Our guidelines are general in nature based on USA pickleball skill levels. These are not official ratings and are not intended for sanctioned tournament player ratings.
(A detailed USA Pickleball Rating Guideline can be found at usapickleball.org/tournament/tournament-player-ratings/player-skill-rating-definitions/)
Novice (basic 2.5) Rating if:
I know where to stand at the beginning of a point.
I usually get my serves "in".
I usually let the return of serve bounce.
I understand how to keep score.
I can often keep the ball in play.
I know what a Dink shot is,
Low intermediate (3.0) Rating if:
I have the basic rules down.
My serves and returns are mostly in, and I am working on keeping them deep.
I can hit a few dinks in a row.
I can hit backhand shots with moderate success.
I am learning to add more power to my shots and vary shots between power and touch shots.
Intermediate (3.0 to almost 3.5) Rating if:
I know 90% of the rules and properly apply them.
My serves and returns are almost always in and I'm working on variations in placement and depth.
I occasionally hit 3rd shot drops with success.
I try to be strategic about how and where I hit the ball.
I have a variety of shots in my arsenal.
I’m learning to communicate and work with my partner on team court coverage and winning points.
It doesn't matter if you are just learning to play pickleball or you started playing before it was considered cool. We are a community fo...