Start with the next action
Before attacking minions, ask what you want the wave to enable. You might need a safe place to farm, time to recall, or a chance to move toward your jungler. The same wave can call for different treatment depending on your resources, the matchup, and what is happening nearby. There is no single wave state that is best in every lane.
Look at the health and position of both waves, not just the number of minions. Reinforcements will arrive, the opponent can change their attack pattern, and your own abilities may damage several targets. A plan based only on a memorized minion count can fail when those other conditions differ.
Freeze when you can defend the position
A freeze holds the meeting point of the waves relatively stable, often near your turret but outside its range. You usually preserve a manageable enemy minion advantage and avoid clearing so quickly that your wave pushes away. Thin the enemy wave if it becomes too large, while checking whether the opponent can punish you for approaching.
The word “manageable” matters. A wave that takes too much health to hold is not giving you safety. Nor is a freeze useful if a stronger opponent can force it into your turret whenever they choose. Your ability to contest, the minions’ remaining health, and the arrival of the next wave matter more than a universal rule about keeping exactly four minions alive.
Slow push when a larger wave serves a purpose
A slow push builds an allied wave over time. With a small advantage in surviving minions, you can avoid clearing too quickly and let later reinforcements join. The larger wave may make it harder for the opponent to trade freely or help you complete a later crash, provided you can protect the buildup.
This takes time and lane control. The opponent may thin the wave, threaten you, or leave for a play you need to answer. Do not preserve a slow push merely because you started one. If a useful movement window is closing, you may need to clear faster; if your health no longer permits the plan, you may need to accept a less favorable wave.
Fast push for a completed crash
Fast pushing means clearing the enemy minions quickly. A crash happens when your surviving wave reaches the enemy turret. That distinction explains many bad recalls: a wave moving toward the tower has not necessarily reached it, and the opponent may stop it outside turret range after you leave.
Before committing, ask whether your health, mana, and damage let you finish before the next wave or enemy response interferes. Fast pushing can expose you while abilities are unavailable. If you cannot finish safely, forcing the crash may cost more than recalling and accepting some lost farm. The purpose is a usable window, not proving that you can shove every wave.
Work through a planned purchase
Imagine you want to recall for a useful purchase. You have enough resources to remain briefly, the opponent cannot easily contest, and there is no immediate map fight. Building a slow push and then clearing the final opposing wave quickly may let you bring a larger wave into the turret and leave.
Change one condition: the opponent returns with an advantage and threatens you before the crash. You no longer have the same plan available at the same price. Call for help if someone can reasonably cover, or take the imperfect recall. Staying until you die does not protect the minions you were trying to save.
Practice the decision, then check the result
In your next match, choose one wave and say what you intend to achieve with it: hold a safer farming position, build pressure, or create time to leave. Afterward, inspect whether the wave did what you expected. Did it reach the turret? Did you preserve too many enemy minions? Did a new wave change the balance?
Keep the review specific. “I fast pushed” describes your inputs; “I completed the crash before recalling” describes the result you needed. Learning to connect those two is more useful than applying the same wave technique every time you get control of the lane.