After my last post, reader and newer player Bill Gorback commented that he'd appreciate having more information about skills below 3.0 and what it takes to get there from novice status and above. I just so happen to have an older blog post that discusses what skills are necessary at each level. I'll repost it here for those who didn't see it way back in 2015. Bill, I hope this helps (see below). Also check out these posts that may be helpful:

• Skill Level Assessment in Pickleball
• Assessing Your Skill Level in Pickleball (a handy chart)

Pickleball Skill Level Assessment Definitions
(a composite document)

I looked at a number of the online documents about assessing skill levels in pickleball. I compared their lists and created a composite of the required skills for the levels from 1.0 to 5.0. 

Skill Level Rating Definitions

This list is a composite of several documents found on the Internet.

Level 1.0

• New—has minimal knowledge of the game. 

Level 1.5

• Has taken at least one beginner lesson
• Learning how to serve
• Developing a forehand
• Fails to return easy balls frequently
• Learning to play the game, scoring and some basic rules 

Level 2.0

• Has participated in novice and beginning skills practice
• Moves around the court in a balanced and safe manner
• Gets some serves “in”
• Realizes aspects of score-keeping, rules and where to stand on the court during serve, receive of serve, and general play
• Has some basic stroke skills, backhand, forehand, volley but has obvious weaknesses
• Familiar with where to stand in doubles play 

Level 2.5

• Able to serve “in” more regularly
• Knows the two bounce rule and demonstrates it most times
• Knows where to stand on the court during serve, serve receive and general play
• Is mastering keeping score
• Aware of the soft game and occasionally tries to dink
• Working on form for ground strokes, accuracy is variable
• Makes longer lasting slow paced rallies
• Sometimes lobs with forehand with varying degrees of success
• Beginning to approach the non-volley zone to hit volleys
• Court coverage is weak but is improving
• Knows fundamental rules and can keep score 

Level 3.0

• Working to keep the serve and serve receive deep
• Moves quickly towards the non-volley zone when opportunity is there
• Trying to make flatter returns (where appropriate)
• More aware of their partner’s position on the court and moving more as a team
• Developing more power in shots
• Beginning to attempt lobs and dinks with little success and doesn’t fully understand when and why they should be used
• Demonstrates improved skills with all the basic shot strokes and shot placement but lacks control when trying for direction, depth or power on shots 

Level 3.5

• Demonstrates a broad knowledge of the rules of the game
• Gets high majority of serves “in”
• Able to serve and return serve deep
• Hits to the weak side of opponent often
• Demonstrates more strategies of playing during games
• Works better with partners in communicating, covering court, moving to net
• With varying consistency executes: lobs, forehand/backhand ground strokes, overheads, net volleys, and sustained dinking
• Starting to use drop shots in order to get to the net
• Knows when to make some specific placed shots in the game
• Working on mixing up soft shots with power shots to create an advantage
• Hits fewer balls out of bounds or in the net
• Dinks mostly in opponents' kitchen and dinks lower over the net
• Able to sustain dinking in the game
• Has a moderate number of unforced errors 

Level 4.0

• Beginning to play more consistently in all phases of the game
• Anticipates opponents shots resulting in good court position
• Primarily plays offensively
• Controls and places serves and return of serves to best advantage
• Puts strategy into play in the game
• Consistently varies shots to create a competitive advantage
• Works and moves well with partner – easily switches court positions when required
• Very comfortable playing at the non-volley zone. Works with partner to control the line, keeping opponents back and driving them off line
• Can block volleys directed at them
• Has good footwork and moves laterally, backward and forward with ease
• Uses strategy in dinking to get a put-away shot
• Consistently executes effective drop shots
• Demonstrates 3rd shot strategies: drop shot, lobs and fast paced ground strokes
• Hits a low number of unforced errors per game 

Level 4.5

• Able to regularly convert a hard shot to a soft shot
• Exhibits patience at a superior level
• Shows noticeably increased skills, a higher level of strategy, quickness of hands and movement, judicious use of power, superior placement of shots, anticipation of play, sustained volleying skills, superior put-aways – all with consistency
• Understands strategy and can adjust style of play and game plan according to opponents strength and weaknesses and court position
• Beginning to master dink and drop shots
• Makes very few unforced errors 
  
  

Level 5.0

• Has mastered all skills and strategies
• Dependable in stressful situations
• Athletic ability, quickness, and agility separates these players

Getting to the next level, whether 3.0, 3.5, or higher, isn't easy. The answer is practice, of course, but just getting out to the court every day isn't enough. You must practice with a goal in mind, and you must know HOW to practice to achieve that goal. One "simple" way to get better is to concentrate on the skills that are missing from the level above your current level (based on these criteria as noted by the USAPA). ​
Let's say You haven't been playing pickleball that long and you want to get to be a 4.5 player. What do you need to do? What are the major differences between 3.0 and 4.5?
The table below (info from the USAPA website) lists these definitions:

I highlighted two items in the table that popped out at me: CONSISTENCY and STRATEGY. Other elements are important, of course, but by the time a player has achieved 3.0-level skills, he or she knows how to do a lot of things—just not how to do them well, or consistently. What that player doesn't really know yet is the strategy that goes along with what is known: when to hit a dink instead of a drive, when to break out of dinking, and so on. That's the strategy bit, and learning is not all—it's also being able to know how to do it automatically and not have to think about it.

