Hi MZ,
Thanks for making me laugh right when I waz trying to swallow some orange juice... now the stuff went down my lungs instead my throat, so it burned and poisoned my lungs, made me cough violently, so now the stuff is running out my nose stinging like crazy as snot trails like a bat outta you know where.
We have seen your videos. We know your approximate level. What you do NOT know is how it works in big USA tourneys. I wish I could get you to commit to a bet of even a small one, like betting lunch against me... my lunch tab can really run up there.
Yeah, you COULD be 1200-1600 on the East Coast of USA, which is an average USA player... but when you go to a big national tournament that has all these players registered who are vet warrior TOURNEY players... or even worse, the kids who were kept training for a few years, developed, then slowly allowed in tourneys, but competing only against similar ringer kids in the U400 division... until they are 1600-1800 then unleased in the next big national level tourney... then players of your level go 0-3 in group qualification and blow a fuse, then wonder if it waz ur rubber or blade.
One of the guys I train is pretty much your level, he would be 1200-1500 east coast level... he recently went to a small local tourney (but in a training center with dozens of these warrior kids) and he did not win any matches vs that crowd at all. He was ranked #2 in his division and lost all three of hiz matches. He felt really bad and embarrassed that he lost so bad and had a "bad" tourney, but this is the expected result given the circumstances he was in. He WILL, however, be doing much better sooner than anyone expects though.
THAT is how it goes in just the local California tourneys... and it is TEN TIMES more fierce in the larger 4 star national tourneys like Joola Championships, US Nationals, or US Open... or even LA Open.
Oh, then you got the pro ringers who keep their rating 400 points lower than their true level, then they register and win this tourney for the small cash prize of 100-300 USD in the lower divisions and the thrill of winning at a big tourney.
MZ, these are my observations and presentations of empirical evidence.
Maybe it is a good idea for me to make some threads like "What was I rated #1 and still lost ALL my USATT Tourney matches" or a similar thread.
Short of it is MZ that in any USA club that is not in the area of a junior warrior training center, you would be properly classified as 1200-1600 and compete in rural tourneys and get results pretty much in the lines of your level... but when you go to a California tourney or anywhere they have similar training going on, or a big national tourney, you will be in for a HUGE shocker.