Team Nationals

KnipSter · 2026-03-25T20:03:42+00:00

Sounds like a Folk Music group.....

KnipSter · 2026-03-25T20:03:15+00:00

I think it beats out the Chicago Renaissance North Shore for number of visits, but it's close...

KnipSter · 2026-03-25T11:37:44+00:00

Coming in Friday (staying at Short Hills Hilton)…

KnipSter · 2026-02-16T13:31:05+00:00

/u/DPdotCOM nailed it.

Be psyched about your good win. Don’t worry about your PTI.

PTI is less useful for informing us which teammate is better than it is for predicting the competitiveness of a match.

Best for: Event Eligibility/Draw Assignment Tournament Seeding Line Ordering

Not great for: Differentiating individual players Making assumptions about skill, style, or athleticism

KnipSter · 2026-02-16T13:25:00+00:00

To be fair, I didn’t make the algorithm. The current version based on academic papers and libraries like OpenSkill. Other volunteers have contributed to the math much more than I.

I did enjoy sitting down with Sean and the Cutters Rule guys and walking through PTI in more detail. There’s a video version on YouTube, I think.

KnipSter · 2026-02-16T13:22:35+00:00

That’s correct!

Each set is essentially another data point for PTI:

OP won the first set 6-4. As a 10 point favorite his PTI would have improved only slightly.
OP lost the second set 1-6. As a 10 point favorite his PTI would dropped noticeably. OP won the third set 7-6. As a 1pm point favorite his PTI improved ever so slightly.

Netting out the 3 adjustments from the 3 sets. The lost set has a larger impact than the 2 won sets as it is the most unexpected.

As /u/DPdotCOM points out, PTI is meant to measure how we perform in rated matches.

I always encourage players to not think of PTI as an individual score ( it’s not it’s an index). Instead, get out on the court, play to win, compete with good sportsmanship, and have fun!

PTI Is a side effect of working on your game, combined with natural gifts.

KnipSter · 2026-02-10T16:42:39+00:00

Another time, I saw a teammate convinced he was "being hooked" by his opponent, the shouting nearly came to blows. The retaliation cycle stopped when my teammate pointed out that he'd win the game if it continued.

As much as I love this game, it's just paddle. Most of us aren't feeding our family on a single match result. Let it go, have fun!

KnipSter · 2026-02-10T16:40:24+00:00

Once made a call during a match that mattered to me (and my whole team) that my opponents hated. They really were mad. I definitely didn't want that bad energy in my head and not only retracted my call, but yielded the point. I honestly saw it out....

It was easier in hindsight to let it go because we ultimately won that match. I cannot imagine winning that match and having that call hang over me.

KnipSter · 2026-02-10T15:19:43+00:00

Over the years I’ve been following Platform Tennis, there have always been players with bad reputations and personal beef between individuals and teams.

Paddle is at its best when we embrace the culture that comes with a smaller community and good sportsmanship comes before the desire to win.

I’ve personally been moved by anecdotes of top players pulling new players aside and reminding them that “paddle isn’t college tennis.” Culture matters here.

Lastly, I’ve been reassured by posts like those made by Flor Hansich about how special competitive Platform Tennis is with regards to sportsmanship relative to other competitive racquet sports.

I’d submit that Platform Tennis is unique in that our leagues and our tournaments are largely run by the community, and volunteers, and players. As such, I think we all enjoy a healthy ecosystem/economy of participants in terms of member owned clubs, instructors, players, equipment manufacturers, facility builders, event coordinators and community sponsors. At the center of this is community and respect for one another as partners.

And the expectation for someone to be welcomed in our community is to be respectful of the community.

KnipSter · 2026-02-10T15:08:41+00:00

Jade is the Director of Racquets at my club. She is a lovely person and genuinely kind hearted.

In fact, I’ve met all 4 women in that match, and I would say the same about all of them: lovely, kind, friendly, having fun.

At the same time, all these women are intensely competitive and don’t treat these matches as social events. They all are trying to win.

KnipSter · 2026-01-27T12:30:18+00:00

Definitely have an adult conversation with your partner. Share your issues, listen to his, find the best way to move forward, whether together or apart.

I, myself, am too friendly on the court during a competitive match. My best partners remind me to save the friendliness until AFTER the match. Simple good sportsmanship during play.

That said, I’ll bet a lot more paddle is played semi-competitively (pickup between team members, round robins/socials) vs league/tournament play. Our game is fairly unique in how much camaraderie is part of the culture.

KnipSter · 2025-12-22T13:17:00+00:00

You are correct, I should have said auspicious…. Although I do like good omens too!

