the ball. This is how the pros play.
    Quote Originally Posted by Answer Four
    think about your motion when you push open a door--(the kind without a doorknob)--notice how long you have contact in a smooth motion and follow through so the door doesn't snap back and hit you.
    It's a wonder that our Unregistered Guest didn't return to say "Thank You". I mean trying to wrap your head around the concept of Opening a Door, determining rates of Acceleration and Adjusted TopSpin for a Beginner is way over the top.

    Words like "Flat" ""Follow-Thru out from the body" "Bunting" could be much easier to grasp but I wanted to see how our Members now would help this New Player understand.

    What would you tell this person on How To Push the Ball?
    The only acceptable loss is when your opponent was better than you on that given day.
    It is never acceptable to lose when your opponent was not.

  7. #7

    Find It, Feel It, Finish

    For 3 and 4 year old beginners I just show them "touch the ball, touch your shoulder".

    For slightly older children (or beginning adults) who have some experience "hitting" (as with a baseball bat) I emphasize that it is a "touch" then follow-through over the shoulder, not a "hit".

    I don't use the word push as much as touch, because push implies moving the racquet out in front or in a forward motion. The beginning player should find the ball with a touch (not a hit), feel the ball on the strings immediately followed by a burst of acceleration across the body (not out in front!!!) and finish over the shoulder.

    Find It, Feel It, Finish! Super simple. How the pros play.

    Find The Ball
    "The most important thing in tennis is what I call "finding the ball". And what is finding the ball? It's your racquet approaching the ball slowly, then accelerating. It's as if you almost touched the ball first, then you explode into it. In tennis, that's what you need to do: Find the ball first."

    from http://www.tennisteacher.com/tipsMORE.htm

    The effect of pushing an object rather than hitting or slapping at it, which is explained by Newton's 2nd law of physics (force = mass x acceleration - how the pros hit) is difficult to get across in words, but in practical demonstration is easy to understand.
    How good can your game get? You too can play like the Pros with The Wegner Method.
    Discuss The Wegner Method here at TW in the MTM forum or visit www.tennisteacher.com for more info.

  8. #8
    i'm going to try this tomorrow "touch the ball, touch your shoulder" ... let see if I can notice good results .... I'm still a beginner but I can rally atleast 3x.

  9. #9
    Hey Guest,

    Feel free to check out a couple pieces I did on "Pusher Strategy"

    http://tennismindcamp.com/blog/the-p...nish-a-pusher/

    http://tennismindcamp.com/blog/patience-for-pushers/
    Master Tennis Mentally!
    http://www.TennisMindCamp.com

  10. #10

    Talking Different than pushing

    TENNIS MIND, take a look at OSCARS method and i think you will find he is not trying to train people to just get he ball back without pace. Accelerating and follow through are a big part of his teachings.

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