The push shot

The push shot is a lot like the pull shot in that you are using only one man to move the ball in order to score. Where they differ is in the direction. As you should know by now, when doing a pull, you are moving the ball towards you with the ball setting on the right side of the man. When doing the push shot you are moving the ball away from you or towards your opponent(s) with the ball setting on the left side of the man.

I believe the push shot is harder to do than the pull. I also believe that it is a lot easier to defend against. I do not really understand it, but when blocking a push shot I believe that the "look" (is what the shooter sees defensively) has a greater affect on a push shot than it has on a pull shot. I have found that I have had greater success blocking the push shot than on the pull shot but that is a whole other story (see Defense).

To do a push shot is relatively simple. You basically set the ball up just like you would a pull shot except the ball is going away from you and instead of the ball being on the right side of the man the ball is on the left side facing away from you. Unlike the pull shot where you are shooting towards the near corner of the pocket, the push shot shoots towards the far corner. Like the pull shot, you want to have the position of the ball slightly back. As far as shooting the ball goes, the same concepts that apply when shooting the pull apply here. (See pull shot)

split push shot		short push shot

Like most of the shots used, the push shot can go long, short, split, or straight in. All you need to do is set the ball up to do a push. Once the ball is set and ready, you should look over the defense to see what is open. To hit what ever is there ever time will require a lot of practice, but once all the variations have been mastered, then you should be able to pick a defense a part.

The push is a high percentage scoring shot. It is very popular and used by many as a primary scoring weapon. And rightfully so, because when this shot has been mastered, it is as deadly as the deadly pull shot and the terrorizing rollover shot.

But for some reason, the push shot is not as popular as the pull shot and the rollover when it comes to tournament play. At the Worlds at Austin, TX in 2003. I only saw a couple of players using the push shot as their primary weapon of choice. Everyone else were either doing pulls or rollovers. This may be because of the defensive reason I stated earlier. As a goalie, I know that I would much rather face a push shot any day, than face a pull shot or rollover. It is for this reason, I believe why the push is used less in tournaments.

Still, because if its simplicity and effectiveness, the push shot has been used by many for as long as I can remember, and I am sure that it will remain in the top five of the most popular shots used in the game of foosball.