Poll: Right Hand players vs. Left Hand Players

Are you right-handed or left-handed?


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It means that RH players play with LH players more than many thought. The ratio is 1:2 not 1:9.

It probably means that left handed players are disproportionately more likely to respond to a thread about handedness :)
 
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Here's a novel idea. Rate yourself to others and estimate where your skill level is. And you've got a 50/50 chance on guessing if you are RH or LH.

I've never had a personal stalker before. I've began posting here about 2+ weeks ago, have made 3 posts, and one party has attempted to misdirect and hijack 2 of my 3 posts. However, on this thread please post and criticize away. It will continue to keep the thread active, get more people to vote, and push it to the top. Keep posting and good luck on the 50/50 attempt.
Hmmm... Interesting that you think you're important enough to have a stalker.

I'm not attempting to hijack the thread. Just pointing out that US table tennis ratings only apply to US table tennis players. If you actually are interested in opening the thread to anyone other than the Yanks, then you might need to change something.

BTW, I'm a 95 year old, female, pen-hold, defender. I'm ambidextrous and rate myself at 2653. Could you cast my vote for me, please?
 
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I am not sure I see the reason for adding the rating. If the idea was to get people to put whether they were left handed or right handed, it is true that the extra category of adding a rating number makes it so less people will fill out the poll.

And guessing your rating when you don't have a reference point will only produce results that are totally suspect.
 
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I am not sure I see the reason for adding the rating. If the idea was to get people to put whether they were left handed or right handed, it is true that the extra category of adding a rating number makes it so less people will fill out the poll.

And guessing your rating when you don't have a reference point will only produce results that are totally suspect.
The intent of the poll, as stated in the post, was to question if there is an advantage to being a left handed player. The rating question added the variable of skill level to L/R predominance.

It seems having players judge or compare themselves numerically to others touches a nerve or is confusing and/or uncomfortable.

A much simplier LR poll question have been beginner, intermediate, advanced, or something like advanced+. These lack specificity and detail the number poll adds. I have gained the insight to express future posts considering an international audience. And I'm glad it's engenered comments.
 
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Hmmm... Interesting that you think you're important enough to have a stalker.

I'm not attempting to hijack the thread. Just pointing out that US table tennis ratings only apply to US table tennis players. If you actually are interested in opening the thread to anyone other than the Yanks, then you might need to change something.

BTW, I'm a 95 year old, female, pen-hold, defender. I'm ambidextrous and rate myself at 2653. Could you cast my vote for me, please?
Thanks for taking time to reply. Unfortunately one has vote for themselves and cannot vote for others.
 
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I guess, something I feel is an interesting piece of information. Just like in batting in baseball, you don't necessarily have to be left handed to play left handed. An example in tennis is Raphael Nadal. He is right handed. But when he was a kid, his coaches saw he had more potential playing with his left hand. Xu Xin is also right handed but plays left handed. I am not sure how they decided to get him to play lefty. But the decision was made pretty early on for him as well.

Tahl Leibovitz who is right handed and plays right handed is about 2400-2500 (USATT rating) with his right hand and plays at about 2200 level (USATT rating) left handed. So he could answer in the 2000+ category in this thread for both hands. :)
 
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It seems having players judge or compare themselves numerically to others touches a nerve or is confusing and/or uncomfortable.

Not really that.
It is just that some of us really have no idea what a 1200, 1600 or 2000 USATT should look like.

And yes, I can look at another player and tell if he/she is better than me or not. But how much better is 100 or 500 USATT difference? I have no idea.
 
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You forgot the ADVANCED BEGINNER category, commonly used here by new members asking advice for cabon OFF²+++++ blades.

Yeah. Another thing worth understanding is how people's brains work. There are certain people who tend to overrate themselves. There are other people who tend to underrate themselves. I have noticed in TT that players at lower levels are far more likely to overrate themselves. I have also noticed in TT that higher level players seem more likely to underrate themselves.

And since everyone has a different definition of beginner, intermediate and advanced. I know a lot of players who cannot loop backspin on one wing or both who consider themselves advanced players. I would consider that a beginner. I don't think there is anything wrong with being in the beginner category, or, as IVegita has described "advanced beginner".

