Player Ratings For Pickleball

Our Paso Robles Pickleball Club Website:  www.pickleballpasorobles.shutterfly.com  Visit the Central Coast and join us for Pickleball.  We have equipment you can use so just dress for play.  Our area is beautiful this time of year.

This is a follow-up to the email I sent out to our players about a month ago regarding self-ratings.  More questions have come up regarding a rating that will allow you to play in a tournament.  Actually, you do not need to be 'rated' to play in an age level tournament, but you will have to give yourself a "self- rating" if you are going to play in a skill level tournament.  The ratings---2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0.  Six skill levels....lots of overlap...oftentimes nuances of difference, but still required.  When you enter that first skill level tournament, be realistic, but also sensible, with your rating.  Thinking you are a 4.0 player after only six months of play will probably put you in a skill group that you are not ready for.  The USAPA ratings committee also states that initial self-ratings may not change until you have experienced Gold Medal success (usually twice).  Rate yourself too high and you might be experiencing limited success, lots of frustration, and a very long wait before you show success at that skill level.  Once you have self-rated yourself, you must go through an appeal process to change your rating.  Remember, the best way to self-rate is to play with players you think are comparable to you and then ask them what their rating is.  Chances are you are the same.  You are not sandbagging if you are relatively new to the game, want to play in a skill level tournament, and give yourself a one step lower rating than your wishful thinking suggests to you.  Also, friends don't want to hurt your feelings by suggesting that you are a 3.0 rather than a 3.5/4.0.  They will pad the rating to make you feel better---but they aren't playing for you in the tournament!!!!

Hope you had fun playing today and that the "ball came off your paddle with control and successful placement."