So I have a question about tournaments and I am having a little difficulty finding resources online about it. How do they determine what class, beginner, intermediate, and advanced, a contestant would fall into? And is there ever anyone who tries to play down so they have a better shot of winning a lower division or this this usually very obvious? I also wanted to start practicing ladders to see where I fall in the mix. Is it always a better idea to practice beginner ladders even if you seem more in the realm of an intermediate player?
So as far as I have seen over the last few years, the system is self-chosen. You place yourself in what division you feel is the best fit. Does it happen that people go down a division? I'm sure it does. Even at MKO 2016 this year I saw players who I knew could compete in Open decide to put themselves in Intermediate. I didn't think it made a huge difference, none of those competitors made it to the finals or severely devastated the intermediate comp. I'm sure there have been times where that happened but I can't speak outside of my own experiences. I recommend practicing ladders for sure. There are a ton of great videos all over the internet that you can find and practice from!
I think that people who play lower ranks in contests are usually pushed up if they're "caught" so to speak, it kind of defeats the purpose of going into a contest if you aren't trying your hardest to win right.
I would definitely agree with that one. And also it would be super stupid if you played down and still lost. That would be a real shot to your ego.
Right @Instagrom3 If you're able to go through a list of ladders first t, you're in the wrong division - should be a challenge!
I used to work at a kendama kiosk that held speed ladders every weekend, and I didn't see too many people go lower in order to win. Most of the employees got to know the players who would come to hang out, so we would know what their skill level was. If anything, I noticed most players always felt like they were somewhere in between the "intermediate" and "advanced" ladder, so they either competed against a good intermediate player and sometimes won or just struggled in advanced. It was usually more of a "try and beat the hella good kid in this category" cause he would always win lol As for determining your class, I would place yourself in the category where the tricks are doable but still hard.