I have played many of those in ping pong, its like you hit anything and they get it all. I hate players like that, they just keep the ball in play.
Always wondered this. Never quite sure what people are talking about when they refer to them.
to me, a pusher is a player whose strategy is to return all the shots and wait for his opponent to make the unforced errors.
if his opponent doesn't make many unforced errors then the pusher will have a problem.
Someone who hits the ball without the intention of hitting a winner, forcing an error or setting up a point. They win by grinding down their opponent.
It's all fine and dandy until the pusher realizes that they aren't progressing their game at all by playing this style of tennis and the people that they're currently beating, will eventually be able to easily beat them.
It is a derogatory term used to define players that the user of the term feels they are "better" than, yet lose to.
The difference is that aggressive hitters choose to START the point with a forcing shot or winner, while the pushers choose to start the point by probing for weaknesses.
6 - Pusher tennis players win by relying nearly exclusively on their opponent's unforced errors. They block, bunt or poke the ball with the goal of “just getting it back.” Pushers aim for just beyond the T in their opponent’s back court. This target gives them the largest margin for error.
They give you no power, no pace, no depth or placement. They just "get it back.” The strokes of the Pusher are never full and flowing. They have little ability to employ topspin. Any “passing shots” the Pusher hits are hardly intentional. (But they never act surprised when a shot of theirs becomes unreturnable.)
Pushers have unshakable psyches. Mind games and insults about their lack of “real” tennis ability have no effect on them. (They tell anyone in the Club about the times they beat the local High School “hero” in straight sets.) Pushers are completely aware that tennis competitors are not scored on “style”. They care only about the “W / L column.” Pushers are content with the fact that they will never be at the top of the 4.0 ladder; they know most Club payers don’t advance beyond 3.5 ... and since they are in the upper third of the 3.5 ladder, they are content.
Pushers are some of the friendliest and most outgoing members of the Club. They are always willing to help fill-in to complete your doubles court (which usually elicits groans from the other two players on your court).
There are no pushers in the pro ranks. None. The Pusher tops out at the 4.0 level.
My new definition of a pusher is going to be a person that passes up an obvious opportunity to go to the offensive and just puts the ball back in play.
Players like Murray and the like are more counterpunchers than pushers... and that would include Harold Solomon and Eddie Dibbs as well... when given the opportunity they will attack if the percentages are in their favour. A pusher I believe will pass that opportunity up... because their game is to wear you down mentally and physically. Given my new definition... there are no pushers in the pro game.
There are two types of pushers. Those that play tennis regularly without any real skill yet succeed in hitting almost every ball back and into an uncomfortable place for his opponent to deal with. Then there are the pushers that deal drugs to school children. One should just be shot on spot and the other put in prison for life to satisfy the man-desires of the other inmates. You guys choose which pusher gets which fate!
You guys who play below 4.0 think pushers exist only there.
NOPE !
Pushers exist up to and including 7.0.
Gilbert knows more than you and me. He was the epitome of the 7.0 pusher! One of the best, can vary the shots for sure, can hit winners for sure. But winners to him is like a normal groundie to YOU. No effort.
Instead, he liked to toy with his opponents, rather than put them away.
MiraslovMecir right there in skill, temperament and outlook.
But both 7.0 pushers.
Playing someone they can knock off the court, they would choose instead to punish that person with well placed shots just to watch them run until they fall down. No killer instinct, but rather like cat and mouse.
They choose to punish rather than kill.
A pusher is basically someone who is extremely good at tennis and wins all the time.
A good pusher doesn't WIN at tennis! NOPE, they let their opponents LOSE.
You guys who play below 4.0 think pushers exist only there.
NOPE !
Pushers exist up to and including 7.0.
Gilbert knows more than you and me. He was the epitome of the 7.0 pusher! One of the best, can vary the shots for sure, can hit winners for sure. But winners to him is like a normal groundie to YOU. No effort.
Instead, he liked to toy with his opponents, rather than put them away.
MiraslovMecir right there in skill, temperament and outlook.
But both 7.0 pushers.
Playing someone they can knock off the court, they would choose instead to punish that person with well placed shots just to watch them run until they fall down. No killer instinct, but rather like cat and mouse.
They choose to punish rather than kill.
