Table Tennis Ratings Explained (USATT Ratings Guide)
Table Tennis Ratings Explained - Ultimate Guide to USATT Ratings and TTR
Introduction
Welcome to the ultimate guide on table tennis ratings. I run a YouTube channel called Looeelooee, where I made a video on this subject; this serves as a written format for more accessibility. If you'd like to watch the video, which includes clips of players at most skill levels, click here!
USATT vs. TTR
The best place to start is explaining the difference between USATT ratings and TTR. America uses a rating system known as USATT ratings, and TTR is a similar but separate system used in several other countries like Germany. TTR is much less standardized than USATT ratings; the same TTR in two different cities (even within the same country) could indicate somewhat different levels.
There is anywhere from a 150 to 500 point difference between USATT ratings and TTR. The average is roughly 250 to 300 points but can vary notably by region, so take this figure with a grain of salt. To illustrate, a player rated 1500 in the USATT system would be around 12-1300 using German TTR. If you need to convert between USATT and TTR (or vice versa), hopefully you now have a rough idea. For the purposes of this guide, everything will be in terms of USATT ratings. Those who don't live in the US should still be able to understand the different levels after converting to TTR.
Odds of Beating a Higher-Rated Player
Here’s how your chances of winning stack up against other players based on rating:
- Same rating: ~50% chance
- 100 points higher: ~15-20% chance
- 200 points higher: ~2% chance
- 250-300 points higher or more: Extremely slim, a statistical anomaly
However, players who are underrated or rapidly improving (and vice versa) are likely to cause huge upsets, as their ratings will be different from their true playing standards. That means all of this only applies when the ratings actually indicate the players’ true playing standards. For more on how ratings are calculated, including adjustments for players who have caused huge upsets or had rapid improvement, check out USATT's rating calculation page here.
Skill Levels by Rating Range
The USATT rating system goes from technically 0 up to around 2900 or 3000. The first thing to note is that the higher your rating, the harder it is to climb, as you start to run into diminishing returns. For example, you can climb from 800 to 1200 extremely quickly, but it would take much, much longer to climb from 1800 to 2200.
The rating system used in the US is very similar, although not identical, to the chess ELO system. That's to say, while there are some differences, the skill level of someone rated 1200 in chess is similar to the skill level of a 1200-rated table tennis player.
0-800: Complete Beginner
It’s very unlikely, even for a complete beginner, to have a true playing level between 0 and 300. The only way realistically that you could get your rating to this range is if a bunch of unrated players had a tournament with one person happening to lose to everyone. Really, total beginners are going to range from about 500 (assuming they can hold a paddle and hit the ball on the table) up to around 800. These are players that generally have no coaching or real club experience whatsoever, or are still learning the fundamentals of the sport, including grip, basic footwork, driving, pushing, and blocking.
This rating range is the level of the vast majority of casual players, even players like the local office champion, or your one friend that has a table in their basement and beats everyone. These types of players can seem really, really good to non-players, but for the most part, they’re still at this playing standard. With that said, you’ve still got to watch out! These players know tons of tricks, can play excellent shots, and will crush people who have never played table tennis before.
It's worth noting that many can go from being a complete beginner to a very high level without any "real" or paid coaching. There are some extremely strong amateurs who are mainly self-taught. But while formal coaching isn't always necessary to reach a high level, real club play and proper practice are (outside of rare outliers like pro athletes coming from other sports - see intermediate players section). That is to say, it is essentially impossible for most people to progress past a level of 800 to 1000 without regularly playing against and practicing with stronger players in a club environment. So, while you can be self-taught, trying to improve in isolation will only get you so far.
800-1200: Advanced Beginner
Players rated between 800 and 1200 can be considered advanced beginners or lower intermediates. If they’ve had coaching, this is where they’re starting to get a better grasp of the fundamentals. Regardless, they'll be able to consistently rally the ball, generate some of their own spin, and some of these players may also be learning more technically advanced shots like loops. These players may also start adding significant spin on their serves, and some may even be able to serve with proper deception. Players in this range will absolutely crush all your basement and garage champions who have never played at a club before. From the perspective of an average person, these players look really, really good.