If you've read my posts before, you know I stress PRACTICE, and not just aimless hitting back and forth over the net. It's important to have a goal—one that's reachable and measured. Like consistently hitting that forehand that sometimes goes out of bounds or into the net.

Get a friend to work with you (or better yet, take classes) and make sure 1) you're doing the stroke correctly before you continue to learn it wrong; 2) concentrate your focus not on everything about that shot but rather small parts of it: hitting it at about the same height and to roughly the same spot on the court.

Once you have mastered that, move the shot to other areas. When that's easy, work on your backhand and do the same thing. All of this takes time, but if you do this practice consistently (couldn't resist putting that in), your game will improve.

Take things slowly and methodically, knowing it took a while to get from novice to 3.0. With patience and some help from your friends, you'll get there.

Recently, I've had trouble sleeping. That happens when I have too many things on my mind. But I've learned a method that helps me get past all the stuff in my brain: I concentrate on my breathing and count while I inhale and exhale.*

I only have to do this about ten times. By then I'm asleep, or I’ve allowed my mind to wander into dreams. This method works because I stop thinking about trying to sleep and focus my attention on just one thing.

Why am I telling you about sleeping in a pickleball blog?

​I approached a coach one day when it seemed like I could do nothing right on the court. I kept missing my targets. My shots went into the net or too long. The more I tried to fix my game, the worse it got.

He said, "Pick something to concentrate on. Watch the ball and see your paddle hit it. The rest of your game will fall into place."

In our efforts to make the best shots, or to break bad habits, or to try new techniques, our minds become overfull with information that is often at odds. How can you relax and still be ready to spring into action on the balls of your feet? How can you shadow your partner and watch the ball and your opponent at the same time?  How can you anticipate your opponent's next shot and think ahead to your best reply?

At times like that, focus on just one thing. Watch the ball, or concentrate only on shot placement. Concentrate on your footwork. Watch your opponent to anticipate her shot. Let the rest go, and, surprisingly, you should find that your body "knows" how to play pickleball when you get your thinking out of the way. 

*Take a long, slow breath in through your nose and count (roughly by seconds) to five—or whatever fills your lungs. Hold that breath calmly while you count to seven. Then let it out slowly through pursed lips for a count of six. Vary the numbers for what works for you, but it's best if they're all different.

This morning, I happened upon an article by Prem Carnot that got me to thinking about friendly versus serious practice (or tournament games).

Hitting to the Weaker Opponent
Prem talked about the tactic of hitting to the weaker partner when playing doubles. Conventional wisdom in pickleball says this makes sense. However, when he played doubles, Prem said he seldom participated in the rallies because the opponents never hit to him. His takeaway was that this is a sound strategy when trying to win, but it might not be the best strategy when trying to learn.

In a friendly game, it's bad form to completely avoid hitting to the better opponent. Not only will that person not enjoy the game, but you will miss out on the practice that playing with someone better gives. 

Beyond that, I began thinking about other tactics I've seen used in more serious play (or by more serious players in friendly games with each other). In a tournament, players do things they would not do in a friendly game. Besides the constant targeting of the weaker player, they poach their partner's shots, and they hit balls directly at their opponents. Serious players on the tournament circuit need to practice seriously, and they'll exploit any option that promotes a victory and isn't against the rules.

Tagging the Opponent
Purposely hitting your opponent with the ball (or "tagging") stirs up controversy and deep feelings. This tactic is not against the rules and can be effective when your opponent is at the net and drops the paddle below chest height. But if the game is purely social, and especially if levels are mixed, smacking a ball with a lot of force to any area above the chest is frowned upon and probably should be followed with an apology. 

Some players refuse to target others and instead aim at their opponent's feet or toward the hip or armpit area of the paddle-hand side, which are difficult to reach with ease. Yet competitive players at the non-volley zone line should expect to be hit and take measures to fend off the ball (keep your paddle at chest height), dodge it, or surrender by turning their back. Tagging, whether accidental or intentional, is part of the game.

I've been hit many times, and only once did I carry a mark afterward (a shot that smacked the bridge of my nose and my eye). In all cases, I continued playing and accepted that such things happen. (The opponent's apology went a long way to making the pain hurt less.)

Poaching 
The issues surrounding this tactic are reminiscent of hitting to the weaker opponent, above. Whether or not poaching is well received by a partner depends on whether you (as a team) have chosen to use it as a strategy or whether one of you is simply being bullied. Hopefully not the latter, and if so, I suggest you find another partner.

Poaching takes practice, so it's appropriate to include it in social games when it's decided together. An occasional unexpected poach is also fine, assuming the poacher makes the point! Otherwise, overzealous poaching during social games is also frowned upon. In competitive play or tournament practice, poaching can be a good tactic to surprise your opponent and ensure the ball is returned. 

How do you feel about playing keep away from the better opponent? What about tagging and poaching? When are these tactics appropriate and when are they not?