i have a few questions if anybody could answer i would greatly applicate it! so here goes nothing!

1. having trouble judging weather a shot/serve is going to b long or short

2. when somebody serves backspin or chops long and i try to Loop it i tend to come across instead of up it any suggestions?

3. i choke in a game and i lose tons of points

4. re-gluing my rubber how many _layer_s should i put i have speed glue atm
im using a stiga optimum sync for my blade and im useing on both sides butterfly tackifire special soft rubber

Here goes the answers to your questions.

1. Look at the stroke your opponent is going to make. As soon as he makes the stroke, you have to watch the trajectory of the ball, the speed and spin. From that you have to make a judgement whether or not the ball is going to be short or long.

2. Position yourself well against the ball. Get into a practice session with your partner where you practice upward movement of your forearms against chops. After a while, the short will come automaticall to you. To learn how to Loop against underspin, I recommend a video called forehand Loop Mastery. This is a very good DVD and is available at http://www.TableTennisNetwork.com. The video can be purchased from the TableTennisNetwork.com site also.

3. Physical fitness is a must for a table tennis p_layer_. Before you play, take some warm up exercises.

4. If you are a beginner or intermediate p_layer_ to table tennis, dont use speed glue. If you are using regular glue, there is no need to change the rubbers unless it peels off or have bubbles.

Good luck.