FINALLY, A WAY TO MAKE THE PLAYING FIELD EVEN SO EVERYONE HAS A CHANCE TO WIN!!
Why a rating system:
The rating system is nothing new in sports. To name a few, Golf has its handicapping, MLB has the minor leagues, Rodeo has PRCA rankings, and the NCAA has strict rules about how much experience a player may have at each level.
At FFX we usually have four divisions in most of our large tournaments but we have never been able to give away a cash prize at the lower levels because of sandbagging (playing below your level to win easily). Until now, we had no way to police the players. Our new rating system will classify EVERYONE.
Now recrational players will have a chance to compete against players of the same skill level for the cash prize. We also have a beginners division as well.
WHAT DOES MY NUMBER MEAN?
Elite Players - 80-100
Competitive Players - 65-79
Upper Recreational Players - 62-64
Lower Recreational Players 50-61
Where do you get that number?
Your number is based on 4 criteria.
1. Knowledge - 40% of your total score - this is your basic knowledge of the game...if a QB gives you a route, do you understand what he is asking....can you call some plays on your own....do you understand general 5man offensive and defensive strategies....is it second nature for you to always need to know down and distance and time left on the clock.....do you know all the rules....do you have any anxiety about playing top teams....is it second nature for you to stop short of a first down on first down....do you know how to handle the game if you are ahead, or vice versa.....if you are playing defense, do teammates have to keep telling you what to do....understanding the culture, landscape, and strategy of our game is very important so we weigh this category much heavier than the others....
2. Running/Speed/Hip Movement (the ability to make someone miss while you are running) - 30% - for a qb this means making the rusher miss, or for receivers it means to be able to run full speed while turning your hips to make people miss. If you do not have strong hip movements but you run a 4.4 you may score high here as well. However, if you are just off the track team bus and you have never played flag football before it will not matter that much because you will spend five months learning how to run with your hands up high so that you don't get called for flag guarding, learning to spin in traffic, learning the importance of running north and south (and betting on the fact that someone will miss and if they don't that you will pick up a few important yards), as opposed to running across the field and getting nothing positive. Also important is do you know how to run so that you use the field to your advantage. The angles of the field matter and the ones that know how to use them are better even if they are slower. Endurance is also key here...you may be fast but how long will it be until your tank is empty?
3. Offense - 15% - can you catch the ball in traffic, can you go up and get it, can you catch a pbutt running full speed across the field, can you run a good route, can you catch everything thrown in your direction. This category and the Defense category are more related to actual physical skill on the field.
4. Defense - 15% - do you understand cover one and two....do you have a good sense of how to adjust your defense on the fly....do you know what to do if they do a throw-back or if they go in motion....can you cover someone one on one....can you adjust with your teammates during the play and work well with them in multiple game situations....can you back-peddle and go side to side aggressively?
Each player is given a 1-10 in each category. Each of those numbers are averaged with the other categories according to that categories weight.