Hey Slicepong,
Yes that’s pretty much spot on, the hip is basically the crossover area, so if you can target that it will jam players up as you said!
With pushing yes, most of the time we only push or touch if the ball is short and low. If there is a chance which isn’t too high risk then we would try to flick or of course topspin if the ball is long ,we would almost never push a ball which is long unless we are totally out of position or off balance.
But yes it’s about judging the percentages as you said and minimising mistakes by choosing the right balls to attack. It will be quite individual for each player as well, because some players are more aggressive and obviously more confident with different shots.
So try get confident with pushing or touching the short low balls but always looking for your opportunity to attack with good spin or speed when possible!
