Note: This is the Rankings F.A.Q. for 2016. For information about 2015 and before, see the previous F.A.Q.

Rankings F.A.Q.

• What is the FNC Current Rankings?
• What is the Current Rankings formula?
• How is the points level of a Fight Night tournament decided?
• What is the Race Rankings 2016?
• How long are a tournament's points counted?
• What are the points for different results at every tournament level in 2016?
• These points and rankings look familiar/complicated.

What is the FNC Current Rankings?

The Current Rankings compare historic player achievement in an objective merit-based way, based on the previous 52 weeks/365 days of player activity in one-on-one combat tournaments. The rankings are to help Fight Night organizers with qualifications and seedings, leading to a more fair and entertaining tournament.

The rankings are also a way for observers to refer to how good a specific player might be. For example, "She is a top 10 player" or "He is the number one player at the moment" or "They both defeated former top 5 players to reach the final."

More broadly, the rankings are compiled to encourage more jugglers to take part in more Fight Night tournaments, and to encourage more jugglers to organize more Fight Night tournaments at juggling conventions, festivals, or other events.

What is the Current Rankings formula?

As of January 2016, the rankings formula includes each player's best points from the previous 52 weeks of FNC tournaments from each of the following categories of tournaments:

• One 1250/1000 level tournament
• Two 750/500/350 level tournaments (collectively 500 category tournaments)
• Three 300/250/200 level tournaments (collectively 250 category tournaments)
• One 125 level tournament

If a player takes part in more than two 500 category tournaments, their remaining 500 category points are reduced to what they would be for the same placement in a 250 level tournament. Any of these reduced points may then count towards their best three 250 category results if it is better than any of their top three best 250 category results, or if the player has taken part in fewer than three 250 category events.

Likewise, if a player takes part in more than three 250 category tournaments, their remaining 250 category points are reduced to what they would be for the same placement in a 125 level tournament. Any of these reduced points may then count towards their best 125 level result if it is better than any existing 125 level tournament result, or if the player hasn't taken part in a 125 level event.

Reduced points from a 500 category event, if not included as a 250 level tournament, can also count towards a player's 125 level tournament, but are once again reduced.

While higher category tournament points may be counted in place of any lower category tournament result, points for lower category tournaments can not be counted in place of higher category tournament results, even if the awarded points are higher.

Back to top of page

How is the points level of a Fight Night tournament decided?

There are minimum requirements that a tournament has to meet to be classified at certain level. Follow this link to see and read about these requirements.

What is the Race Rankings 2016?

The Race Rankings for 2016 is a way to see the overall best FNC player for the year so far. The Race Rankings only counts the tournaments in the 2016 calendar year, or events that take place in December 2015 after the European Masters tournament.

The Race Rankings will show who is in contention for the year-end European Masters 2016 or other end-of-year final.

The Race Rankings formula differs slightly from the FNC Current Rankings. The European Masters will count as a special "8th tournament" in addition to the 7 tournaments (or up to 7 tournaments) in the Current Rankings formula. This means that the end of year rankings for 2016 may differ from the Current Rankings on December 31st 2016. For the puropses of the Current Rankings, the European Masters will be counted as a 500 category event.

Back to top of page

How long are a tournament's points counted in the FNC Current Rankings?

Due to the scheduling of Fight Night host events, it's possible for the results of a Fight Night tournament to be counted for more or fewer than 52 weeks; the tournament is counted in rankings calculations from the Monday following the tournament until the drop date of the tournament.

The drop date of a tournament is either:

• The Monday after the Fight Night at the same host event the following year. When fewer than 365 days, it is to stop results from two Fight Nights at the same host event being counted twice. When more than 365 days, it's to stop a "gap" opening up where, for example, nobody has any points from the EJC Fight Night counting towards their rankings, and those points should be considered for seeding purposes at the following EJC Fight Night.
• If there is no Fight Night at the same event the following year, the points are dropped on the Monday after 365 days.

Back to top of page

What are the points for different results at every tournament level in 2016?

Tournament level	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Round of 8	Round of 16	Round of 32	Qualification maximum
1250 - EJC	1250	750	510	450	225	110	55	120
750 - Major	750	450	315	270	135	65	32	90
500 - National	500	300	210	180	90	45	20	60
350 - Small National	350	210	150	126	63	30	15	60
300 - Prestige	300	180	125	100	60	24	12	60
250 - Standard	250	150	105	90	45	20	10	60
200 - Small Standard	250	120	85	72	36	16	8	60
125 - Minimum	125	75	52	45	25	10	5	40

Notes:

• Points awarded during qualification are based on the win/loss ratio during round-robin qualification. If a player wins 8 and loses 8 matches in qualification at a 500 point event, they are awarded 0.5 * 60 = 30 points.
• If a player takes part in the qualification but not the knockout stages, they are awarded their qualification points and the next lower player takes their place in the knockout, along with the new total of points.
• If a player's points from qualification are worth more than their knockout points, they keep their points from qualification.
• Some tournaments give the top four seeds a bye in the round of 16, leading to only 12 players taking part in the tournament and, confusingly, exactly 8 players taking part in both the round of 8 and the round of 16.
• If a player recieves a bye in the round of 16 to play directly in the round of 8, and they lose their first match, they are not awarded round of 8 points. Instead they receive either their qualification points or 1.5 times the round of 16 points, whichever is greater.
• Some tournaments do not hold a 3rd place match, so both losing semi-finalists are awarded the same points. If there is a third place match planned, but a losing semi-finalist is not available to play for any reason, they forfeit the match, and the remaining semi-finalist is awarded third place points.

Back to top of page

These points and rankings look familiar/complicated.

If the entire system looks familiar, it's because it is based on the ATP Rankings.

If the entire system looks complicated, it's because the Association of Tennis Professionals (the ATP) has had four decades to work out all the problems. Each new complication to the basic concept is to avoid an unfairness to those taking part in the tournaments and to make the whole scene more interesting and exciting.

Of course, due to the different nature of the sports, the Fight Night Beta rankings will differ in key ways, and will do so more in the future as the sport develops, but by learning from the history of another sport that features knockout tournaments of matches between individuals I hope to avoid the same pitfalls.

Back to top of page