Short Play

Hi Pingskills,

I've come to understand that being able to consistently play short is very important, and I've thus far encountered two main short strokes -- the short push, and a sort of tap (is there a name for this?) in which you let the ball run into the loosely held bat without really making any movement with the bat. The tap seems to be able to play the ball shorter, but this may just be a weakness of my push. Which stroke should I play and when?

Thanks!

Hi Neil,

I think the tap is a form of push just without any spin.  I would rather that you try to put a little backspin on the ball to make it harder to return.