The most basic stroke, and the most frequently used one, is the push. Whether your best winning shot is a vicious forehand smash or a super-spin loop or a swerving spin serve that hits the edge, you still need a bread-and-butter shot in your armoury. For most people, this should be the solid foundation of your game because without a dependable push shot, you’ll never get enough chances to hit your special winner anyway!
The push isn’t just for getting the ball back over the net – though that’s no bad thing in itself. It is also the basis of the heavy chop return, and, if used with subtle variations, is a useful way to create an opening for a winning attack.
Greg Letts has written an article about the merits of Pushing Long versus Pushing Short and it is well worth a read
Alan