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what is my pickleball rating?
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GetSetPickleball

Written by Jeff

I’m Jeff Whited, the founder of GET SET PICKLEBALL! I’ve been passionate about pickleball since I started playing at the age of 5, and with over two decades of experience, I’m excited to share my knowledge and expertise with others.

Pickleball Basics

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Last updated Jul 7, 2024

What are pickleball ratings?

I started playing this game with my family and friends when I was a little kid of 5 years. I mostly played for recreational purposes only until I turned 15. That’s when I started to play in local tournaments. Ratings are very useful when you want to select who you want to play with during the recreational play as well as knowing your level in tournaments. I was very confused in the beginning about the different skill sets but my father, having a vast experience, took a white board and literally taught me the skill ratings very clearly. I would be teaching you the same techniques which I learnt from my father.

The pickleball ratings are used to know the skill of the player. It is calculated based on the performance of the pickleball player during the match. In any game, the players are classified as beginners, intermediate and advanced. The pickleball skill ratings start from 1.0 to 5.5+. Between these ratings, the player’s skills are classified by their performance. 


 I have frequently observed that the beginners get caught up in basic ratings. One of the basic things which I have learnt and believe you should also know is  ratings are provided by different bodies. USAPA gives basic rating guidelines based on the knowledge of the game and the different shots that you could play. Whereas the DUPR (Explained in article below) constantly updates the rating based on the number of matches you play.

  • Beginners 

    The players who need to gain basic knowledge about the game are at the starting level of the sport.

  • Intermediate 

    These players know the basic rules and playing techniques of the sport slightly more than the beginners but less than the advanced players.

  • Advanced

    These players are highly fit for the game; they are in top position and keep it. The advanced players have a higher winning rate. They are well known for understanding the game rules, playing techniques, and winning strategies.

Pickleball rating chart

The pickleball rating chart shows a player’s skill level from 1.0 to 5.5+. The chart categorizes skill levels into seven types, which differentiate the skill levels.

The seven types are

  1. Forehand
  2. Backhand
  3. Serve / Return
  4. Dink 
  5. 3rd shot
  6. Volley
  7. Strategy 

 

Skill ratings and definitions

As we know, skill ratings are done based on the 8 types. Each type is distinct and varies from 1.0 to 5.5+. Let’s discuss how each level is different and rate players based on performance.

S.No.  Pickleball ratings level Skill in each levels
1. 1.0 to 2 ratings in pickleball
  • These are the players who have just started the game without understanding the deep rules. 
  • They have minimal knowledge of how a person plays pickleball by seeing other players match.
2. 2.5 ratings in pickleball
  • These are the players who have slightly more experience compared with 1.0 to 2 rating players. 
  • They can maintain their score and do rallies with short sustainability.
3. 3 ratings in pickleball
  • These players have a clear and robust foundation of game rules and can play forehand drives, no issues in serves, and are easily able to return at a moderate pace. 
  • But they cannot play it persistently. Even though they theoretically understand the game, they have less consistency and control over the game. 
  • They need more physical practice to maintain their performance.
4. 3.5 ratings in pickleball
  • The players belonging to the 3.5 ratings can  play forehand drives, no issues in serves, and are easily able to return at an exact  pace. 
  • In addition to this, they can also play good dinks along with drop shots. The players can understand the nooks and corners of the game rules and differentiate their hard as well as soft shots. 
  • If an opportunity comes to enter the NVZ  line, they can try to do it. Their consistency and control in their game have slightly increased.
5. 4. ratings in pickleball
  • The players with 4 ratings can play forehand drive along with backhand drives easily, serve comfortably and can provide the returns with correct pace. They are good in dinks, drop stands, and they can volley along with blocking the volleys with varying speed. 
  • The consistency and control over their game are mainly in the player’s control. 
  • The players’ unforced errors are at a moderate rate, and they can understand the opponents’ weaknesses and attack them when opportunities arise.
6. 4.5 ratings in pickleball
  • These players can play variety of shots starting with both forehand along with backhand drives, Can do good serves, returns, Knows the right time to perform dinks, volleys and drop shots with correct sense of pace. 
  • They can also play spin and depth in the right directions, and they have good consistency and control over their game. 
  • Their unforced errors are limited, and they can change the game when opportunities come by knowing their opponents’ weaknesses.
7. 5 ratings in pickleball
  • These players are mastered in understanding the game rules, strategies, and techniques. 
  • They are mastered in both forehand and backhand drive, serves, returns, dinks, drop shots, and volleys with the perfect paces of varying speeds. 
  • Their sustainability and game flow are entirely under their control. They make unforced errors and can attack their opponents with perfect strategies.
8. 5.5+ ratings in pickleball
  • These players have mastered both theoretical and practical aspects of the game. 
  • They are well known for knowing the rules and game strategies. Their winning rate is constantly improving. 
  • They can compete and win the match with another advanced player like them. They are masters of all seven types of skills.

 

Pickleball Self-ratings procedures

A Pickleball player who started playing pickleball and who has played for a long time is eager to know their skill rate. The beginners are interested in knowing which level they are at the current time. Players who play for long periods are curious to know how their skill level upgraded, or they need to know how to improve their skill level if it is still at the same level over time.

