Reacting to short and long serves incorrectly

I played table tennis yesterday with my friend but I have problems moving to short balls and slow long serves because I'm not sure whether  it's short or long. So I end up pushing long serves or attempting to topspin short balls. Any solutions that you have?

Hi Jasper,

Reading the difference between a short and long serve comes down to watching the ball carefully and tracking it all the way.

I like to think about following the ball all the way with your racket.  If you follow the ball then you will naturally be in a good position to play the appropriate stroke.

If you are already predicting one or the other you are in a position where you might have to change.  For example if you are expecting a long ball you will be down and ready to topspin.  If the ball drops shorter then you have to move from that position to come up to make the push.  The opposite is also true.