Suppose you are way behind in a game. It's likely that the only way of winning is if you play well and your opponent doesn't. Therefore, assume this is true, and play your tactics accordingly. The same idea can be used when playing a much stronger player - if you can't beat him unless you play well and he doesn't, then assume both, and play your tactics accordingly.

In both cases, assume your opponent is going to be inconsistent if he is regularly forced to go for difficult shots, and so you give him those types of shots. At the same time, you assume you will make your normal shots, perhaps with more consistency than usual. Don't overplay - that's the quickest way to blow a lot of points. Find the right balance where you put continuous pressure on the opponent while staying consistent.

Confidence is key to both coming back and beating a strong player. The moment you doubt yourself, you'll be hesitant, lose consistency, and won't play well. So just convince yourself you can play well at these times and in these matches, play your game, and let yourself go! (Hint - try doing that in ALL matches.)

Many players have difficulty generating great speed on their smashes. Against lobbers and fishers, they often have to smash over and over and still they can't win the point. Often the problem is lack of forearm snap. To generate great force on the smash, your body has to work together – the legs, hips, waist, shoulders, and forearm, with a weight transfer from your back foot to your front foot. They should work in that order, in smooth progression, at about 70-80% power. (If you use more than that, it becomes a spastic motion, and you not only lose control, you lose power as you are not using all of your muscles properly.) However, it is the forearm snap at the very end that really gives the ball great speed – and is the part that is most often lacking in a weak smash.

One way of helping generate forearm snap and the proper timing is to imagine your legs, hips, waist, and shoulders as being used not to increase smashing speed, but to get the forearm going. Then really snap the forearm just before contact. You should sink the ball through your sponge and into the wood. Except against a very high ball (where you can hit the ball straight on), you should still smash with some topspin, so contact is a slightly upward stroke, even against topspin - contact is sort of like an upward slapping motion. Your smashes should all sound about the same, with a loud crack as the ball sinks into the wood. If the sound varies, then you are contacting the ball differently, which leads to inconsistency. (Some players “smash” with a looping stroke, and for that, it's more of a looping contact with extra topspin, and so less of a crack sound at contact.)

To develop the forearm snap for smashing, get a bunch of balls and go to the side of the table, near the net. Bounce the ball on the table somewhat high, and smash, using lots of forearm snap. Make sure to keep the elbow down. As you get better, move farther from the net and perhaps bounce the ball lower. (However, against lower balls it's usually better to loop, using the extra topspin to pull the ball down.) If you are doing this correctly, you can smash at full speed and carry on a conversation without missing a syllable.

A player isn't a threat to you if, at their best, they can't beat you at your worst. But there's an underlying assumption here that your "worst" is when you are taking the opponent serious and playing your normal game. Often, when playing a weaker player, one is overconfident and so doesn't play hard, or doesn't want to "risk" playing their normal shots, and so plays down to the opponent. This means that your new "normal" is at a lower level than your normal "normal" - and so your new "worst" is now worse than your normal "worst." Result? The player who wasn't a threat to you is now a threat.

Some players just look at the opponent's rating, and if it's low compared to them, they don't take the match as serious as they should, whether consciously or subconsciously. Again, they are playing down to an opponent who should not be a threat, thereby turning them into a threat.

So take ALL opponents seriously. If it turns out that the opponent is truly a beginner and really, Really, REALLY is not a threat, then you can choose to go easy. But in all other cases, the best way to make sure a player who is not a threat is not a threat is to treat them as a threat so they are not a threat. Play your normal game - physically, mentally, and tactically.

If you want to improve, then it's important you develop standard third-ball attack serves - serves that are difficult for opponents to attack and set you up to attack, but usually don't win the point outright except when the opponent is overly aggressive. These are usually short or half-long (where second bounce would be right about the far end-line, sometimes barely off). Most opponents will push them back long, allowing you to loop. More advanced opponents may try pushing short or flipping, but if the serve is done properly and with enough variation, it's tricky to stop those third-ball attacks. The importance for most players to develop their game around such serves cannot be overemphasized - not only do they set up the attack, but over time, they allow players to develop their third-ball attacks (like most top players), and so their attacks (including their footwork to position themselves for it) get better and Better and BETTER. Let us call this the Yin.

