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