Pickleball Self-Rating

BARS Pickleball asks players for their self-rating on a scale of Newbie (0) to Advanced (5). These numbers are not to be confused with the Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating (DUPR), which goes from a 2.0 to 8.0 scale. However, if you do know your DUPR rating, it may help guide you in picking your rating on the BARS Pickleball scale.

Newbie

  • Completely new to pickleball!
  • Limited or no experience with other racquet sports (tennis, ping pong, squash, padel) 

Beginner

  • Good understanding of rules, how to keep score, and starting positions
  • Learning basic strokes
  • Developing limited consistency in hitting the ball
  • Experience playing other racquet sports (e.g., tennis, squash, ping pong, padel)

Advanced beginner

  • Beginning to control the direction and height of shots
  • Good understanding of starting positions
  • Becoming comfortable moving up to the non-volley zone (kitchen)
  • Developing basic serves and volleys

Intermediate

  • Consistently hitting forehand and backhand shots
  • Understanding basic game strategy, defensive shots, and dinking
  • Some consistency in serving and volleying
  • Capable of playing a rally with consistency
  • Starting to incorporate more advanced shots like lobs and drops
  • May have a DUPR rating (~2.0-2.5)

Advanced intermediate

  • Demonstrating consistent strokes with control and placement
  • Utilizing various shot types effectively (lobs, dinks, smashes, drops)
  • Use defensive and aggressive shots with some consistency
  • Demonstrating improved court coverage and anticipation
  • Starting to incorporate spin into shots
  • May have a DUPR rating (~2.5-3.0)

Advanced

  • Consistently hitting with power and placement
  • Competent in both offensive and defensive play
  • Consistently placing shots to exploit opponent weaknesses
  • Consistently utilizing variety of shots (lobs, dinks, smashes, drops)
  • Demonstrating advanced strategy and tactics
  • Regularly utilizing topspin/slices
  • Competing with other advanced players regularly
  • May have a DUPR rating (~3.0+)
A reminder that League leaders will use this rating as a guide to best assess your placement on the courts (in the Ladder Leagues) or on a team (Like Tuesday 's Advanced League and Sunday's WTNB+ League) in order to try and keep playing levels balanced and competitive.