But there is also the Yang. If you only do third-ball serves, you not only are giving up "free" points, but you are also making things predictable and therefore easier for your opponent. So you should also develop tricky long serves that, if used sporadically, catch the opponent off guard and give you these "free" points, either by outright misses or weak returns. If overused, such serves are susceptible to strong attacks, which is why they should be used sparingly. But if the opponent has to guard against them, then he is less ready to make effective returns of your normal third-ball serves.

The most common third-ball serves (Yin) are short or half-long with backspin (often combined with sidespin) or no-spin. (To serve no-spin, use the same big spin motion you'd use when serving with spin, but contact the ball near the slow-moving handle.) As long as these serves are very low to the net, they will usually set up an attack. You can also serve short topspin or sidespin-topspin as a variation.

The most common tricky deep serves (Yang) are big, breaking sidespins that go deep on the table, often breaking into the wide corners, though they can also break the other way. Another is fast no-spin, which can catch opponents off guard, especially if done right at the playing elbow, between the forehand and backhand. The more you do these types of serves, the more you develop an instinct for when to use them.

Having said all of the above, tricky deep serves can dominate up to a somewhat high level. Even 2000 players struggle returning these serves, if done at a high level and not overusing any one of them. Relying too much on these serves can give a lot of success to a certain extent, but they are limiting, because opponents get used to them, because higher-level players have less problems with them, and because they do not lead to your developing your own game - you instead rely on opponents missing.

But the other extreme, relying completely on third-ball serves, while maximizing your own improvement by developing your attack, is limiting as you are giving away "free" points you might have won, and making things easy for your opponent, who doesn't have to guard against these serves. Plus, if you rarely use tricky deep serves, you won't develop an instinct for when to use them.

So what's the solution? Find a balance. If your goal is to reach the high levels, focus on third-ball serves, but develop a variety of tricky deep serves as variations. If your goal isn't so high, and you are looking for a "quick fix" to improve your rating or ranking, then perhaps develop your game more around such tricky deep serves. (A small number of players have reached very high levels doing this, but it usually involves acrobatic counterlooping when the opponent loops their serve. Some defensive players also do this.)

It's all about finding the balance between Yin and Yang.  

Here are ten "mini-fixes" for little problems you may face as you move up the table tennis rankings.

1. Slippery floors? Put a wet towel on the floor and step on it between points. You've probably seen top players do this; try it, it really works. Also, get new shoes if you are going to play a tournament on a slippery floor.
2. Humid? First, have two towels, one for you, one for the racket and ball. Second, get one of the special sponges designed to dry a damp surface. At Butterfly, they are called Cotton Sponges. (Most major distributors have a version of this.) They really work. Get one, put it in your playing bag, and it'll always be there when you need it.
3. Bad lighting? Close your eyes for ten seconds, then open them, and it will seem brighter. But most important - really focus on watching the ball to the exclusion of all else. Tactically, fast, quick shots are hard to pick up, so look for chances to do that. It's also harder to read spin, so use extreme topspin and backspins, and your spinniest serves.
4. Tired or sleepy? Splash water on your face and it will solve half the problem. (But make sure to get enough rest and sleep next time.)
5. Lost focus or nervous? Clear your mind, and either close your eyes or look at something in the distance for 5-10 seconds. Remember the mindset of the best match you've ever played. Google "Sports Psychology Table Tennis" and lots of useful links will show up. Check out www.dorakurimay.com
6. Losing track of the score? Make sure the server calls the score out after every point.
7. Having trouble getting a good warmup before a tournament? Arrange in advance to warm up with someone that can give you a good warmup.
8. Didn't play well? Practice and get coaching! If you play better in practice than in tournaments, then play lots of tournaments so you get used to them.
9. Not sure about your tactics in a match? Get a coach or top player to coach you in a few matches. Part of the reason for having a coach is to help you win that match, but it's even more important in learning how to play tactically. After you've played a number of matches with a coach talking to you during and after the match you'll get an idea of what you really should be doing out there, as well as what aspects of your game you need to improve. Once you have a better understanding of what's going on out there, most tactics will become reflexive.
10. Can't find the right equipment? Spend some time trying out lots of different rackets and sponges, borrowing from everyone at your club or (if you can afford it) buy lots of equipment to try out. You need to have a good idea of what's out there before you find the right combination for you. Once you find that right combo, stick with it until there's either a major change in your game or a major new equipment innovation.