i have an 87 zuk thats really hard to shift into 3rd, its like you have to jamm it in there.
 Ive read a couple forums on clutch cables,double clutching but that hasnt helped.
Has anyone experienced this issue? and what should i look into first.
p.s this is my first 4x4 and samurai.

What's your experience driving standard transmissions and do you really know how to "double clutch"?

Forums (and especially the University of YouTube) cannot teach you every thing.

What happens when you try to put it into third gear?  Is it just stiff?  Does it grind?  Does it happen every time you go into third gear, or primarily on an up-shift (2 > 3) or on a down-shift (4>3)?  If the engine is off and the vehicle stationary will it go into third with out difficulty?

The problem is unlikely to be clutch related if it's only happening in third gear - clutch related shift issues will typically show up with first & reverse.  If it's third gear alone, and more common on a down-shift it's probably worn synchro rings and double clutching is a viable solution, provided you know how to do it correctly.

Fourth gear > depress the clutch > shift to neutral > release the clutch > tap the throttle to bring the engine rpms up > depress the clutch > shift to third > release the clutch - experience will teach you how much of a tap on the throttle you'll need, it varies with how fast you're going at the time of the down shift, and be aware, the up-shifting sequence is slightly different.

ive driven a standard transmission before but never put any work into it. old civic.
As far as the shifting its when i do both up and down shift to 3rd. No grinding noises.
As i upshift/downshift,  i have to force it inside and sometimes pull up on the stick and force it in. no pun intended.

How loose/sloppy is the shift lever?  Is there a lot of side~side play?

feels loose when in gear. it does have quite a bit of play also.

There's a seat under the shift lever that wears and a couple of locating pins (actually screws with unthreaded sections) that sometimes break - I suspect that's where your problem lies - unfortunately I have no pictures.