Session 5: Push shot/tactics

The push is usually used for keeping the point alive and creating offensive opportunities. A push resembles a tennis slice: the racket cuts underneath the ball, imparting backspin and causing the ball to float slowly to the other side of the table. While not obvious, a push can be difficult to attack because the backspin on the ball causes it to drop toward the table upon striking the opponent’s racket.
1. Open the racket
2. Bring your wrist back, and bend your wrist
3. Bring your racket down and forward, grazing the bottom of the ball
4. Snap your wrist forward
Tactics
Because this shot is defensive, the tactics of it is to mainly keep a rally going but hopefully try and catch your opponent out because of the back-spin that happens when playing this shot.
Bring the racket slightly up and back, while keeping the elbow at your waist. Bend the wrist back. Swing forward with a downward motion, and when the racket reaches the ball snap the wrist forward for extra racket speed. With an open racket, graze the bottom half of the ball. An ideal contact point is right after the ball bounces. Never push a ball at the top of the bounce, because the resulting return will pop the ball high enough for the opponent to execute a smash. Try to hit the ball in front and slightly to the right of your body. Follow through forward and slightly down, and return to the ready position.
http://library.thinkquest.org/20570/basitech.html