A common tactic for forehand loopers with good footwork is to serve short (often to the middle, to cut off the extreme angles), and when the receiver predictably pushes long to the backhand, the server simply steps around and forehand loops - either winning the point immediately or dominating the rally from the start. Often a player can even make a really good, deep, heavy, and low push to the wide backhand, and still the server dominates with his forehand. How can you stop this?

The problem, of course, was that while the push was "good," it was predictable and very loopable. Here are ways to improve and vary the receive and stop the attack. (Most of these are also effective in stopping a strong backhand loop.)

• Make sure the long pushes really did go very wide to the backhand so opponent has to move more. Often a player thinks he's pushed wide, but the push is actually well inside the backhand corner. Push to the wide corner or even outside.
• Push quicker off the bounce so as to rush the opponent.
• Load up the backspin.
• Long pushes should go as long as possible, to jam the opponent. Players sometimes think they've pushed deep, but their pushes actually land one or two feet from the end-line.
• Aim to the backhand and at the last second quick push to the wide forehand to catch the server off guard.
• Aim to the wide forehand and at the last second quick push to the wide backhand. This freezes the opponent as he thinks he has to cover the wide forehand, leaving his backhand open. A very simply way to disarm or at least hinder the server.
• Learn to push the serve back short, so that (given the chance) it would bounce twice, and opponent can't loop it. This is more common at the more advanced levels, as it takes touch. But you can't develop that touch unless you develop it by practicing and using it. Once developed, it's a huge weapon, and still the most common receive against most short serves by most world-class players, along with backhand flips.
• Learn to flip the serve, to the wide backhand, wide forehand, and middle (opponent's transition point). Against a server that wants to follow with a forehand, you would flip to the wide corners. This could be several bullet points but learn to flip both backhand and forehand. Note that many players find backhand flips easier - if so, then there's no reason why you can't step over and backhand flip short serves even to the forehand, as long as you step back quickly.
• Finally, mix things up. Use all types of short and long pushes, and flips.

I remember something USATT Hall of Famer Ricky Seemiller once told me at one of my first training camps: "Amateurs practice to the middle forehand and middle backhand. Top players practice to the wide angles." What does that mean? Many players get in the habit of warming up and practicing their shots to exactly what Ricky said - the middle of their partner's forehand or backhand sides, rather than the corner. Watch them warm up forehand to forehand or backhand to backhand, and you'll see their shots, on average, are 6-12 inches inside the corner.

What you practice in practice you will do in games.

Top players don't generally practice or play to this area - why would they make things easy for their opponents? Even when warming up with simple forehand to forehand or backhand to backhand, their shots will average right over the corners, going wider than the corners about as often as inside the corners. Do the math - it means opponents have 1-2 feet more table to cover, but more like 2-3 feet since shots to the corners are usually crosscourt and angling away. That's a lot of table in a fast-paced game like ours.

I'll say it again: What you practice in practice you will do in games.

So, next time you warm up or practice, focus on keeping your shots to the forehand or backhand to the wide forehand and wide backhand. With a few exceptions, essentially every shot you ever do should go one of three spots - wide forehand, wide backhand, and the opponent's middle (the transition between forehand and backhand, usually around the playing elbow). Since those are the places you should be playing at, those are the places you should be going to when warming up or practicing.

I'll say it one more time: What you practice in practice you will do in games.

Most players learn early on to serve to set up their game. However, many do not do this with their receive. They will instead focus on just getting the serve back in the most consistent way they can that doesn't too easily set up the opponent. This works to an extent, but it's not utilizing your receive as well as you could.

If your game is centered around looping, then you want a deep push when possible. Then why are you taking the safe way by pushing long, thereby letting your opponent loop, and take away your own loop? Instead, learn to push short, which will often cause the server to push, usually long. Then you get to loop!

Similarly, if you are good at looping against a push, why would you flip too many serves? It takes the deep push out of the rally.

If you are a strong rallier, then you want to get into topspin rallies where your opponent isn't dominating from the start. Then you might want to focus on consistent, well-placed flips to get into such rallies, while mixing in long pushes that might force weak or inconsistent opening shots.

If you are stronger on one side (such as the forehand), then attacking a serve to a wide corner opposite your strength often forces a crosscourt return to your strong side. But it depends on the opponent - aggressive returns like this also allow the opponent to make a quick return to your weak side.