1200-1500: Intermediate
From 1200 to 1500 are your typical intermediate level players. If you’ve trained to get to this point, you’re starting to get very good and get into more of the nuances of the sport like placement, shot selection, variation, and more. I’ve had the pleasure of going up against several full-time professional athletes from other sports, including AAA baseball players and starting players from the Washington Commanders. From direct experience, I’d say 1500, maybe 1600, or a bit higher is about the cap of how good you can get with no proper training or club play whatsoever if you are an extreme outlier. You have to be insanely talented / athletic to accomplish this.
For the most part, other than getting into more of the nuances, intermediates work on a lot of the same things as advanced beginners but do everything just a little bit better, especially the level of shot quality (spin, power, placement, etc.) they’re able to generate. They also tend to receive serves and read the opponent's spin much more consistently.
1500-1800: Upper Intermediate
1500 to 1800 is an upper intermediate level, with 1800 being considered advanced. A lot of the people I coach are around this level. They do a lot of what the previous level does but with much deeper knowledge and understanding of the nuances and fewer unforced errors. This is the range where to beat someone, you really have to do something to make them uncomfortable, instead of just playing your game and relying on their mistakes. These players also have much better shot quality, footwork, placement, and so on. Give them something in their wheelhouse and they'll consistently land full speed strokes on the table. In this range, players start to develop their own playing style and their own "bread-and-butter" shots and combinations. At this level, players may also start learning the hardest shots of table tennis, like the counter loop, flips, and short touches.
1800-2000: Advanced
1800 to 2000 is very advanced. By 1800, an average onlooker may see you warming up and think that you’re a professional player. This rating range is where you really start to see the first major diminishing returns in terms of rating jumps. In other words, climbing the ratings from here becomes insanely difficult.
To illustrate, if you trained properly every single day, essentially full-time, and were seriously committed to improving, you could go from a complete beginner to 1800 in well under a year. However, to get from 1800 to 2000 might take the same amount of time or longer than that first jump, despite it only being 200 more points. At this level, players are ripping the ball full speed, even against balls that put them under some pressure, but they generally don’t have a complete game yet. In other words, they normally still have a couple of holes in their game, although only a very, very good player would be able to exploit this. Like before, they do a lot of the same as the level below but with even less unforced errors, better quality, a deeper understanding of tactics, and so on.
2000-2200: Expert
From 2000 to 2200, something else worth mentioning is physical training. You need to have a fair amount of movement at all levels, but you can get to between 1800 and 2000, maybe even a little higher if you’re exceptionally talented, without a huge physical component to your game. However, from 2000 and up, table tennis transforms into one of the most physically demanding sports on the planet. It’s no longer just about technical skills or strategy (even though those are both still insanely important), but your body also becomes a weapon, and how well you train it can determine whether you win or lose.
Explosiveness, strength, insane cardiovascular endurance, and agility are all absolutely necessary. As the ratings get higher and higher from here, the physical aspect becomes more and more important. In fact, most full-time pros retire by their late 30s to early 40s as the sport becomes too demanding to keep up with the younger players.
Players in this rating range start to have a pretty complete game, with any holes to exploit becoming harder to find. True unforced errors become exceedingly rare. There are many coaches around this level, and normally, the top amateurs at small to midsize clubs will be around this level.
At this level, players also start to have more counterloop (aka "loop to loop") rallies. That is where both players are playing powerful topspin shots to each other akin to what you may see in a tennis match. You see more explosiveness in general at this level, and most points are won very quickly.
2200-2400+: Top Amateurs and Semi-Professional Level
2200 to 2400 is nearing the ceiling for most amateurs. This range includes members of the U.S. women's national team, retired and semi-retired professionals, and up-and-coming youth players, with some individuals from each of these categories playing substantially beyond this level.
Shots, tactics, and combinations that are considered too high risk to go for consistently at lower levels are routine once you're over 2200. This includes things like flipping heavy underspin, going around-the-net when you have an opportunity, off-the-bounce counters, away from the table backhand counters, and much more. While players below this level may know how to play every shot, players above this level can do so with consistency and quality. This holds true even against difficult balls or in high-pressure circumstances where lower-level players may opt for safer play.
