Whether or not you plan to play a tournament, knowing your skill level will help you navigate friendly games, recreational matches, challenge courts, and league/club play.
Playing in games with highly skilled players when you’re a beginner generally isn’t a good time, but finding a game where players are of like skill is rewarding, great exercise, competitively stimulating, and a whole lot of fun. If you know your skill level, you are more likely to feel comfortable and have a better time on court.
If you’re still unsure about your rating, you can reach out to a pickleball coach in your local area and ask them to provide you with a rating.
New To Pickleball | Intro Level 1 / 2
If you are a newcomer to the sport of pickleball, you should begin at our Intro levels. This level is designed for players who want to learn the fundamentals of the game, including the rules and essential techniques to kick off your journey.
Intro Level 1:This is suitable for those who have never played a racket sport before or find movement challenging.
Intro Level 2: If you have experience with racket sports and demonstrate good movement skills, this level is right for you.
Novice | Skill Level 1.5
Novice players find it difficult to grasp the basics, such as scoring and the rules. They often require frequent assistance from others to understand how to play correctly. Typically, novice players miss the ball entirely and have trouble sustaining rallies with other players. In addition, their mobility on the court tends to be limited, making it challenging for them to reach the ball during play. Novice players are generally categorised as having a skill level of 1.0 or 1.5.
Beginner | Skill Level 2.0
A beginner player is learning the basics of scoring and understands the basic rules, for example, the two bounce rule. However, they still require guidance. These players are able to manage only short, slow rallies and tend to remain at the back of the court throughout the rally. Beginner level players are typically categorised as skill level 2.0.
Ready To Play | Skill Level 2.5
The Ready to Play category generally refers to players at the 2.5 skill level. These players are more confident in scoring and know the rules of the game without needing help. They are comfortable sustaining longer, though still slow, rallies with others of a similar standard. Players who fall into this category, are at the final stage of the beginner level but still make a lot of unforced errors. To progress further, players must start focusing on improving their technique, strategies, and consistency.
Improver | Skill Level 3.0
Players at the Improver level are familiar with the rules of pickleball and are playing games within a social environment. They have a knowledge of shots such as dinking, drops, and drives. While these players are keen to incorporate these strokes into their game, they may still struggle with control, frequently popping the ball up and giving the opposition opportunities to attack. Consistency remains a challenge, but Improver players are actively working to enhance their abilities and bring greater reliability to their shots.
Intermediate| Skill Level 3.5
Intermediate players have progressed to confidently utilising the non-volley zone, feeling at ease with moving swiftly up the court. Their skills have improved being able to consistently place and control the ball to where they want. They are able to sustain dink rallies and consistently drop the ball into the kitchen, demonstrating a higher level of precision and composure and control during play as well as an understanding of court positioning