Anyone here around 1500-1600 USATT ranking?

liXiao wrote: i would be well over 1500 if i could actually FIND a tournament to play in. Living in new england sucks.

I feel your pain brother. 

tpgh2k wrote: BH-Man wrote: tgph2k will not be at that rating after next tourney if he continues to win against several 1700 players and not run into any severly under-rated jokers, especially considering his recent training abroad. you're too kind bh-man. i'm hoping i'm closer to the 1800 level....we'll just see how it goes when i play in tournies....right now i'm playing in league and i'm still stuck on the 1500 tables...we'll see how it goes this monday when i move up a table. i should be able to steal some more points this way.

ME? High commitment? Some, but look at yourself. You fly halfway around the world and meet up with Hookshot and Tommy - that's something I couldn't dream of right now. Driving 26 hours and unwittingly losing to JimT 3-0 in close games, driving 24 hours once and getting right out of the car to get waxed by Bogeyhunter in training, driving the way back a few weeks later and seeing old Army friends and also linking up with LilDudeJDS, hit some and driving 10 hours home, driving 6 hours to Austin TTC, and getting a chance to meet Jeff pales to a two day travel like you are doing. There just isn't any TT around here in Oklahoma. There is a club 100 miles away, but that is way too much fuel $$ to go there often, except for a tourney. I sometimes visit my friends in Central Texas, which accounts for my trips to Austin TTC. I go to tourneys in Dallas, I sometimes drive to visit my daughter in New England, I once had to make a business trip to DC, which I was able to take advantage of to meet several forum members. You go a heck of a lot further than I do and I reckon others do even more just to play, train, or compete in TT, given our spread out nature of people and facilities. This upcoming move to Korea should really help my TT out big time.

liXiao wrote: People in california are so lucky. 90% of the US clubs are like IN Cali.

Wrong. It is not a matter of people being lucky. It is just that there are more tournament level players. It is simply a matter of demand and supply. Not that USATT has a special affinity for California.

tsanyc wrote: I am maybe 1100.� Not sure, never got rated. But I play a kid name Tahl when I was in my college days. He was around 1700 at the time.

As in Tahl lehbovitz? Para-Olympic gold medalist rated around 2500 right handed and about 2100 left handed? Coach and trainer of "world champ", Judah freidlander? That Tahl???

BH-Man wrote: There just isn't any TT around here in Oklahoma. There is a club 100 miles away, but that is way too much fuel $$ to go there often, except for a tourney. I sometimes visit my friends in Central Texas, which accounts for my trips to Austin TTC. I go to tourneys in Dallas, I sometimes drive to visit my daughter in New England, I once had to make a business trip to DC, which I was able to take advantage of to meet several forum members. You go a heck of a lot further than I do and I reckon others do even more just to play, train, or compete in TT, given our spread out nature of people and facilities. This upcoming move to Korea should really help my TT out big time.

Where is "around here in Oklahoma"?  There are clubs in Missouri and Arkansas (LR) that, though they may be a bit of a drive, are most accessible.  You might not get to play a 2450 player very often, but there are plenty 1300 to 1900 players to go around.  And one of the very best coaches in the world for developing players is in the western suburb of St. Louis (Sheri Xu).  A couple of sessions with Sheri could make a big difference in your game.

tpgh2k wrote: lol yea, i was suspecting that also.... but here's an update for me though. i played in a U-1700 local tournie and got runner up. so that's not too bad. just wish i got first place though =p

 

@ BH-Man I'd say you're travels and experiences to meet so many different people and play at different places is priceless.  You get to see table tennis in it's different forms in many different regions and you're having fun while you're doing it!

When in Vietnam I made an impulse buy with that Ishlion.  So many kids were using carbon blades and I felt left out.  First I switched to Sriver on both sides in attempt to gain more control. Now I'm focusing more on feeling and touch; and I think that a korbel with the rubbers I listed will help.  Many of my clubmates highly recomended that blade to me.  I want to get well grounded in my technique and I don't think that a carbon blade will help.  I sound like an EJ don't I?   But i'm not I swear!!! lol I'll save the Ishlion for when I get past 2000 USATT.  But hopefully at the Aliana Open: 1). I hope I get in (i'm waitlisted #5); 2). I hope to have better touch, feeling and control in my game, becuase at my tournament in Waco, I was a smashing machine.  I served a dead ball expecting it to pop up, but what do I do?  Freakn smash it when it's only 10 inches off the table.  It was stupid ball selection on my part and it happened 3-4 times.  Oh well.  I will fix it to the best of my ability this week!!!

***But also to keep on topic with this thread, Ash(ATTC) is roughly a 1600 player, closer to 1700. and gives 1800-1900 players a hard time.  Deadly countergame.  Deadly backhand.