💬 Discussion 💬
Reminder that the devil (and your Playtomic rating) is a lie
We take time off our busy schedule, see our bank account drain booking after booking, all to get stressed out because we went from a 2.5 to a 2.2 after losing what would have been a very enjoyable game, had it not been for the fact we were thinking about our Playtomic rating all the time we were playing the match? I just have a question: why does it have to be this way? And more importantly, why do I care so much about this stupid number?
It's funny how we start playing, and we don't give an absolute shit about our rating (and only focus on having fun!), but the moment we get hooked, our world spins around this silly little number: we get stressed over it, worry people are not going to want to play with you the moment your score goes down EVER so slightly. What was once our chance to be carefree every time we stepped on the court now has become a burden, a responsibility to perform, to be your absolute best. We sacrifice the beers and both existing and potential friendships after the casual game on a lovely Tuesday summer night for what? Fighting over a 50/50 ball, harshen the vibes of an otherwise relaxing game, stressing yourself and everyone out in the court? With all due respect, what's the point?! You are effectively letting a little computer generated number define not only how you play, but also how you feel! (Which by the way, isn't even that accurate to begin with lol)
At the end of the day, the only people who benefit from you feeling insecure about your playing form are the clubs (who will be the first ones to tell you how you need classes to finally "unlock" your "true" padel at last, and enroll in tournaments you are for a fact not ready for to gain more "experience" in the form of having your ass handed over to you, not helped by the fact you were stressed out of your mind through the tournament to begin with) and Playtomic itself, who maintains an effective monopoly partly based on our own internal insecurities.
Does that mean you should force yourself to play with the 1.2 who just started playing a week ago out of the kindness of your heart? No! (although it would be nice of you and you would definitely help the sport grow that way). What I am saying in a nutshell, however, is this: enjoy the game for what it is, not for a what a number says it is (or should be) to you. Use it as a rough guide, sure, but don't let it be the absolute, only thing guiding your playing journey.
You are a person, not a number!
Here's a link by the amazing Coach Nacho Porto on the subject: [https://www.instagram.com/reel/DSdKTGIjNAD/?igsh=MXRnemJsMjl0aHZtYw==](https://www.instagram.com/reel/DSdKTGIjNAD/?igsh=MXRnemJsMjl0aHZtYw==)
Comments (38)
u/loganrb6w ago
We just play with a rotating group of friends. There are 20 of us and we have games 2 times a week. No clue what our playtomic rating is. Just love of the game and apres padel drinks.
19
What a great time!!
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u/loganrb6w ago
We are mostly all middle aged moms and dads with a long lunch break that lets us be active for an hour or two and then do other stuff. It’s literally sport for sports sake. Our club has tournaments and some of us have had coaching but at least in our group the weekends and evenings are for family time but lunch on a Tuesday and Friday is padel. Like a fight club for those of us with bad knees😂
3
u/va-va-voom-146w ago
I don’t think about my Playtomic rating at all when I am playing. Zero pressure in regard to my rating changing. I just like the idea of there being at least some kind of competitive element to each match.
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u/arbeitsfrage276w ago
I stopped playing on Playtomic for this reason. Couldn't handle 3 other people caring about it too much every single match. I obviously do my best always but I never really cared about more than that
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u/va-va-voom-146w ago
I guess it does make a bit of a difference when you are relatively new to Playtomic. Just for example, you lose a tight game and a large shift prevents you from playing games against people who are actually around your ability level. But once you have played 50+ games the change in level really is not noticeable, you would need to lose a decent amount of games in a row for it to move your rating a lot, and at that point I would say your rating should be lower.
1
u/ParticularisticPaw6w ago
The problem is that if you don’t care about your rating, you won’t get good games. People that don’t know how you play judge you by the rating. If it’s low in their opinion, they won’t play with you just to avoid bad games, which is reasonable. So rating is helpful in getting good games with random people on the app. You can’t disregard it.
10
u/Professional_Cap_2856w ago
Not (always) true. You can't rely on the rates to get good games as it's well pointed out in some other comment or thread here. You can easily find horrible players who can barely hold the racket with over 3 and amazing players (like myself :D) with 2.5.
