I've decided to join the USTSA, and I plan on going to the Tourney in Lexington, KY, in late Janurary, and possibly the tourney in Las Vegas in March. I just have a few questions about them.
The KY tournaments are not USTSA, they're IFP. You don't have to be a USTSA member in order to play in them.
First, what should I expect in either of these tournaments? How should I expect to do? Should I be happy if I'm out in 3 in the Amateur Singles?
If you are very familiar with tournament style play and have experience playing tour players, you can do well even at your first major. If you've never or rarely played real tournament players, you could get killed. Either way you learn a _ton_ at the first major and will improve your game a lot.
My first major I did okay-ish. I got 25th (187 players) in rookie singles and 17th (97 teams) in rookie doubles. Basically won 5-6 matches in each event. I had only played 1 out-of-state tournament (NC States) before that, but I'd been playing local DYPs every week for a year or two.
As far as doubles, should I find a partner that has a similar style to mine, or a style almost polar opposite, to throw off the opponent? How important is chemistry when it comes to a doubles partner?
Chemistry mostly comes down to trust. Partially it's finding a complimentary style--if you are in goal and do a lot of quick transition stuff, you need a partner that can cope with that. But mostly it's finding a player you think will do their job.
I almost always go into an event expecting that I will either be staying in goal the whole time or staying up front the whole time--I know my level and my partners, and I know how we're better as a team. If we wind up switching that's a very bad sign, it means one of us (probably whoever's up front) is struggling.
That said, I find that having a different shot (pull vs. roller) can be moderately useful if the goalie is someone who can come up out of the pits during a timeout and really hammer their shot effectively--the goalie has no idea what their options are and has been facing a different shot all game.
I find different passing series less important--even if you both brush pass, you probably do it a lot differently, different timing, etc. Passing just naturally seems to have more variance even within a series.
But really, it's more important to get a good partner than to worry about these kinds of matchups.
What are the best strategies for Goalie War, and Forward Shootout?
The most important strategy for both of them is to not play them unless they're on the last day.
Your first major will be all about endurance management, trying to make sure you don't shoot your arm out after Amateur Singles, Am Doubles, DYP, Semipro singles, semipro doubles, open singles, open doubles, pro/am or 3500 LTD, endless pickup games, etc.
Learning how to not shoot out your arm, how to get enough sleep, deal with the tournament schedule, etc is a major part of doing well.
Goalie war is hell on the arm.
But, if you play, goalie war is all about:
1. Control the ball
2. Remember there's no forward rods so people will shoot completely different shots from what you'd actually use in a game
3. Control the ball! Don't let it bounce off your men or off your back wall
4. Hit it HARD so that even if they block it it bounces out of their area.
Forward shootout is almost like shooting during a game.
Also, when I join the USTSA, do I start with 0 points, 800 points, 1000 points, or what?
900 points.
What if, in Open Singles, I'm out in 2, but the two people I was defeated by were Terry Moore and Billy Pappas? It doesn't seem right to have the full point adjustment to go into affect if I, an ameteur, were creamed by two Pro-Masters.
They are using a new points system, and the details aren't out. But word is that it's an ELO-style system (like chess uses). In that system, your point adjustment is based on the difference between you and the ones you beat/lose to. So if you're at 1000 points, you might get 50 points for beating another 1000-point player. You'd only get 25 points for beating a 800-point player--but you might get 100 points for beating a 1200-point player.
So a new amateur getting clobbered by top-ranked players wouldn't lose very many points at all.
Also, you WANT to be ranked as low as possible--your entry fees are lower and you can play in more events. You can get better partners for 3500 LTD. There's really no advantage to having high points.
Are points even a very good indicator of how good a player is
Not really. You can be pretty sure a 1900-point player is better than an 1100-point player, but you can't really say much about a 2400-point player vs. a 2600-point player.
And points go up kind of slowly, so you'll wind up with players who have gotten better and are playing well above their level (particularly with amateurs).
Finally, I'd like to let you guys know about the club at GVSU. The club is still growing, and people are getting hooked. We've got 49 members now, and recently had our first tournament.
Awesome!
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