Pickleball Player Ratings Explained By Experts

Whether you are just starting your pickleball career or your love for the game has gone on for years, you will eventually hear and come across pickleball skill ratings. At a high level, pickleball player ratings are based on skill level and they have been tested, observed, and backed by USA Pickleball. Skill ratings for pickleball can seem irrelevant if you are a beginner, but you can also use the ratings to evaluate yourself as a pickleball player and identify ways to analyze and improve your skills. In this article, the Paddle Experts at JustPaddles outline everything you need to know and more before you play your next pickleball game. 

Pickleball Player Ratings

Understanding the ratings can be intimidating because there are many different numbers and they vary from 1.0 - 6.0+, but have no fear because our Paddle Experts are here! They’ve put together the ultimate guide to understanding pickleball skill ratings and what the numbers mean. It is important to note that the skill rating system is there to help players understand the level of play expected when playing with them. Ultimately, these ratings help to standardize and organize players into groups of similar ability levels. 

First things first, self-ratings are two digits (i.e. 2.5 or 3.5) and typically range between 1.0 and 6.0+. As the name suggests, this rating is one that you give to yourself. For ease of organization, self-ratings are categorized into the following:

• 1.0 - 2.0: This is for the true beginners of the sport who have never played pickleball before. Even if it's not your first time playing, but you still consider yourself to be a true beginner who’s still learning the sport, go with this range. 
• 2.5: This score is for the players who have limited experience playing pickleball. Label yourself a 2.5 if you can keep a short rally while you play, have a basic understanding of the rules, and know how to keep score. 
• 3.0: Does your game lack consistency but do you know the basics? If you can hit a forehand drive, serve, and return with a medium pace, consider a 3.0 self-rating. This is also a great option for players who grasp the concept of dinking, understand the basic strategy, and can keep score properly. 
• 3.5: Now you’ve developed some consistency in your game and have started to hit backhands. You can also hit drives, serves, and returns at a strong pace. A player with a 3.5 rating also knows the importance of moving quickly to the non-volley zone (also known as The Kitchen) when the opportunity presents itself. 
• 4.0: You can hit both forehand and backhand drives, serves, and returns with pace while also having a strong dink, drop shot, and volley ability. Your knowledge of pickleball strategy is well established and your understanding of concepts such as Stacking (a technique used to keep a player on a certain side of the court). In short, you understand how to attack your opponent’s weaknesses on the court. 
• 4.5: Do you have a pickleball paddle sponsor? If you answered yes, you’re likely a 4.5 or higher. You’re able to accomplish everything listed above while also limiting the total number of unforced errors against yourself. 
• 5.0: In short, this number is the best of the non-professional players. You have mastered the game of pickleball, rarely make unforced errors, and are great at attacking your opponents’ weaknesses on the court. 
• 5.5-6.0+: This range is reserved for the best of the best. You have mastered all shots, are a strategy genius, and consistently win at the highest level of play. 

Pickleball may be an easy game to learn, but to climb the ladder, you need to understand pickleball ratings. To recap, skill ratings help new pickleball players determine where to start, how good a player is, and where they fit in on a particular court so you can pick partners. They also help to determine how much weight to put into them when making matches at clubs and tournaments for professionals. 

There you have it. The ultimate guide on how to understand pickleball player skill ratings. However, we understand that it can be confusing so if you have any additional questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to our Paddle Experts at any time. They are available via email at experts@justpaddles.com, phone at 888-382-3465, or live chat on the website. Don’t forget, we’re here from Click To Court and would love to help find the best pickleball paddle for you!