Pickleball Player Rating
One of the biggest question players have (or argue with other players about!) is their Rating. You have probably heard, ‘I’m a 4.5’ or ‘You’re not a 4.5!’, around your local pickleball court. The truth is, pickleball has a player rating system and it does follow some guidelines, but overall it can be a bit subjective. The rating system is based on 5.0 being the highest level players and numbers going down from there. The average player in your club hover around 3.5 rating.
Most tournaments are grouped by ages and/or ranking. You might be a 3.5 level player in the 60-65 age category which means you would play against players similar to you in ability and age. Some tournaments are only by your rank – which still means you will play against other players of similar level. The only thing you need to know is ‘What is your Rating?’.
The current player rating system used in North America is based on various criteria which have been defined by the International Federation of Pickleball (IFP). The following link provides a complete overview of the IFP rating process and criteria:
The skill level sets are a guide for evaluating your own level and determining which round-robins you should play in. They were developed utilizing both existing guidelines listed by the USAPA (usapa.org) and from input from other pickleball clubs. Clubs should use this information to develop training clinics and for seeding tournament players.
Note: Excepting only events which require a USAPA-or club-approved rating level, you self-rate for all other non-rated events. (The large majority of round-robins are events). This means you make your own decision about what level you should play in, in existing non-rated events, using the guidelines to assist in making that decision.
The purpose of rated events is to insure a consistent and competitive level of play for all players within that event as much as possible. Therefore we request that you do NOT sign up for a tournament or club event higher or lower than your rated skill level if you have a rating.
There is additional information posted on various web sites as listed below:
Pickleball Guru’s checklist for self rating Click Here
USAPA Skills rating sheets for levels 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5 and 4 Click Here
Over time Pickleball Ontario will provide a database of current player ratings and results in Ontario tournaments (listing 1 st – 4 th placed players in various categories). This will be offered as an aid to tournament directors.
Final Note: Self rating – that is, evaluating your own play against rating guidelines – is the most common way to determine your ‘rating’. There are clinics offered around Ontario to have coaches evaluate and rate your game also. Fairness and accuracy in rating will help ensure you and your opponents have a positive experience.