I've experienced it so many times, I've been put in the fridge so many times and I've had so many useless games so many times... I have almost completely stopped looking for public games and keep playing with my list of padel friends.
Padel (and life itself) it so much better withough this stupid Playtomic invention...
2
u/arbeitsfrage276w ago
That's true. But if you're lucky, there's clubs that have king of the court etc. sessions where you can self classify (and they keep an eye on it being accurate). And for actual matches, personally I just contact people I know whose level is similar to mine and who I know I'll enjoy spending time with
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u/ParticularisticPaw6w ago
Well, I prefer playing in different clubs and locations depending on the weather, availability, etc.
Also, I’d prefer playing with different people and agains different styles. That’s the best way to develop the skills and grow.
Finally, always communicating to set up a game is just too much of a hassle. That’s why apps like playtomic emerge here and there. It’s amazing to just create a game don’t worry about other people’s schedules.
2
Ditto on this. True, I get the whole idea behind Playtomic: a nifty little number that allows you to optimize your playing time to always get a competitive game. But here's the thing: when a metric becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure, and the more I've been playing (and mind you, this is in the US, where you can still book SOME clubs that allow you to book outside of Playtomic, although they are less of them each day), the more I've realized that:
1) Too many people let it be the ONE thing that defines whether they had a good game or not. Won a game against someone they know plays less than them, and got mad because their score went down? (because, yeah, if competition is your goal, you should be trying to be playing against better players and "risking" your Playtomic rating) Got mad because they lost a challenging, otherwise enjoyable game against an equal or slightly superior opponent?
2) There's people who only play to relax for a bit, and that's perfectly fine. For whatever reason, we demonize these people when for better or for worse, they make up the vast majority of the playing population (especially in countries where the sport is growing, like the US). Padel is an inherently social sport, and that's a good thing! Which is funny, because...
3) Playtomic (or any other kind of rating system) has the paradoxical effect of making its most hardcore users less open to play with more people, as the more people rely on Playtomic to play games, the more they start seeing it as a "social ranking" of sorts, the more afraid they are of playing against someone with a lesser level, having a bad game, having their Playtomic rating fall off a cliff and next thing you know, you are in a Mean Girls movie, making people feel more important than they are when you beg for games because their number is higher than yours and curving people who could have a good game with because they have a lower number than yours lol. Again, I used to be this kind of person, but nah, I already stress out with life and work, why in the hell do I want to be stressed out when I'm and around the court?
The solution: get out of your comfort zone, start playing with people, and trust me, you'll find events and groups that will always have a game available for you!
1
It can be helpful, no doubt, but I think just letting yourself guide by a single little number is really not that great of a compass. In my case, I feel the solution is to build relationships with the people playing around you, watching games and having conversations, joining groups and events. As you play more and more, you'll know your community and have a better feel for what the level is. For me, this is a thousand times more valuable than having a high enough Playtomic rating for the sake of it.
Now, you're travelling and are looking for a pickup game? Sure, Playtomic is better than nothing. But for guiding your everyday playing life? Nah, I already have enough stress at work lmao
1
u/rayEW6w ago
So happy the country I live in doesn't have the playtomic culture.
Socials and matches arranged by the clubs and coaches is all I play.
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u/i_removed_my_traces6w ago
Same, we do "winner court", 10 courts, start at whatever court and if you win you move up. 2-3matches and the field leves out automatic, much like Mexicano but with way less management.
3
u/be0wulf88606w ago
Lots of this is true. But I actually love the rating system. Having a proper competitive edge in games does make them more enjoyable in my experience.
Just about the only other competitive sport I play these days is golf and that's obviously a very different kettle of fish.
The best games I've had on a padel court have been ones where everyone is a similar level (all matched up randomers, thanks rating system) and everyone is really doing their best to win. After 3 sets of back and forth, whether you win or not, the afterglow of a hard fought game feels great.
Playing with mates who try stupid shots and aren't hustling for every ball - still a lot of fun, but makes me glad there's a competitive option available.
8
u/Professional_Cap_2856w ago
Tell me something. Just out of curiosity: how long are you playing padel and where are you from (or usualy live and play)?
