Note: This is the Rankings F.A.Q. for 2017. For information about 2016 and before, see the previous F.A.Q.
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.
As of January 2017, 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:
If a player takes part in more than two National category tournaments, their remaining National category points are reduced to what they would be for the same placement in a Standard 250 level tournament. Any of these reduced points may then count towards their best three Standard category results if it is better than any of their top three best Standard category results, or if the player has taken part in fewer than three Standard category events.
Likewise, if a player takes part in more than three Standard category tournaments, their remaining Standard category points are reduced to what they would be for the same placement in a Minor 125 level tournament. Any of these reduced points may then count towards their best Minor level result if it is better than any existing Minor level tournament result, or if the player hasn't taken part in a Minor level event.
Reduced points from a National category event, if not included as a Standard level tournament, can also count towards a player's Minor 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.
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.
The Race Rankings for 2017 is a way to see the overall best FNC player for the year so far. The Race Rankings only counts the tournaments in the 2017 calendar year, or events that take place in late 2016 after the European Masters tournament.
The Race Rankings will show who is in contention for the year-end European Masters 2017 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 2017 may differ from the Current Rankings on December 31st 2017. For the puropses of the Current Rankings, the European Masters will be counted as a National category event worth 750 points.
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:
Tournament level | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Round of 8 | Round of 16 | Round of 32 | Qualification maximum |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
EJC 1250 | 1250 | 750 | 510 | 450 | 225 | 110 | 55 | 110 |
Major 750 | 750 | 450 | 315 | 270 | 135 | 65 | 32 | 90 |
National 500 | 500 | 300 | 210 | 180 | 90 | 45 | 20 | 60 |
National 425 | 425 | 255 | 180 | 153 | 76 | 38 | 17 | 60 |
National 350 | 350 | 210 | 150 | 126 | 63 | 30 | 15 | 60 |
Prestige 300 | 300 | 180 | 125 | 100 | 60 | 24 | 12 | 60 |
Standard 250 | 250 | 150 | 105 | 90 | 45 | 20 | 10 | 60 |
Standard 200 | 250 | 120 | 85 | 72 | 36 | 16 | 8 | 60 |
Minor 175 | 175 | 105 | 75 | 63 | 31 | 14 | 7 | 40 |
Minor 125 | 125 | 75 | 52 | 45 | 25 | 10 | 5 | 40 |
Notes:
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.
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