While self-rating may not be as precise as official ratings, it’s a powerful tool that puts you in the driver’s seat of your progress. It’s an approximate calculation that you, as a pickleball player, can do yourself. By understanding the game’s rules and the techniques you use, and by reviewing your own match videos, you can significantly enhance the accuracy of your self-rating. This process empowers you to take control of your skill development and make informed decisions about your gameplay.

 

Why do you need to know your pickleball ratings?

Understanding your skill rating is a pivotal step for every pickleball player, regardless of their level. It’s a self-analysis process that serves as a roadmap for your progress. Once you know where you stand, you can focus on enhancing your skills, deepening your understanding of the game, and refining your gameplay. This sense of progression is not only motivating but also essential for your journey towards higher skill ratings.

For beginners, it is beneficial to understand the game and the player’s skills. This can motivate them to play pickleball dedicatedly. Players can know how pickleball tournaments are conducted based on their skill ratings. With the same skill ratings, players play against one another in the game.

How can we improve pickleball ratings from 1 to 5.5+?

Understanding the game rules, strategies, and techniques and mastering them on the pickleball court is a crucial process through which one can improve oneself from 1 to 5.5+ skill ratings. By seeing advanced players in tournaments, both live and in videos, the players can find the techniques they follow. Strategies are known from a well-experienced person in the pickleball game, who may be a player or a coach.

A strong understanding of the basics and advancement in the game is the prime step to improving pickleball skill ratings. Practicing the right method is the second most important thing. Overall, dedication to the game and effort should increase pickleball skill ratings from beginning to advanced.

How would you rate a player’s skill while watching their match video? What are the criteria?

You may wonder how the ratings differ between 4.5- and 5-rated players and what differentiates them. To find this difference, one has to watch more of their live matches, but it is only possible for some players who are far away from the venue of the tournaments. So, one can find videos of the players of multiple tournaments and the difference in minute gameplay techniques between the two players.

 

HOW TO GET A PICKLEBALL RATING with a different system?

  • UTPR

    UTPR stands for USA Pickleball Tournament Player Ratings. It is a rating system of players’ skills handled by USA Pickleball on pickleballtournaments.com. It has the skill ratings of the player for the past four years from the USA Pickleball-sanctioned tournament results. 
    The ratings are based on calculations of the players’ wins or losses and the opponents’ UTPR. The rating is denoted by a four-digit number rounded down to a two-digit skill level. The UTPR ratings are common for singles, doubles, and mixed events. The pickleball player can use the UTPR rating for USA pickleball-sanctioned tournaments during registration.

  • Elo rating system

    ELo does not have an abbreviation as it is a person named Arpad Elo who invented this rating system. In the ELo rating system, the player’s skill is calculated by the total number of wins or losses the rated players gained. In this rating system, the winning player takes the point from the loser if the match is played between a high-rated player Vs. Low-rated player, in this case, if the high-rated player wins the match, fewer points are taken from the low-rated player. If the low-rated player wins the match against the high-rated player, more points are taken from the high-rated player. The Elo rating system is also known as self-correcting.

  • DUPR pickleball rating

    DUPR stands for Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating having an algorithm rating system. It accommodates clusters of player ratings and provides them to the coaches of pickleball clubs and organizations. It is accessible to anyone from beginners to advanced players from any region of the world. It has ratings for remote matches to PPA tournament play. All players are eligible for this rating regardless of their age, gender, region, or skill. Between 2.000 and 8.000 ratings can be rated by this.

How many ranking organizations are in pickleball?

  • APP Rankings

    It stands for The Association of Pickleball Professionals tour, where more advanced players are found worldwide. They are ranked from top to bottom based on their skill ratings. The Association of Pickleball Professionals tour is sanctioned by The USA Pickleball to conduct events. The associations announced 16 events in the year 2023.

  • PPA Rankings

    It stands for Professional Pickleball Association. Like APP, it is also a pickleball tour that is supposed to conduct 26 tournaments in 16 states in 2024. The player is given points based on the game results. The player who plays like an advanced can get SLAM (2000), for the intermediate CUP(1500) is given, and for beginners, Open (1000) points are given.

  • World pickleball rankings

    The pickleball players enrolled in pickleballtournaments.com can have the world pickleball rankings from 2020 to June 21st. New players or beginners can rate their pickleball skills in the USA and participate in tournaments. Based on their performance and points secured, they take a position in the world pickleball rankings.

Is an app available for pickleball ranking?

The Android DUPR app is available to calculate pickleball ranking. The app calculates the points secured by the pickleball players in algorithm format. The players’ current 30 singles and 60 doubles matches are considered for calculating ranking. The app is free and available online.

Conclusion

Once you start playing pickleball, you will learn about pickleball ratings. If a pickleball player wants to excel in the game, they need to understand the pickleball ratings and rankings. The ratings are classified into 1.0 to 5.5+, based on the player’s performance on the pickleball court. There are different systems available to rate the performance of the player. Organizations like APP and PPA World Pickleball rankings take down the points earned by the player from the tournament results and then notice them on their website. 

The top-ranked players are notified at the top. If you are starting to play pickleball, you must know how the players’ skills are calculated and the ranking process if you put effort into excelling in this game. Now, due to the widespread popularity of pickleball, anyone can access these details from anywhere on the internet. A player can know the rating difference between players by watching their match videos. Online calculators and apps are available to calculate pickleball skill ratings

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