Skill Levels

SKILL EXPECTATIONS FOR EACH LEVEL OF PLAY
Note: Above the 2.0 level, all levels should be able to demonstrate most of the skills for their level plus most of the skills from preceding levels. Thus a 2.5 level player, for example, demonstrates most skills in the 2.5 level list as well as most skills in the 2.0 level list, and so on.

1.0 Skill Level

• New and have only minimal knowledge of the game and the rules.

1.5 Skill Level

• Limited to some rallies.
• Learning how to serve.
• Developing a forehand.
• Fails to return easy balls frequently and occasionally misses the ball entirely.
• Played a few games and is learning the court lines, scoring, and some basic rules of the game.

2.0 Skill Level

• Moves around court in balanced, safe manner
• Gets some serves “in”, perhaps not regularly
• Realizes aspects of score-keeping, rules and where to stand on court during serve, receipt of serve, and general play
• Has some basic stroke skills

2.5 Skill Level

• Able to serve “in” more regularly
• Knows two-bounce rule and demonstrates it most times
• Knows where to stand on the court during serve, receipt of serve and general play
• Is mastering keeping score.
• Attempts to dink but not always effective at it
• Working on their form for ground strokes, accuracy is variable
• Can keep the ball in play longer
• Sometimes lobs with forehand with varying degrees of success.

3.0 Skill level

• Knows the fundamental rules and can keep score
• Regularly gets serves “in” to mid-court or deeper
• Dinks mostly in opposite kitchen and is dinking lower over the net
• Able to sustain dinking in the game
• Using both forehand and backhand on returns and forehands on overhead returns
• Working at keeping the serve deep and return of serve deep
• Moves quickly towards the non-volley zone when opportunity is there
• Trying to make flatter returns (where appropriate)
• Aware of partner’s position on the court & moving as a team
• Developing more power and/or softness in their shots
• Somewhat a uni-dimensional player working at broadening their playing repertoire.

3.5 Skill level

• Demonstrates a broad knowledge of the rules of the game
• Gets a high majority of serves in deep & returns serve deep
• Often hits to the weak side of opponent
• Demonstrates strategies of playing during games
• Actively works with partners in communicating, covering court, moving to net
• With varying consistency executes: lobs, forehand/backhand ground strokes, overheads, net volleys, and sustained dinking
• Some use of drop shots to get to the net
• Specifically places shots rather than just hitting shots anywhere
• Selective mixing up soft shots with power shots to create an advantage
• Hits fewer balls out of bounds or in the net
• Has a moderate # of unforced errors per game
• Demonstrates ability to intentionally play in offensive mode
• Self-correcting after play is over
• Demonstrates extended periods of multi-dimensional play

4.0 Skill Level

• Primarily plays in an offensive mode rather than reactively
• Controls and places serves and return of serves to best advantage
• Puts advanced playing strategy into the game, particularly in dinking
• Consistently varies shots for competitive advantage, uses power shots selectively
• Communicates and moves well with partner — easily “switches” court positions
• Very comfortable playing at the non-volley zone. Works with partner to control the line, keeping opponents back and driving them off the line.
• Can block hard volleys directed at them
• Has good footwork and moves laterally, backward and forward with ease.
• Hits overhead shots consistently, often as put-aways
• Ability to change a hard shot to a soft shot
• Consistently executes effective drop shots that are not easily returned for advantage
• Can effectively poach
• Hits a low # of unforced errors per game
• Regularly demonstrates “anticipation of play”
• Self-correcting during play
• Consistently is a multi-dimensional player and/or is exceptionally dominate in a limited playing repertoire.

4.5 – 5.0 Skill Level

• Can regularly convert a hard shot to a soft shot
• Exhibits patience in play at a superior level
• Shows noticeably increased skills, a higher level of strategy, quickness of hands and movement, judicious use of power, superior placement of shots, superb anticipation of play, sustained volleying skills, superior put-aways —all with consistency
• Makes very few unforced errors

Differences between 4.5 and 5.0 are subjective – but, generally, each of the four points above is even more pronounced at the 5.0 level.