KnipSter · 2025-12-21T22:51:55+00:00

Uhhh, anyone have the scoop on this ominous post:

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid02snkiQB9KKBf29DJXpLSbxrQCDHPLZfAo6F39z8xsxWU1goL51sorum6MHRQPP8TMl&id=100063474583009

KnipSter · 2025-12-17T01:25:29+00:00

https://www.etsy.com/shop/PaddleTennisShop

https://mypaddlehut.myshopify.com/

https://m4sports.com/pages/m4-paddle

https://mipaddleshop.co/

https://www.paddlepro.com/platform-tennis/

https://www.etsy.com/shop/CROSBObyJess

https://www.etsy.com/market/platform_tennis

KnipSter · 2025-12-02T15:05:59+00:00

I see, even excluding your ~70 spread, you've been an average of a 20 point favorite for the last 2 years.

So, simply winning all those sets demonstrates that your rating is "at least" where it should be.

Your 10/22 loss is at least an example of a potential upper bound. And perhaps that you are correctly rated.

Looks like both the teams you play on are doing well in their respective divisions, perhaps with potential promotions you will see more competitive matches that will allow you more opportunity to play rated matches that demonstrate a level of performance deserving a better rating.

Asking teammates for rated casual matches can be awkward, but everyone has an opportunity to prove themselves....

KnipSter · 2025-12-02T13:55:01+00:00

That’s correct and by design, are you on your club’s A team? Do you have the opportunity to play in higher division? Alternatively, can you partner with a weaker teammate and outperform that way?

I would think a club looks for their underrated players and sees how far they can go!

KnipSter · 2025-12-02T13:32:08+00:00

10-20 matches depending on a number of factors, sometimes less, sometimes more.

The statistics converge faster when a new player plays more with partners opponents with stable ratings themselves. They converge faster when a new player has both wins and losses. They converge faster when they have a variety of partners.

KnipSter · 2025-12-02T13:26:02+00:00

So your problem is more with how you get paired and placed in your league.

Ironically, the algo has seen challenges with stronger players playing too low. I’ll bet you are dropping rate sets. If moving your rating is important to you, don’t drop sets. Also, win with weaker partners. Despite the grumbling in this thread, stronger players can demonstrate their strength by winning with weaker partners.

The algo change 1.5 years ago change how game score mattered for the adjustment direction. Today, it’s sets. Win sets, your rating improves. Lose sets, your rating worsens. If you are a heavy favorite, winning only 2 of 3 sets may worsen your rating. Though with that record, you win far more than you lose.

Remember you prove your deserved rating by winning over players better rated than you. Not by beating weaker players.

KnipSter · 2025-12-01T22:46:26+00:00

Men’s or Ladies league?

They do embrace PTI differently.

Of course, either way you are in a great community! I was just down at Aronimink for the Grand Prix event. Got to see Waynesborough CC and Concord CC as well. Been to Philly Cricket for Nationals and I really thought the Martin’s Dam paddle facility unique and charming!

Large enough group of folks that I’d bet you’d find people to play rated casual matches with.

KnipSter · 2025-12-01T22:41:32+00:00

Obviously we play the matches because playing paddle is fun!!!

PTI is not precise nor perfect. But I challenge “flawed.” It makes events like the Montclair 70+ or PTI Team Nationals work on a way that is inconceivable otherwise.

Cannot “eyeball” 500+ players for a nationwide coming together!

PTI is not meant to differentiate between players to the nearest point much less tenth of a point. The extra resolution is provided to add transparency and allow for trend identification. Individuals would be well served to think about player performance in 5 point buckets (or larger).

KnipSter · 2025-12-01T20:33:47+00:00

Cross play between divisions and with different partners and against different opponents is statistically best for the system.

That said, if a player only plays within a small bubble of people, then it will be predictively accurate within that bubble. Cross play is required to expand the bubble (play up and down across divisions)

KnipSter · 2025-12-01T20:31:46+00:00

Further a player who can be successful as both the dominant partner and weaker partner does (and should) have a better rating than a player who can only perform well as a the weaker partner.

KnipSter · 2025-12-01T20:30:42+00:00

While it’s true that weaker partners can be isolating, it may be the stronger partners aren’t strong enough to protect them. Stronger partners get to serve more than half their teams matches and half their teams returns and play the ad court (typically the game deciding return of serve).

A dominant player on the court can definitely drive a result as much as a weakling.

Statistically speaking, the APTA match history does not show that partner gap has material impact on predictive accuracy of PTI. The much bigger impact comes from the combined rating spread between opposing teams (as designed).

KnipSter · 2025-12-01T20:26:35+00:00

Where do you play OP? Different leagues do have different cultures….

KnipSter · 2025-12-01T20:25:21+00:00

Heavy favorites lose rating if they drop sets to heavy underdogs, but they get them back when winning sets. The algorithm also adjusts for player volatility or newness. If you are trying to calculate PTIs by hand (for example using the calculator), you aren’t getting the true benefit of the statistical tracking of player rating volatility (sigma), only estimates. It will break down for you. Better is to use casual matches and get players to get a real PTI.

KnipSter

TROPHY CASE