⚠️⚠️ *HIT READ MORE FOR EXPLANATION ON ODDS OF BEATING A PLAYER AS WELL AS MORE NUANCE* ⚠️⚠️
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I didn't explain it in the video, but you have a ~50% chance of beating someone with the same rating as you. You have a ~15-20% chance of beating someone 100 points higher than you. And you have about a 2% chance of beating someone who's 200 points higher than you. The odds of beating someone 250-300 points above you or higher are extremely slim and a statistical anomaly. However, players who are rapidly improving are likely to cause huge upsets as their ratings will be lower than their true playing standards. That means all of what I just mentioned only applies when the ratings actually indicate the players' true playing standards. Here is an explanation on how ratings are calculated, including adjustments for players who have caused huge upsets / had rapid improvement - [ Ссылка ]
I want to note some nuance as it relates to "pro" players. 24-2500+ *(using the USATT scale)* may be "only" semi-pro in a country like Germany, Japan, China, etc. but be literally the number 1 player on the national team somewhere else. Because of that I consider it a professional *level* (relative to the US), but that doesn't necessarily mean *everyone* at that level is a pro. It just means some full-time pros are at that level. For what it's worth, upper 2400s to lower 2500s on the women's side puts you in the top 150-200 in the world, which is obviously a full-time professional level. As a point of reference, there are players in MLTT, which is the highest pro league in the US, who are in the 2400s and 2500s. In a country like Germany, you'd probably need to be 26-2700+ (23-2400+ TTR) to be considered a true full-time pro who could primarily or completely live off table tennis.
To reiterate what was mentioned in the video, I believe ~2300 ± 100 (~2000 TTR ± 100) is where the semi-pro playing level begins. In the United States, there isn't a true semi-pro scene, but at this level, you can earn decent chunks of cash here and there through local leagues and tournaments. This is also a level where you might have free membership at some clubs, and brands may offer sponsorships (heavily discounted or completely free gear).
Abroad, ~2300 ± 100 (~2000 TTR ± 100) is the point where you'll typically start receiving some form of compensation from your club. Some will start paying a small salary, although not every club follows this practice. At others, players at this level will get other forms of compensation like free club membership, heavily discounted (or free) equipment, gas money, etc. A club may also decide to contract a player at this level as both a coach and a player. You could consider this level to simply be a very good hobbyist, although I would argue that it qualifies as semi-pro by definition. At this level, you're skilled enough that others are willing to provide you with free items or potentially compensate you just to play. In other words, you're at a playing standard where you could find monetary opportunities if you truly wanted, although many players do not pursue this route as they simply love the sport and want to play stress free at their preferred club. In other words, while not everyone at this level is a semi-pro (that is some are just very skilled amateurs), it *is* a semi-pro playing level.
The higher your playing standard the higher your compensation, and by 2450-2500 (2150-2200 TTR) you'll be earning a very significant amount of money, and view table tennis as a second job instead of just a hobby. This makes sense, since maintaining this level of table tennis is basically a part time job in terms of the time you must spend training.
Timestamps
0:00 Intro
0:34 USATT vs TTR Elo systems
1:32 Overview of USATT rating system
2:14 0-800 (beginner)
3:10 800-1200 (advanced beginner)
3:44 1200-1500 (intermediate)
4:35 1500-1800 (upper intermediate)
5:22 1800-2000 (advanced)
6:18 2000-2200 (extremely advanced / expert)
7:35 2200+ (semi-professional)
8:40 2500+ (pro level)
8:58 2600-3000 (world's best players)
9:39 What percentile of the player base your level puts you in (start of part 2)
15:00 On screen list