I would actually, in general consider most players below about 1800-1900 level (USATT rating) to be in the beginner or advanced beginner category. The lines are a little blurry because you can have one player whose fundamentals are excellent and whose games skills are not great who has a USATT rating of 1500 even though, the fundamental skills are much higher. You can also have someone who is has a USATT rating of 2100 whose fundamentals are so bad that you would not realize how good the player is.

So, the lines are not 100% distinct when a person crosses over to being an intermediate level player. But I would say Intermediate level players are often somewhere within the 1900-2300 level.

At about 2300 level it is very hard to be bad and still play at that level. You sort of have to do everything quite well. At that level it is also much less likely that funny tactic anomalies will break down that player's technique. It is also at that level where, playing someone who is much higher level will also not break down the technique of the player, even if they are getting beaten badly. Whereas, below that level, frequently, when a player is faced by stuff they have not trained against sufficiently, their technique will break down as they make more and more mistakes.

Here is more of what I am talking about in video form.

See if you can rate the players in these videos:





One of the videos has ratings listed. I was hoping to find ones without. But it will still make the point.

Can you rate any of the other players?
 
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One time I posted footage of one of these two guys and someone who was really a complete beginner thought he could beat both players in the video.


So, people judging their own level is not an easy thing.

Table tennis is a sport that relies a lot on deception. And often lower level players don't have a full grasp on how important what your opponent does is. In any racket sport, you can only do what your opponent allows you to do. In TT that is very much the case. The guy coaching Mark in the video in this post is named Ernesto Ebuen. I have heard Ernesto emphasize to many many many students how important it is to watch what your opponent and read what he does. You cannot get higher than a fairly low level without that and without being able to read the spin from the bounce and trajectory of the ball.

Those things can also tell you a decent amount about a player's level.
 
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Novice folks tend to over-estimate themselves. Couple guys I know estimate their level at 1800 since they play with couple 1800 and 1900 then occasionally beat one of these folks. One day they lost to 1300 and 1500 players.

I kept telling them without participation in real tournament multiple times NO one can estimate what his/her level is as the tolerances may be huge. Psychological factor is also huge in tournament. Don't underestimate it.
 
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You forgot the ADVANCED BEGINNER category, commonly used here by new members asking advice for cabon OFF²+++++ blades.
The four categories in the poll each apply to L and R players. Rather than limit the poll to a LR question, the idea was to add the players skill level to their selection. Playing locally and watching videos from the US and worldwide, there seems to be a higher percentage of LH players. If the population is approximately 10% left handed, and if 25%-35% left handed players play in sanctioned tournaments (pure conjecture on the estimation), then LH players have an inherent advantage. Then mix in the remainder of non tournament players, who play at clubs and rec centers, do LH players have an advantage on the percentage and skill level of players. The thought just occurred in returning to play after a long absence and noticing more TT players play LH as more LH players play baseball.
 
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1st - defender vs attacker 2100 vs 2100
2nd - young guy - 1900
Didn't look at the last video sorry

Interesting. Anyone else care to venture a guess on the levels of any of the players in the videos?
 
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I'm left-handed. I find opponents often don't realise unless I point it out to them. No, me neither.
Crazy, isn't it? Yet in this last season I've come up against and lost to a left-handed player and I have to consciously remind myself that he's a leftie! I keep forgetting and put balls right in the slot for his forehand. :confused:
 
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1st - defender vs attacker 2100 vs 2100
2nd - young guy - 1900
Didn't look at the last video sorry

Okay. Since nobody else seems to be taking the bait, the two older gents in the first video I posted, at the time of the video were both rated over 2300. Both of them have been as high as 2400. That video was from about 8 years ago though. They weren't young then and they have not gotten any younger. So, 2100 may be where they are now. :)

Adam Hugh is the looper in the 2nd video. I think that is who you were referring to as "2nd - young guy - 1900". He was 2500 at the time of this video and at his peak he definitely broke 2600 and may have come close to 2700.

The third video gives the level of the players so I don't need to. And since nobody guessed the level of the players in the 4th video, I will leave it out.

The guesses of 2100 were not bad. Just a little low. The guess of 1900 for the highest rated player in all the videos is kind of entertaining though.
 
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