Determining Your Skill Level
When you sign up for a session, a host may ask for your skill level in one of two forms: a recreational level (Beginner through Advanced) or a numeric rating (like 3.5). This guide helps you figure out both so you can pick the number or level that fits you.
Your skill level is your own honest read on how you play, based on the shots you can reliably hit and the strategy you understand. It's different from a measured rating like DUPR, which is calculated from real match results. See How your rating differs from DUPR below.
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Find your recreational level​
What is my recreational skill level? What are the DailyPB skill levels? Am I a beginner, intermediate, or advanced player? What does Advanced Beginner mean? How do I know if I'm intermediate? What recreational level should I pick? What are the six skill levels?
DailyPB's recreational levels run in a ladder from Beginner to Advanced. The simplest way to place yourself: most open play is organized into Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced courts, and your level is where you'd be competitive in normal rec play. If you hold your own on Advanced courts, you're Advanced. The in-between levels (Adv Beginner, Early Intermediate, Adv Intermediate) are for when you're transitioning between two court tiers: stronger than one but not yet competitive on the next. If you're between Intermediate and Advanced, you're Advanced Intermediate, and so on.
The six levels, from least to most experienced:
| Level | You're here if… |
|---|---|
| Beginner | You're new to pickleball. You're learning the rules, the serve, and how to keep a short rally going. |
| Adv Beginner | You know the rules and basic shots, and you can keep a rally going, but consistency and shot control are still coming along. You'd be competitive on the easier side of a beginner court. |
| Early Intermediate | You're stepping up toward intermediate courts. You can sustain rallies and are starting to place shots on purpose, but you're not yet consistently competitive with solid intermediate players. |
| Intermediate | You're competitive on intermediate courts. You have all the basic strokes, control where the ball goes, and understand court positioning and the soft game (dinking). |
| Adv Intermediate | You're stronger than a typical intermediate player and can hang with some advanced players, but you're not yet consistently competitive on a full advanced court. You sit between intermediate and advanced. |
| Advanced | You're competitive on advanced courts in normal rec play. You have a strong soft and hard game, few unforced errors, good anticipation, and use strategy well. |
If you're unsure between two levels, choose the lower one. It's more fun to play up and be challenged than to be the weakest player on a court that's too strong, and you'll move up naturally as you win.
Find your numeric rating​
What is my numeric pickleball rating? What does a 3.0 or 3.5 mean? What is the USA Pickleball rating scale? How do I self-rate on the 2.0 to 5.0 scale? What number am I in pickleball? What's the difference between 3.5 and 4.0?
If a host asks for a number instead of a recreational level, use the common self-rating scale below. These are self-assessed levels based on the shots and strategy you can reliably execute (not your match record), and the descriptions follow USA Pickleball's skill definitions. Ratings run every half point from 2.0 up:
| Rating | What a player at this level can reliably do |
|---|---|
| 2.0 | New to the game. Can sustain a short rally with players of equal ability and is learning the fundamentals and scoring. |
| 2.5 | Getting the hang of it. Can keep a slow-paced rally going, knows the basic rules, but is still inconsistent and lacks confidence on most shots. |
| 3.0 | Knows all the basic strokes and can use them when needed. Makes reliable serves and returns, with improving stroke development and court awareness. |
| 3.5 | A solid rec player. Controls where the ball goes, sustains medium-paced rallies, understands court positioning, and is beginning to recognize which balls to attack. |
| 4.0 | Strong grasp of both the soft game (dinking) and the hard game. Uses strategy, anticipates shots, poaches effectively, and keeps unforced errors to a minimum. |
| 4.5 | Noticeably sharper than 4.0 on every front: better placement, hand speed, shot selection, and anticipation, with very few unforced errors. |
| 5.0 | Has mastered the strategies and shots of the game, executes advanced shots under pressure, rarely makes unforced errors, and adjusts strategy on the fly. |
Different groups and tournaments attach the named tiers (Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced) to slightly different numbers, and USA Pickleball's official tournament labels sit about a half point higher than the common rec scale above. Treat these numbers as a self-rating starting point, and when in doubt pick the recreational level where you're actually competitive rather than chasing an exact number.
For the full official definitions, see USA Pickleball's Player Skill Rating Definitions and its Player Ratings page.
How your rating differs from DUPR​
Is my skill level the same as my DUPR rating? Why is my DUPR different from my self-rating? What's the difference between a self-rating and DUPR? Should I use DUPR or my skill level? How do I get an official rating?
The skill level you pick here is a self-assessment (or one a coach gave you). A DUPR rating is different: it's a measured number calculated from your actual recorded match results, so it tends to be more precise and can differ from what you'd rate yourself. USA Pickleball uses DUPR as its official rating system.
If a session asks specifically for a DUPR ID rather than a self-rated level, that's the measured route.
If a host asks for your DUPR ID, see Finding Your DUPR ID for where to find it and how to save it to your profile.