Pickleball Ratings: How to Get a Pickleball Rating

TL;DR: Pickleball ratings help players gauge skill levels, enabling more enjoyable and competitive matches. Ratings range from novice to pro and can be obtained through self-rating and rating systems.

Main Points:

• Ratings can range from 1.0 to 10.0.
• Help match players of similar skill.
• Useful for tournament division.
• Ratings can improve by practicing advanced skills.
• Available via self-rating or rating systems like DUPR.

Player ratings aren’t unique to pickleball, but the pickleball rating process is different from many other sports.

So, how can you get a pickleball rating? How do pickleball ratings work, and why are they used? Let’s take a closer look.

Pickleball Ratings Explained

We can break down ratings into three key areas: what they are, why they’re used, and the actual rating process. Let’s start with the foundation—what ratings are.

What are Pickleball Ratings?

Pickleball is an incredibly popular sport. USA Pickleball tells us that there are about 13.6 million players in the US as of 2023.

With so many players, how can you tell if an opponent will be a good match for your skill level? Playing against an opponent with limited skills compared to your own — or who is far above your own level — can be an interesting experience, but it can make games less enjoyable, too.

This is where pickleball ratings systems come into play. Pickleball ratings are numerical values that help to separate players by skill level.

Think of them as an easy way to assess your skills and the skills of other players. Tournament directors also use them to help organize larger tournaments.

There are several rating scales with different top values. However, they all use a numerical range. Minimum values start at 1.0 or 2.0 and the maximum is generally 10.0 (or lower).

For example, the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) scale ranges from 1.0 to 8.0. A player who has never played pickleball and has no related skills is initially ranked as a 1.0 in this system. A player who’s just starting is generally a 2.0.

A 4.5 player is an accomplished amateur who understands the game and can play capably. The PPA pickleball ratings from 5.0-8.0 are for professional-level players.

UTR-P, a new pickleball rating system used by USA Pickleball for tournament players, ranges from 1 to 10.0, with decimal place used for ratings of 4.0-10.0 to more precisely define players.

Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating (DUPR), a free ranking service for all players, uses a scale from 2.0-8.0.

Why are Ratings in Pickleball Useful?

The idea behind ratings is simple as well as useful. These ratings help pickleball players:

• Find other players who are at a similar skill level. This can help you play enjoyable and challenging games and recognize when opponents have a significantly different skill level.
• Understand the skill level of potential opponents and all other players. This can be useful for watching other players, whether you want to see certain skills in play or just take in the action.
• Decide which division or bracket of a tournament to enter, as larger tournaments often divide players by skill level. Keep in mind that some players will move themselves down a level or half-level in the ratings for an edge.

Because ratings are tied to various skills and knowledge of the game, they can also help you understand how to grow as a player. A 3.5 player looking to develop can practice 4.0-level skills like anticipating opponents’ shots, blocking volleys, and improving their footwork.

What is the Pickleball Rating Process? How Do I Get a Pickleball Rating?

There are a few different ways to get a pickleball rating. For newer players, a pickleball self-rating is common. It’s an easy way to start the process. You can always ask your coach or more experienced players for help with rating yourself in pickleball, too.

For those just starting to play, a rating of 1.0-2.5 is common. A 1.0 would signify a true novice with very little or no sports background, while a 2.5 could apply to a player with a racket sports background who’s quickly picking up beginner skills.

The PPA explanation of ratings is a good reference for most non-professional players. If you’re an experienced player and are trying to decide if you should move your self-ranking, these basic descriptions can help.

Signing up for a free pickleball rating service like DUPR is another useful and common option. DUPR is open to all players and free. It only requires one verified match to be entered into the system before generating a rating.

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