Table
Tennis FAQ PageTable
Tennis FAQ Page
Questions on:
What is USA Table Tennis (USATT)?
USATT is the national governing body for table tennis in the U.S. There are a number
of benefits of joining USATT.
How do I join USATT?
Go to the Membership Page.
What are the most obvious benefits of membership in USATT?
The bi-monthly color glossy magazine, tournaments and the rating system.
If I move, who do I send my change of address to?
Send to USATT Headquarters.
There is a magazine about table tennis in the U.S.?
USA Table Tennis Magazine comes out bimonthly to all USATT members. It is a
color glossy 8.5x11 magazine, usually 64 to 72 pages. It includes coaching
articles, player and club profiles, interviews with prominent players or
officials, USATT news and reports, the rating and ranking lists, U.S. and
international tournament write-ups and results, a list of upcoming tournaments,
U.S. and international table tennis news, and lots of ads for equipment,
coaching camps and tournaments. There is an online version of the magazine,
with selected articles, which you can access at the USATT main page.
Who are the people who run USATT?
USATT is basically run by three groups. There is the board of
directors, who set policy.
There is the USATT office
staff, who do most of the daily work. And finally there are the numerous volunteer
committees, who do many of the tasks not done by USATT
staff.
Where can I find the rules of table tennis?
Go to the USATT Rules Section.
Where can I find the answer to common rules questions?
There is a Stump the Ump section
that answers most common questions. There is also a humerous Unofficial Basement Rules.
Finally, if you want to test your knowledge of the rules, take the online Rules Quiz.
How can I find local clubs?
At the USATT Club Listing.
I would like to start a table tennis club. Where do I start?
You need to browse over the USATT Club Handbook. It is linked to the USATT
Club
Programs Page.
How can I get information on Club resources?
Go to the USATT Club Programs.
Where can I find info on table tennis coaching?
At the USATT Coaches page.
I would like to find a coach. How can I find one?
Go to the list of USATT coaches.
How can I become certified as a USATT coach?
You can read about the various levels of
USATT coaches.
Contact USATT Headquarters at 719-866-4583 or
usatt@usatt.org for
information and an application form.
I would like to teach a table tennis class. Where do I start?
You need to read the USATT’s Junior Training Primer, Beginning Class
Primer, and possibly the Instructor’s Guide to Table Tennis. They are all
linked to the USATT Club Programs Page.
How can I become certified as a USATT umpire?
You can read about the various levels for USATT umpires and referees at the USATT
Officials Page.
Contact USATT Headquarters at 719-866-4583 or usatt@usatt.org for
information and an application form.
Where can I find info on local tournaments in the U.S.?
Go to the list of USATT sanctioned tournaments.
I've never played in a table tennis tournament. What do I need to know
about entering and playing in one?
Here are three good articles for you:
What are the largest tournaments in the U.S.?
The three largest tournaments in the U.S. are the U.S. Open, U.S. Nationals,
and the North American Teams. For the first two, contact USATT Headquarters at usatt@usatt.org. The North American Teams
is run by North American Table Tennis.
I would like to run a USATT Tournament. How do I get started?
You need a copy of the USATT Tournament Guide. You can get a copy from USATT
Headquarters at 719-866-4583 or usatt@usatt.org.
You can also find resources for running tournaments (sanction forms, tournament
report forms, draw sheets, etc.) at the USATT Tournament
Directors Page.
You might also want to play in a USATT League! Starting Feb. 1, 2005, to play in the USATT League, you must either be a USATT member, or join the USATT League ($12/year).
How does the USATT rating system work?
You could read about the algorithm
used.
Basically, it works like this. After your first tournament, you are given a
rating based on your results against other players. For your initial rating, the
scores of your matches and the recommendation of the tournament director are
taken into account. Once you have a rating, your rating goes up or down in each
match, based on the chart located at the web page listed above. If you have a
very good tournament (gaining more than 50 rating points), then your rating is
adjusted upwards. Roughly speaking, a beginner is rated from 200 to 1000. The
best U.S. players are around 2750. The average USATT member is around 1400,
while the average tournament player (since stronger players tend to play more
tournaments) is around 1700. A player over 2000 is often considered a Master –
there are only about 200 players rated that high.
Can I play in a rating event if I am unrated?
If the tournament director can reasonably and accurately assign you a
rating, he may do so. However, in most cases, unrated players must play in a
rating event to establish a rating. In this case, you would play in the
preliminary round robin, but not advance out of it. Once you have established a
rating, you will never face this problem again.
How can I find my current rating?
At the USATT home page there is a rating
section. Set the heading to "last name" and type in your last name,
and hit "Go." If you are a current USATT member, your rating will be
there. There is also a list of ratings for USATT members who have played in
recent tournaments (usually the last five months) in USA Table Tennis Magazine.
How can I see past ratings for USATT players?
You can see every tournament match result for every USATT members going back
to Jan. 1, 1994.
Over 430,000 matches have been processed. You can check player results by state,
player, tournament or rating.
Where can I find table tennis equipment?
Go to the listings of USATT sanctioned
equipment and USATT
sanctioned equipment dealers.
How much playing space for setting up a table area is required?
The table tennis table is 5 feet wide by 9 feet
long. Allowing a minimum of 5 feet on either side makes
the width of the playing area 15 feet. Now add to
the length 10 feet on either end. This makes the
length of the playing area 29 feet. This makes the total
playing area 29 X 15 = 435 square feet.
Championship table tennis utilizes more space
that what is calculated above. So put 10 feet on either
side and 15 feet on either end. This makes a total space of 25
feet by 39 feet, for a total area of 975 square feet.
Does equipment need to be USATT approved to be used in a USATT Tournament?
All racket surfaces needed to be USATT
approved to be used in USATT tournaments. Rackets do not need to be USATT
approved.
What are the most common types of table tennis racket surfaces?
They are:
I am interested in College Table Tennis. How can I find out about this?
Go to the USATT College page. There you will find info on ACUI and NCTTA table tennis. ACUI holds both regional and national colllege tournament; NCTTA is the National College Table Tennis Association.
I am interested in Hardbat Table Tennis (i.e. table tennis where sponge is
not allowed). Where should I go to find out about this?
There is a Classic Table Tennis Association (which is another name for hardbat
table tennis). They have hardbat events and a hardbat rating
system. There is also www.hardbat.org.
Where can I get a listing of Table Tennis Champions (Olympic, World, USA,
etc.)
At the USATT Champions
Page.
Where can I read about USA Table Tennis History?
Tim Boggan, USATT Historian, has online books on USATT
History. Make sure to browse the "Additional Reading" section!
Where can I read about junior players and other articles on junior table
tennis?
Go to the USATT Junior Page. You
might also want to see the Junior
Training Primer.
Is there a glossary of table tennis terms?
Go to the Glossary
of Table Tennis Terms.
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