Table Tennis Categories and Ratings: Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced
Separate categories give everyone competitive matches. The hard part is deciding who plays where, so decide the rule before entries open.
Why separate categories
A beginner who plays a competitive player in round one learns little and may not return. A strong player who beats a beginner 11–1 gets little from the match. Categories fix both problems and give you more winners to recognize.
Rating bands
If your players have ratings, use bands. For example, with a rating system where beginners are below about 1000 and strong club players above about 1800, you might use:
| Category | Example rating band | Who plays |
|---|---|---|
| Beginner | Unrated or below 1000 | New players, social players, juniors starting out |
| Intermediate | 1000 to 1700 | Regular club players |
| Advanced | 1700 and above | Competitive players with tournament experience |
Those numbers are only an example. Ratings systems differ in scale, so set bands that fit your players and your rating system. Check how many entries each band is likely to get, and adjust so no category ends up with only three players.
Players without ratings
- Ask for a short description of experience on the entry form: years playing, whether they play in a league, and their best results.
- Let a trusted club coach or the director place unrated players, and allow a move after the first round if the placement was clearly wrong.
- Collect ratings with the entry. The free software uses ratings, when entered, to seed groups and brackets.
Preventing sandbagging
Sandbagging means entering a category below your level to win. Prevent it by publishing the rule, using ratings where they exist, and giving the director the right to move a player up. Say clearly that a player may not enter two categories with overlapping times unless you allow it.
Other ways to divide the field
- Age: under 11, under 13, under 15, under 19, and over 40, 50 and 60 are common groupings. Check your governing body’s age definitions.
- Gender: open, women’s and mixed doubles.
- Handicap events: give weaker players a starting score advantage so mixed-level fields can play each other.
Plan for different field sizes
With about 18 to 20 players per category, groups of four with two advancing, plus a consolation bracket, give each player at least three matches. If one category is very small, run a round robin. If a category is very large, split it again by rating.