Levels of Play
Players should self-select their appropriate level of play. (See Skill-Level Ratings below.) If you find you’re winning consistently you should move up. If you’re being outplayed, losing consistently, you should move down. Pickleball is more fun and enjoyable when teams pair off against teams of near-equal abilities. If you want to improve your game against better players, find an experienced partner willing to help you get better through play.
Beginner - Never-evers to novice players learning the basics and the rules
Intermediate - Recreational, mid-level players hit the ball consistently; know the rules
Advanced - Competitive, skilled players looking for a higher level of play; adhere to rules
Check the Schedule for play times by skill level.
Skill-Level Ratings
USA Pickleball/IFP official rating descriptions for levels 1.0 through 5.0 can be found here. But we think The Simple “Yes or No” Way to Figure Out Your Skill Level, courtesy of the Pickleball Guru, is a good filter for identifying your skill level.
Answer: Everyone thinks they know their skill level until someone asks for the number.
A DUPR rating settles that. It's a single score, built from real match results, that tells you exactly where your game stands. No guesswork, no self-inflated 4.0s or ‘sandbagger’ 2.5s
DUPR stands for Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating. The concept is simple: your rating comes from how you actually play, not from a form you filled out once, or from asking your partner.
Compare the “old way” to the DUPR way.
Pretty similar, Yes? The big difference is how you get to the actual rating number. It’s based on real games in real time. It’s the points you score in a real game versus a stab in the dark.
Don’t want a DUPR? No problem. It’s only used in DUPR events. You will know if you need or want one!
What is a DUPR and why might I care?
For the complete rundown, visit DUPR
