Skill Level Ratings

Knowing your rating is important. Unfortunately, it’s the process of self-rating is by no means precise. Use the rating sheets below to help you understand approximately what level you’re playing at.  I recommend the IPTPA rating sheets because they are very objective in laying out the skills for a given level. If for example, you have most of the skills of a 3.5 player but not all of them (let’s say 80%) then you would be a 3.4 player

What’s important to know is that if you are playing at a level and you’re winning almost all of your games, then it probably makes sense to move up a level. On the other hand, if you are losing most of your games, it makes sense to move down a level.

As of December  2017, there is only a handful of players in the area that are playing at 4.0 level or above. With most of the intermediate players playing in the 3.0 – 3.7 level.

The International Federation of Pickleball (IFP) has defined a rating system for players to self-assess what level they are.

Rating Descriptions

Rating		Description	Self-Assessment*
1.0	Novice	New and have only minimal knowledge of the game and the rules
1.5	Beginner	Limited to some rallies. Learning how to serve. Developing a forehand. Fails to return easy balls frequently and occasionally misses the ball entirely. Played a few games and is learning the court lines, scoring, and some basic rules of the game.
2.0	Beginner	Sustains a short rally with players of equal ability. Demonstrating the basic shot strokes – forehand, backhand, volley, overhead and the serve, but has obvious weaknesses in most strokes. Familiar with court positioning in doubles play.	USAPA	IPTPA
2.5	Advanced Beginner	Makes longer lasting slow-paced rallies. Makes most easy volleys and uses some backhands, but needs more work on developing shot strokes. Beginning to approach the non-volley zone to hit volleys. Aware of the “soft game.” Knowledge of the rules has improved. Court coverage is weak but improving.	USAPA	IPTPA
3.0	Intermediate	More consistent on the serve and service return and when returning medium-paced balls. Demonstrates improved skills with all the basic shot strokes and shot placement but lacks control when trying for direction, depth, or power on their shots. Beginning to attempt lobs and dinks with little success and doesn’t fully understand when and why they should be used.	USAPA	IPTPA
3.5	Advanced Intermediate	Demonstrates improved stroke dependability with directional control on most medium-paced balls and some faster-paced balls. Demonstrates improved control when trying for direction, depth, and power on their shots. Needs to develop variety with their shots. Exhibits some aggressive net play. Beginning to anticipate opponent’s shots. Learning about the importance of strategy and teamwork in doubles.	USAPA	IPTPA
4.0	Advanced	Consistent and dependable strokes, including directional control and depth on both forehand and backhand shots. Reliable serves, lobs, overheads, approach shots and volleys and can use spin shots with some success. Occasionally can force errors when serving. Rallies may be lost due to impatience. Uses the dink shot and drop shots to slow down or change the pace of the game. Demonstrates 3rd shot strategies – drop shots, lobs, and fast-paced ground strokes. Aggressive net play and teamwork in doubles is evident. Fully understands the rules of the game and can play by them.	USAPA	IPTPA
4.5	Advanced	Beginning to master the use of power and spin, can successfully execute all shots, can control the depth of their shots, and can handle pace. Beginning to master the dink shots and drop shots and their importance to the game. Beginning to master 3rd shot choices. Displays sound footwork and moves well enough to get to the non-volley zone whenever required. Understands strategy and can adjust style of play and game plan according to the opponent’s strengths and weaknesses and court position. Serves with power and accuracy and can also vary the speed and spin of the serve. Understands the importance of “keeping the ball in play” and the effect of making errors. Making good choices in shot selection. Anticipates the opponent’s shots resulting in good court positioning.		IPTPA
5.0	Expert	Mastered all the skills – all shot types, touch, spin, serves, with control and can use them as weapons. Excellent shot anticipation, extremely accurate shot placement and regularly hit winning shots. Forces opponents into making errors by “keeping the ball in play.” Mastered the dink and drop shots. Mastered the 3rd shot choices and strategies. Uses soft shots, dinks and lobs to set up offensive situations. Mastered pickleball strategies and can vary strategies and styles of play in competitive or tournament matches. Dependable in stressful situations as in tournament match play. Athletic ability, quickness, agility, and raw athleticism are also qualities that are sometimes what separates the top players from those near the top.

From International Pickleball Federation (revised Nov 1, 2012)

More about ratings

Types of ratings

USAPA Rating:  This rating is also known as your “tournament rating” and can only be given by participating in a USAPA tournament.

IPTPA Rating: This rating is provided by a Certified Rating Specialist who is a member of the International Pickleball Teaching Professional Association.

Club-Rating: This rating is generally performed by your pickleball club and is used when setting up clinics and tournaments. While this is not an official rating, it is typically a rating that can be generally used when visiting other pickleball clubs

Self-Rating: Knowing what level you are at is very helpful for you and others. You can use the guidelines above to evaluate yourself and assign yourself a level. In addition, there are a number of assessment sheets that are available from the USAPA and IPTPA to help you with the process.