How good am I?

How do you match up? How would you rate yourself? See the criteria one pickleball community out West uses.

2.0 Skill Level  Moves around court in balanced, safe manner  Gets some serves “in”, perhaps not regularly  Realizes aspects of score-keeping, rules and where to stand on court during serve, receipt of serve, and general play  Has some basic stroke skills

 2.5 Skill Level  Able to serve “in” more regularly  Knows two-bounce rule and demonstrates it most times  Knows where to stand on the court during serve, receipt of serve and general play  Is mastering keeping score.  Attempts to dink but not always effective at it  Working on their form for ground strokes, accuracy is variable  Can keep the ball in play longer  Sometimes lobs with forehand with varying degrees of success. 

3.0 Skill level  Knows the fundamental rules and can keep score  Regularly gets serves “in” to mid-court or deeper  Dinks mostly in opp. kitchen and is dinking lower over the net  Able to sustain dinking in the game  Using both forehand and backhand on returns and forehands on overhead returns  Working at keeping the serve deep and return of serve deep  Moves quickly towards the non-volley zone when opportunity is there  Trying to make flatter returns (where appropriate)  Aware of partner’s position on the court & moving as a team  Developing more power and/or softness in their shots  Somewhat a uni-dimesional player working at broadening their playing repertoire. 

3.5 Skill level  Demonstrates a broad knowledge of the rules of the game  Gets a high majority of serves in deep & returns serve deep  Often hits to the weak side of opponent  Demonstrates strategies of playing during games  Actively works with partners in communicating, covering court, moving to net  With varying consistency executes: lobs, forehand/backhand ground strokes, overheads, net volleys, and sustained dinking  Some use of drop shots to get to the net  Specifically places shots rather than just hitting shots anywhere  Selective mixing up soft shots with power shots to create an advantage  Hits fewer balls out of bounds or in the net  Has a moderate # of unforced errors per game  Demonstrates ability to intentionally play in offensive mode  Self-correcting after play is over  Demonstrates extended periods of multi-dimensional play 

4.0 Skill Level  Primarily plays in an offensive mode rather than reactively  Controls and places serves and return of serves to best advantage  Puts advanced playing strategy into the game, particularly in dinking  Consistently varies shots for competitive advantage, uses power shots selectively  Communicates and moves well with partner -- easily “switches” court positions  Very comfortable playing at the non-volley zone. Works with partner to control the line, keeping opponents back and driving them off the line.  Can block hard volleys directed at them  Has good footwork and moves laterally, backward and forward with ease.  Hits overhead shots consistently, often as putways  Ability to change a hard shot to a soft shot  Consistently executes effective drop shots that are not easily returned for advantage  Can effectively poach  Hits a low # of unforced errors per game  Regularly demonstrates “anticipation of play”  Self-correcting during play  Consistently is a mult-dimensional player and/or is exceptionally dominate in a limited playing repertoire. 

4.5 - 5.0 Skill Level 1. Can regularly convert a hard shot to a soft shot 2. Exhibits patience in play at a superior level 3. Shows noticeably increased skills, a higher level of strategy, quickness of hands and movement, judicious use of power, superior placement of shots, superb anticipation of play, sustained volleying skills, superior put-aways ---all with consistency 4. Makes very few unforced errors Differences between 4.5 and 5.0 are subjective – but, generally, each of the four points above is even more pronounced at the 5.0 level