Beyond this point, there are no tricks to improving other than refining every part of your game, staying consistent with your level of practice, and conditioning your body every single day. For most players over 2200 to 2400 (there are some outliers), maintaining that level requires regular practice; the moment you stop playing, even for a couple of weeks, you’re going to see your standard decline more sharply than someone who takes a break at a lower level.
Semi-Professional Scene
2300 ± 100 is roughly where the semi-pro playing level begins in most countries. At this point, one could try to start earning money in various leagues, although definitely not the top divisions, and not close to enough money to make a full living, hence why it is semi-professional. The majority of players in this range will still have a separate full-time job.
In the United States, there isn’t a true semi-pro scene, but at this level, there are opportunities to earn decent chunks of cash here and there through local leagues and tournaments. This is also a level where clubs may offer free club membership, and brands may offer sponsorships (heavily discounted or completely free gear). At this point, depending on how good your technique is, you may be capable of trying to make a living as a full-time coach if desired.
Abroad, 2300 ± 100 (2000 TTR ± 100) is the point where you’ll typically start receiving some form of compensation from your club. Some clubs will start paying a small salary at this level, although not every club follows this practice. At others, players at this level will receive compensation in the form of free membership, heavily discounted or free equipment, gas money, and similar perks. A club may decide to contract a player at this level as both a coach and a player.
While not everyone at this level is technically semi-pro, the playing standard is, by definition, semi-professional. Players in this range are skilled enough that others may compensate them just to play. In other words, this is a playing standard where monetary opportunities exist if desired. Many players, however, do not pursue this route as they simply love the sport and want to play stress-free at their preferred club.
As your level rises, so does your compensation, though the specific amount often varies depending on where you live and how popular table tennis is in your country. By 2450 to 2500 (2150 to 2200 TTR), you can earn a substantial income. Maintaining this level of table tennis requires an enormous amount of dedication to the sport.
2400-2500+: Professional Level
Players in the 2400 to 2500+ range have the ability to make highly skilled players look clueless. This is a full-time professional level, although not everyone at this level is a full-time pro. It takes many years of dedicated, around-the-clock training to reach this point and is unattainable for most unless they started at an extremely young age. With that said, 2400 to 2500 is still quite a way from the level demonstrated by the very best players on the planet.
At this point, it's valuable to acknowledge that there’s a large discrepancy in the relative strength a rating indicates between men and women at higher levels. In other words, the playing standard required to go pro, make the national team, and the like, is significantly different between men and women due to the physical aspect of the sport at high levels. To reiterate, the physical difference between men and women only starts to have an impact at very high levels. It is irrelevant for the vast majority of players.
Having said that, upper 2400s to low 2500s on the women’s side can place you well within the world’s top 150, a clear professional level. Only three active female players in the U.S., excluding non-citizens, are rated over 2500. There is a player-coach at my club who was formerly a member of the Chinese women’s national team. She still actively competes in WTT and is ranked 133rd in the world with a USATT rating of 2497.
It is worth noting another important nuance related to “pro” players. A 2400-2500+ USATT rating may be “only” a semi-pro level on the men’s side in countries like Germany, Japan, or China, but it could make you literally the number 1 player on the national team somewhere else. Because of this, it can be considered a professional level, but that doesn’t necessarily mean everyone at that level is a pro. It just means some full-time players compete at that level. As a point of reference, there are players in MLTT, which is the highest pro league in the US, who are in the 2400s and 2500s. In a country like Germany, you’d probably need to be 2600-2700+ (2300-2400+ TTR) on the men’s side to be considered a true full-time pro who could completely live off table tennis.
2600+: World Class
The best players in the world all play at a level over 2600, and at this point, the rating system kind of breaks down because there are so few players over 2600. Therefore, it makes more sense to talk about ranking than rating.