A pusher is someone who has poor mechanics, little pace and/or spin, and bad strategy and knowledge of court geometry.
They simply chase down balls and tap them over, hoping their opponent will miss.
You can do this with good mechanics with spin, pace, good strategy and with a good sense of court geometry. In fact these players benefit best knowing court geometry.
Defensive players?
Once again, you guys are showing your poor tennis skills.
You relate everything (in this case, pushers) to players of YOUR level.
Pushing is getting the ball back any way, not taking intiative, not trying to hit winners, not playing offensive tennis. Whether YOU can or not is not the point.
The opposite of pushing is the Safin style, always going for broke (unless bored or disinterested), always going for first strike, first forcing ball, hitting WINNERS tennis.
Ferrer and Nadal serve up plenty of puffballs, not to us, but to Fed and Safin. The question is, can Fed/Safin take advantage of those puff balls?
Once again, you guys are showing your poor tennis skills.
You relate everything (in this case, pushers) to players of YOUR level.
Pushing is getting the ball back any way, not taking intiative, not trying to hit winners, not playing offensive tennis. Whether YOU can or not is not the point.
The opposite of pushing is the Safin style, always going for broke (unless bored or disinterested), always going for first strike, first forcing ball, hitting WINNERS tennis.
Ferrer and Nadal serve up plenty of puffballs, not to us, but to Fed and Safin. The question is, can Fed/Safin take advantage of those puff balls?
Always wondered this. Never quite sure what people are talking about when they refer to them.
6 - Pusher tennis players win by relying nearly exclusively on their opponent's unforced errors. They block, bunt or poke the ball with the goal of “just getting it back.” Pushers aim for just beyond the T in their opponent’s back court. This target gives them the largest margin for error.
They give you no power, no pace, no depth or placement. They just "get it back.” The strokes of the Pusher are never full and flowing. They have little ability to employ topspin. Any “passing shots” the Pusher hits are hardly intentional. (But they never act surprised when a shot of theirs becomes unreturnable.)
6 - Pusher tennis players win by relying nearly exclusively on their opponent's unforced errors. They block, bunt or poke the ball with the goal of “just getting it back.” Pushers aim for just beyond the T in their opponent’s back court. This target gives them the largest margin for error.
They give you no power, no pace, no depth or placement. They just "get it back.” The strokes of the Pusher are never full and flowing. They have little ability to employ topspin. Any “passing shots” the Pusher hits are hardly intentional. (But they never act surprised when a shot of theirs becomes unreturnable.)
- KK
Shots alone don't make a pusher or hitter.
It's the philosophy of the mental game of the player that determines pusher or hitter. EVERYONE pushes at times, but when choice given, the pusher still pushes with topspin or slice, while the hitter tries to force the action.
At 4.5 levels and above, hard topspin could be all a pusher could hit. Still a pusher!
We are not what we are because of our physical state, we are what we are due to our MENTAL mind.
..and an impala runs fast, can eat tough shrubbery, can jump high, but it's still a DEFENSIVE animal.
A lion can run fast, can eat some tough veggies, can even jump some, but it's an OFFENSIVE animal.
The impala would be the pusher!
Kaptain Karl never got beat by HaroldSolomon, MirislavMecir, BradGilbert, or Barrasetchi.
BELIEVE it. When you are 7.0 level, you will find MANY pushers at that level.
..and an impala runs fast, can eat tough shrubbery, can jump high, but it's still a DEFENSIVE animal.
A lion can run fast, can eat some tough veggies, can even jump some, but it's an OFFENSIVE animal.
The impala would be the pusher!
SURE THEY ARE !
TO you, and against you, they are not pushers.
Harold and EddyDibbs TOLD me they were pushers! TO MY FACE, while other's were listening in. PUSHERS!
And I already considered them as pushers, even thos they would not push when they played ME, but run me off the court double zips.
IMHO this does not give the pusher the credit they deserve... I still deem that it is a state of mind (strategy), and that some pushers do have flowing strokes... my personal opinion is that their game plan is not to beat themselves... like in the movie ANTZ it was "be the ball" I am sure they say to themselves... "BE A WALL"...
But maybe we can get a recovering pusher to chime in and and get his thoughts on this.