Hitting vs pushing

[dlam]

Trying to improve my concentration on the court and I find it helpful to distinguish between pushing mode and hitting mode
When I focus only on the top of the net I tend to push much better
when I hit I don't focus on the top of the net but more on the trajectory and amount of overspin or topspin on the ball

[TomT]

Originally Posted by dlam

Trying to improve my concentration on the court and I find it helpful to distinguish between pushing mode and hitting mode
When I focus only on the top of the net I tend to push much better
when I hit I don't focus on the top of the net but more on the trajectory and amount of overspin or topspin on the ball

Whether I hit or push seems to have a lot to do (but not necessarily) with whether I'm contacting the ball in my comfort zone or not, and how much time I have.

But that aside, if I deliberately decide to push a ball that I could hit, then the difference seems to me to be that a push shot doesn't require as much attention to footwork and technique as hitting out does.

[LuckyR]

Originally Posted by dlam

Trying to improve my concentration on the court and I find it helpful to distinguish between pushing mode and hitting mode
When I focus only on the top of the net I tend to push much better
when I hit I don't focus on the top of the net but more on the trajectory and amount of overspin or topspin on the ball

Just so you know... I can't think of another tennis term that has more different meanings to different players than: "push".