Club Rated Play
Introduction to Player Ratings
There are a variety of rating systems used to help players determine their skill level. For those players that participate in tournaments or league play, you have a rating. For those who do not participate in those competitive settings, you may not have or know what your skill level is as compared to others. Ratings help to group us into skill levels with players of similar capability.
Within our club, we are using three distinct groupings for skill rated club play in the summer session.
Beginner/Novice Player (1.0 – 2.5)
Intermediate Player (3.0 – low 3.5)
Advanced Player (3.75 – 4.0+)
Additional information regarding ratings can be found in the following document: USA Pickleball's Skill Ratings. It provides more information about the various player skill levels to help you determine where you currently fit.
Not yet a SCHH Pickleball club member? JOIN NOW!
There are a variety of rating systems used to help players determine their skill level. For those players that participate in tournaments or league play, you have a rating. For those who do not participate in those competitive settings, you may not have or know what your skill level is as compared to others. Ratings help to group us into skill levels with players of similar capability.
Within our club, we are using three distinct groupings for skill rated club play in the summer session.
Beginner/Novice Player (1.0 – 2.5)
- New player with limited experience
- Basic ability to keep score
- Knows how to serve and return serve with 50-60% accuracy
- Has limited understanding of court positioning
- Maintains a short rally with players of similar capability
- Learning how to dink or hit drop shot
- Learning the basics of the NVZ(no volley zone)
Intermediate Player (3.0 – low 3.5)
- Good understanding of pickleball basics
- Demonstrates ready position at NVZ line and moves forward after return of serve
- Successfully hits backhand and forehand with some consistency
- Attempts third shot drop 50% of the time
- Limited success with putting away volleys and overhead shots with control
- Initiates dinking rallies with some success
- Knows when and how to move forward on the court
- Learning how to communicate with partner
Advanced Player (3.75 – 4.0+)
- Complete understanding of pickleball rules, strategies and court positioning
- Able to hit drives, serves and returns with depth, accuracy and pace
- Consistent with both forehand and backhand strokes
- Able to consistently hit third shot drops or drives
- Volleys a variety of shots at different speeds
- Can sustain a controlled dinking rally
- Selectively mixes up soft shots with power shots
- Good footwork and moves in all directions well
- Consistently and intentionally places the ball
- Able to hit Resets from the Transition Area
Additional information regarding ratings can be found in the following document: USA Pickleball's Skill Ratings. It provides more information about the various player skill levels to help you determine where you currently fit.
Not yet a SCHH Pickleball club member? JOIN NOW!