Even among world class players, there can be large discrepancies in playing standards. Someone ranked 30 in the world will normally win extremely comfortably against someone ranked 200 in the world, despite both being world class, full time pros. If you take the top 20 male players in the world, they’re likely all over 2900 in terms of USATT ratings.
Percentiles and the Player Base
So, how good are you relative to the player base when you’re at X rating? This might seem like a very simple calculation, but it’s far more complex than it appears because your percentile depends entirely on the reference group you’re comparing against. Are you comparing yourself to all table tennis players, club players, or active tournament players? The answer changes dramatically depending on the group.
Using the US as a reference group, let's take someone ranked 100 in the country. There are ~10,500 active tournament players in the US (men and women combined) with a rating higher than zero. You might say, “Oh, we can do some simple math, and that means the person ranked 100 is roughly in the top 1% of the player base.” However, being ranked 100 does not put you in the top 1% of the player base. It’s actually much, much stronger than we give it credit for, and there’s a couple of reasons for this.
First, USATT tournament data is extremely skewed because it includes many players who are no longer actively competing or not located in the country. For example, players who haven’t played since 2018 are listed as active, and their ratings are included in all the lists, which inflates the number of tournament participants and makes the ranking seem less impressive than it actually is. For example, if you’re ranked 100 but only 60 people above you have played a tournament since 2024, you’re really top 60, not top 100.
Second, tournaments are disproportionately played by stronger players. Beginners or casual players are far less likely to enter tournaments, meaning the average skill level of a tournament player is much higher than the skill level of an average table tennis player. On top of that, the number of tournament players or even club players is many orders of magnitude lower than the total player base. Think about how many people you know, whether it be friends, family, coworkers, and so on, that have played table tennis before but haven’t played a tournament. Most estimates say about 19 million Americans play table tennis, or roughly 1 in 18. So, being top 100 out of 19 million Americans is more like the top 0.0005% of the US player base!
As an analogy, in a game like chess or even an esport like Valorant or literally anything else, you’d consider all players, even those that just play online or for fun but not in official sanctioned tournaments, part of the player base. So why should it be any different for table tennis? As another example, take a 1400 rating. 1400 may be considered “average” compared to other people that put a ton of time into the sport, but it’s way, way above average compared to your typical player. Because once you start to play a lot, you surround yourself with others that also play a lot, you forget how relatively good you are compared to, let’s say, local basement warriors or office champions. In other words, a 1400 is going to destroy anyone that hasn’t put much serious time into the sport.
The vast majority of the 19 million or so table tennis players don’t play super seriously, which means those that do start to put some time and effort into it are immediately better than the vast majority, even at a 1300 to 1400 rating. For what it’s worth, this fact is true in just about any activity that is easy to learn and start but extremely hard to master with a high skill ceiling. Just look at chess, where again, this trend is the same. By 1800 to 2000, you’re easily well into the top 1% just because of how many players there are that won’t put this level of effort in.
Rating vs. the Total Table Tennis Player Base
Here is an attempt to estimate roughly where ratings would align compared to the total player base in the US. This is a complete educated guess but should be fairly accurate since I have quite a lot of experience playing in clubs. I’m not going to be making any list of the distribution of tournament players since the data from USATT is so bad, and I would have to manually take out every player that isn't actually active.
I’m sort of using the chess.com rapid rating distribution as a point of reference. I’m not copying it exactly because I kind of have a general idea myself of the table tennis player base, but I like using this because it’s a very similar sample size of 15 million players, again with the vast majority being casual non-tournament players, and while not identical, uses quite a similar ELO system. Anyway, I’m being VERY conservative here to ensure that I’m not overstating anything, but I would say:
- Under 800: Bottom 50% of the player base
- 1200: At worst top 40 to 50%
- 1500: At worst top 10 to 20%
- 1800: At worst top 1 to 5%
- 1800+: Top 1% and major diminishing returns
- 2100+: One of the top players in your state
Closing Thoughts
That’s going to do it for this guide! I hope this was helpful and that you enjoyed it. My YouTube channel is linked here, where you can find tons of free coaching content.
Here is the video version of this article, so you can see what players at each level look like on the table.
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