Don't use your table tennis rubbers too long. Once the grip or bounce in the middle of the rubber changes, replace your rubber.
I've been using some sheets of Dr Neubauer Domination on my forehand for the last several months. Now Domination is a durable rubber that lasts a long time, so I got a bit complacent about whether I needed to change the rubber for a new sheet. Although the grip in the middle was a little different to the edges of the rubber (as evidenced by the different amount of water that was retained when I cleaned the rubber with a damp sponge - the edges retained a lot more water than the middle), the rubber still felt OK to me, so I didn't bother changing it. Big mistake.
In fact, the only reason I did change the rubber last week is that my local competition starts today, and I wanted to begin with a fresh rubber sheet, but I also wanted to make sure I had played the rubber sheet in and was familiar with it. So I reluctantly put on a new rubber, even though I kind of felt that I was wasting money, since the old rubber sheet still felt fine.
Boy, was I wrong.
As soon as I started playing with the new rubber, I could feel an immense difference. My strokes had more pace with less effort, I was generating more spin, and my control was better due to the extra spin I was producing, and the fact that I wasn't straining as hard to produce pace. My consistency instantly improved.
What I had once again forgotten is that all rubbers deteriorate over time, even though you may not notice it from day to day. Some rubbers 'go off' faster than others, but even a durable rubber like my Domination has very different playing characteristics after 3-4 months of steady use, when compared to a fresh new sheet. I simply hadn't noticed the gradual deterioration of my rubber, since it happened so slowly, and it was still performing passably. But it was making me work harder than I had to in order to get the same results, and that extra effort was straining my technique enough to hurt my consistency.
The lesson I (re)learned? Just because you think a rubber still feels OK when you are playing, doesn't mean that it's still in prime condition. So when you notice that the grip or bounce in the center of the racket is different to that around the edges, take the hint and change the rubber pronto. You'll be glad you did.