1
I feel you 100%! I'm not necessarily demonizing Playtomic: used correctly, it is a good starting guide, and the idea behind it at first is sound - the higher your level is, the more you have to "lose" and therefore, the more serious your game has to be. I'm glad it is an option. But that's the thing: it is one of many other tools you can use to expand your playing network, and at least in my case, I now use leagues and even competitive americanos as my competitive outlet, since in this case, you can guarantee that everyone in the court is trying to win (and even then, you'll have someone trying stupid shots with all the seriousness in the world lol). I'm still competitive, I still book games on Playtomic, I just don't care about the number at the end whether I won or lost lol
1
u/Exawni6w ago
Yes. I got catfished so many times on playtomic.
Partner looked like a 40 year old fit male, suddenly a 75 year grandpa walks in, telling me this is his first game in a half a year…
I got placed in the fridge. Game ends in 35 MINUTES……
Next game, a partner who as an off day. Can’t motivate him. All his overheads hit the glass or net. They like to lob him the whole game.
2-3 more games like this. My rating goes from 4.2 to 3.1
I am forced to play under my leven. I also got a national league level, which shows I am way higher then a 3.1. But hey, they let you fight in the trenches. And guess what, after I get 2-3 balls, the opponent realise I am to good for a 3.1, so they put me back in the fridge.
Amazing spending of my time…. and €10 a game….
Guess I Will find a steady partner and rank up again….
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u/iisban6w ago
I totally understand! Leaving with the feeling that you would have been better off staying home, because you went to watch the ball being passed around since your partner was worse and they sidelined you. Going into a match without a known partner is a "risk."
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u/mercynuts6w ago
This is a prime example of what "levelling" was invented for. Getting you back to a level that you have played at previously but lost, after some misfortune (in most cases, being paired up with people that have caused you to lose consistently).
0
u/bachaterol6w ago
Are you the coach?
2
Not by a mile, just a player with TOO many friends who care too much about their rating lol
I do generally like his videos though, they have been really helpful in my own playing journey (see his "thank you for kicking my ass" reel, a favorite of mine).
1
u/Frosty-Wave-89086w ago
Then you also get the guys around 2.5-3 that inflate their rating just for their ego. There’s a guy at our local club that does the rounds playing against people that are lower than than him and just playing tennis against them (low spinners down the middle)
I’ve found padel mates to be a bit better as they have a plays like rating that your team/ opponents can score you at your end of game review. So I’ve played a few competitive games and can’t get off level 1 but my plays like is 1.6 so other players know I know the rules and will give a good game!
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u/kasslimon6w ago
Totally agree. I quit Playtomic for the same reasons. Short streaks move your level too much, there's no real recalibration after inactivity, and your rating reflects results with many partners rather than your individual performance.
I prefer to play for fun and focus on improving my padel, without worrying about how an algorithm evaluates me.
2
u/cmc_9206w ago
It's true. I play with many people who are around a level 3 and wonder how the hell they're rated that high, then play with someone a 2.2 who clearly should be way higher and have a great game.
I used to tell myself a higher rating means I'll find better quality of opponents...but it's not the case, my playtomic games are still always hit and miss.
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u/Neighbourly5w ago
just play friendlies. The rating system is too much for most people to handle, including you - and thats ok.
1
You must be lovely at parties.
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u/avildar6w ago
I rather have a bunch of Whatsapp groups and find who to play with my self perceived league than deal with a gamefied ranking number. Here you just gravitate to your own ranking because games are really boring if you are playing too much below/above your level
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u/DigEnvironmental89515w ago
Nobody uses playtomic here and I play at the highest club levels lol.
Be obsessed with your own progress not some app score
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u/TopgearM5w ago
In my area we have whatsapp groups per official level/ranking from the federation.
I'm ranked p500 and I am in whatsappgroups called: "p500" or "p500+".
Matches are posted there, either playtomic or another booking system.
In our area we never fill in the score after the match.
I believe my playtomic ranking is currently somewhere around 4.5, with medium reliability.
My real ranking should be around a 5.
I say this because I've actually played matches abroad in the Netherlands and Spain and around a 5 is pretty accurate.
In the Netherlands I should be 5+, in Spain between 4 and 5, depending on the area.
1