A guide to managing one's rating

The USTA doesn't do a lot of things right with regard to league play - but you know what's the best part about the whole experience? Tennislink!

NOWHERE ELSE will you check out the records of players who stomped you in the playoffs, only to find they having losing records during the regular season. Including losses to folks that frankly bored you when you stomped them.

But I digress: you came here to figure out how to manage your rating.

Step 1) Your best players need to only beat opponents that could potentially compete with them - and lose to everyone else. That way then can go .300 during local league and over .900 on your run to nationals. As an added artistic flourish, make sure some of your "losses" come at the hands of players who are otherwise winless. Do this every year and no one will ever catch on to you!

Step 2) Make sure that as a team, you don't go undefeated during the regular season. For bonus points, make sure the only loss you take is to the team at the absolute bottom of the standings, whose only victory is against the team at the top (you guys!).

Step 3) Profit!!

ohplease said:

The USTA doesn't do a lot of things right with regard to league play - but you know what's the best part about the whole experience? Tennislink!

NOWHERE ELSE will you check out the records of players who stomped you in the playoffs, only to find they having losing records during the regular season. Including losses to folks that frankly bored you when you stomped them.

But I digress: you came here to figure out how to manage your rating.

Step 1) Your best players need to only beat opponents that could potentially compete with them - and lose to everyone else. That way then can go .300 during local league and over .900 on your run to nationals. As an added artistic flourish, make sure some of your "losses" come at the hands of players who are otherwise winless. Do this every year and no one will ever catch on to you!

Step 2) Make sure that as a team, you don't go undefeated during the regular season. For bonus points, make sure the only loss you take is to the team at the absolute bottom of the standings, whose only victory is against the team at the top (you guys!).

Step 3) Profit!!

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I'm sorry to hear that you lost your match this weekend. My condolences.

This only protects self-rated players for one year. Once they hit the playoffs and start playing at their true level, they will get bumped up at the end of the year.

ohplease said:

Step 1) Your best players need to only beat opponents that could potentially compete with them - and lose to everyone else. That way then can go .300 during local league and over .900 on your run to nationals. As an added artistic flourish, make sure some of your "losses" come at the hands of players who are otherwise winless. Do this every year and no one will ever catch on to you!

Click to expand...

The fact in your statement is that losing to weak opponents helps drive down your number in the system. This is especially important to someone who has self-rated to keep them from being DQ'd. Winning against the best opponents will drive your rating up and from what I understand from talking to the USTA officials - BIG wins trump BIG losses - so eventually this will catch up to you. You might be able to get away with it for a year...

ohplease said:

Step 2) Make sure that as a team, you don't go undefeated during the regular season. For bonus points, make sure the only loss you take is to the team at the absolute bottom of the standings, whose only victory is against the team at the top (you guys!).

Click to expand...

I don't see how this has any impact. The USTA ratings are based on individual and/or doubles performances against individual and/or doubles opponents. Team results have no impact on individual ratings. You are likely to find more WEAK players on weak teams to accomplish #1, but that's about it. Why risk missing the state championships by throwing an easy loss?

The bigger question you didn't ask is what kind of pathetic losers work this hard to get to a recreational league championship for no money and at best a free pen??? I know people do this - but I still don't understand why.

People do it because they want to win. You really don't understand why?

Losing big to benchmark players in your area during the regular season will help you maintain your rating through nationals. (esp. self-rates)

The question is - whether if you team can afford such loss(es), since majority of benchmark players are likely to be part of a competitive team.

The current system (at least for Southern - North Carolina) will create "local kings" compiling 25-1 record during the regular season (1 loss coming from another benchmark player) and play 0.500 during sectionals/regionals, only to come back at the same level for the next season (and sometimes continuing for 5+ seasons).

ohplease said:

The USTA doesn't do a lot of things right with regard to league play - but you know what's the best part about the whole experience? Tennislink!

NOWHERE ELSE will you check out the records of players who stomped you in the playoffs, only to find they having losing records during the regular season. Including losses to folks that frankly bored you when you stomped them.

But I digress: you came here to figure out how to manage your rating.

Step 1) Your best players need to only beat opponents that could potentially compete with them - and lose to everyone else. That way then can go .300 during local league and over .900 on your run to nationals. As an added artistic flourish, make sure some of your "losses" come at the hands of players who are otherwise winless. Do this every year and no one will ever catch on to you!

Step 2) Make sure that as a team, you don't go undefeated during the regular season. For bonus points, make sure the only loss you take is to the team at the absolute bottom of the standings, whose only victory is against the team at the top (you guys!).

Step 3) Profit!!

Click to expand...

Step 1 is only true if you dont go by individual wins. (although if you want to get around it in individual wins, you just add tons of extra players, but SOMEONE needs to guarentee wins in that system since every single match counts)

Step 2 is meaningless. Nobody cares if you went undefeated or not. Players get bumped up and DQ'ed, not teams.

Step 3's profit is a pen or a water bottle or a trip to somewhere that you have to pay for yourself. It's true that some people ONLY enjoy winning and it's not hard to figure out why but you have to wonder about their mental state when all they care about is winning and they do it all the time with ease. (and mostly Id talk about teams / players who do it every single year and keep coming back for more, or the waste a whole season of clobbering people just to get somewhere during a few weekends in the playoffs)

(Winning is far more rewarding when the outcome is in doubt or even if the odds are stacked against you, and somehow you come out ahead, something that someone who loses once in awhile can experience, someone who only puts themselves in easy situations will not)

spot said:

People do it because they want to win. You really don't understand why?

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I realize that, but why go to such extremes for a pen and a water bottle? Seems a bit over the top to me.

I understand why people "manage" their ratings because they want to win win win. In the end, I think they lose. Playing people of equal ability is the best way to improve. It takes constant pressure/stress to change bad habits in ones game and if one is coasting to a nearly unbeaten season, then there is no real reason to change.

I even found our local club pro wanted his teams to win win win. Found out later he delayed moving me and my practice partner up due to the pressure to win win. Sure, I enjoyed winning but I enjoyed the new higher level competition even more.

Not throwing stones at anyone here, everyone has different motives, becoming a better player is mine.