If you are equally strong on both sides, then perhaps you'd want to flip the serve to the middle, which takes away the extreme angles on the return. Then you just stand ready to attack from both wings, with your opponent already out of position from having to play a forehand or backhand from the middle.

Similarly, think about both your game and your opponents' games, and figure out what are the best receives for you. Remember that all receives should do one of the following: Be extremely consistent (but likely allow the opponent to attack); be neutralizing (so you take away the server's advantage, but don't really get an advantage); or aggressive (where you get the initiative, but make more mistakes receiving). Which mix of these receives best fit your game?

Invariably, when a player is caught out of position and so can't get to a ball, they think they are slow. I know players who voice this regularly, constantly yelling, "I'm too slow!" Sometimes I correct them, but usually I just shake my head slowly. Almost always the problem wasn't that they were too slow, but that their previous shot left them off balance or out of position. What does this mean?

Suppose a player steps around to play a forehand from the backhand. Done properly, the player should literally follow through back into position. If you don't, you are doing it wrong, and that's why you are "too slow!" to cover the wide forehand.

Other times a player is rushed in stepping around the backhand to play this forehand, and so ends up following through to the left (for a right-handed player), and so can't recover in time to cover the wide forehand. Again, they yell "I'm too slow!" But even here, the problem isn't being too slow; it's either they chose the wrong time to step around, or they didn't recover properly. Even when not rushed, many players finish off-balance, and so can't recover quickly. Instead, you should follow through onto your left foot (again, for righties), and use the weight on that foot to immediately and smoothly push yourself back into position..

It's not just stepping around the backhand to play forehands. You also have to play forehand or backhand when the opponent plays shots to the middle, and that puts you out of position. If you don't follow through back into position, or if you finish off-balance, you'll be vulnerable to an aggressive shot to the corners.

Placement also counts. If you step around your backhand to play a forehand, if you go down the line you give your opponent an angle into your wide forehand that you likely cannot cover. So you should only go down the line if going for a winner or with a slow loop that allows you more time to recover. Instead, in that situation, mostly go crosscourt wide to the backhand, or to the opponent's middle.

Occasionally, of course, an opponent will simply make a great shot that catches you out of position. If that happens, accept that he made a great shot and focus on making sure it takes a great shot to catch you out of position.

If you truly have a physical handicap that honestly makes you too slow (including extreme age!), then that's a separate issue - but then you should focus on staying in position, except perhaps when stepping around to end the point with a forehand. But even here, you should focus on positioning and balance so that you don't end up yelling "I'm too slow!" when in fact you should be yelling "I'm so out of position or off balance!" Doesn't have the same ring, does it? So next time, why not just yell, "Positioning!"

In last week's tip I wrote about toweling. In it, I mentioned the Pavlovian Response, also called Classical Conditioning.

It's not just towel breaks. You should develop the same routines before matches, and before every point, both serve and receive. If you do so, you'll develop that Pavlovian response that prepares you for the match or point.

Watch the top players in any sport and you'll see they have routines that prepare them for what they are about to do. Perhaps the best example is watching a major league baseball player before he bats. Watch a few of them and you'll see they each have their own routine in both the on deck circle before batting, and before every pitch. It's not only a physical preparation, it's a Pavlovian preparation that prepares their subconscious.

There are many routines. Watch the top players, especially when they are about to serve, and you'll see theirs. The most common one is bouncing the ball on the table.

Here are my routines. Before a match, I jump up and down a few times to physically and mentally prepare myself. Then I stare off at something in the distance for ten seconds to clear my mind, and I'm ready. (Many top players play music before a match to prepare - some have the same music each time. I remember when a number of players used to prepare by listening to Rocky music!)

When serving (usually my forehand pendulum serve), I always start by pulling up my playing arm sleeve with my non-playing hand; then I put my non-playing hand with the ball just behind the table; then I bounce the ball on the table a few times; then, most importantly for me, I swing my playing arm back and then forward one time. This prepares me for the serve; if I skip any of this, everything seems off. But as long as I follow the routine, I'm in the zone whenever I serve.

For receiving, I always start two steps back, with my non-playing arm up to let the server know I'm not ready. I lower my head; then I raise it, and step forward to the table into my ready position. I wait about one second and then lower my arm, and I'm mentally ready to receive.

What's your Pavlovian Preparation?