Platform Rating System

 1.5

You are brand new to paddle.You have no racquet sports background.

2.0

You are new to paddle and has some racquet sport experience.

2.5

You understand basic court positioning and are comfortable returning slower paced shots.  You have very little match experience.

3.0

You understand basic court positioning and are comfortable returning slow to medium paced shots.  You are developing a reliable serve but probably do not serve with a continental grip. You are fairly consistent on volleying slower paced drives but struggle with harder hit shots.  3.0 players are fairly consistent hitting flat overheads off of short lobs but struggle with consistency and placement when pushed back on deeper lobs.  Your baseline play is still inconsistent from week to week due to lack of match experience and tactics.  Within the 3.0 rating, different levels exist:  Higher level 3.0 players tend to have better anticipation and court coverage than lower level 3.0 rated players.

 3.5

You have a decent knowledge of tactics and positioning and have several reliable strokes with good directional control on soft to medium paced shots. Many 3.5 players tend to be reactive at the net, making contact with the ball as early as possible which allows them to make many first volleys off of higher hit return of serves.  3.5 players are also fairly comfortable with higher screen shots but still struggle to get their paddle properly positioned to return lower screen shots and low volleys.  3.5 players are most comfortable hitting flat overheads off of an opponents’ lob.  3.5 players could be fairly new to paddle but possess a strong tennis background or this player could be a seasoned paddle player who lacks grip variety and shot variety.  Many 3.5 players can recognize opponents’ weaknesses but might not have the shot variety to capitalize.  Within the 3.5 rating, different levels exist:  Higher level 3.5 players often have better anticipation and court coverage than lower rated 3.5 players.  The two areas where this is significant are as follows: the first is when an opponent lobs a ball over the net team. Higher 3.5 rated players are able to run back and lob the next shot off of the back screen consistently.   The second frequent scenario where anticipation and court coverage impact play is when a net player volleys short.  Higher rated players are able to run up and make a play on those short volleys consistently. Based on the skills required to achieve a NTRP Rating of 4.0, tennis players with a 4.0 rating warrant an initial APTA Rating of  3.5

4.0

You have the ability to anticipate and recognize many of your opponents’ shots and can adjust your positioning and your shot selection accordingly. You have dependable strokes, including directional control. You can serve with consistency but not necessarily variety.  You have the ability and willingness to play longer points and probably recognize the need to have more overhead variety against better players. You make many volleys hit from above the net level on medium paced returns but  struggles when the point of contact is below the level of the net, oftentimes because of grip limitations. You make solid contact on overheads but rarely hit an overhead that can force the ad court player to play a side back screen, probably due to footwork or grip limitations.  4.0 players are comfortable  playing many screen shots. Within the 4.0 rating, different levels exist:  Higher level 4.0 players have better anticipation, better court coverage, probably have more match experience with more tactical options  than lower rated 4.0 rated players. Oftentimes, higher rated 4.0 players have frequently demonstrated the ability to make defensive ‘gets’ to ex-tend points. Based on the skills required to achieve a NTRP Tennis Rating, tennis players with  a  4.5 rating  warrant an initial paddle rating of  4.0.  This rating is justified  because of  dependable racquet skills,  dependable contact point on all paddle shots (except screens), shot anticipation and court coverage.

4.5

You have developed a game plan according to your own strengths and can identify an opponents’ strengths and weaknesses quickly.  You can control location, pace and depth of enough shots to win several games in a set against 2 higher rated players and sometimes can win one set in a best of 3 set match.  You can recognize and anticipate opponents’ shots early enough to adjust net positioning. You have built your game around either an offensive shot or around strong defensive play. You can lob off the deck with consistency on medium to faster paced shots.  You can get many screen shots back in play and probably can drive off the screens with consistency.  You understand and demonstrate a willingness to work with your partner to improve positioning and shot selection. You might not have spin variety on your overheads but rarely miss more than a few overheads in a match.  Within the 4.5 rating, different levels exist: higher rated 4.5 players typically have better anticipation, better court coverage and have a  better ability to make tactical adjustments than lower rated 4.5 players.  Higher rated 4.5 players have demonstrated an ability to be scrappy on the court, coming up with defensive ‘gets’ that extend points.  Higher rated 4.5 players have developed the ability to go back and forth between offense and defense within a point but probably still lack consistency on offensive opportunities.

5.0

You are capable of playing a 2 hour match with slightly higher level players. You volley with consistency and depth.  5.0 players often favor playing on one side of the court over the other side for baseline play.  5.0 players understand the tactics of lobbing and the technique of lobbing with a short blocking motion off of the deck, mostly with a continental grip.  5.0  players can lob with height and directional control off of hard hit volleys and overheads.  5.0 players are able to work as a team to build points. 5.0 players can volley most shots straight ahead, limiting opponent’s offensive opportunities.  Many players at this level use the continental grip to their advantage on serves, overheads and volleys.  A 5.0 player’s serve is generally not a weapon nor is it necessarily a liability.  5.0 players are able to volley with consistency and depth on a majority of their opponents’ drives.  5.0 players rarely play out balls on hard hit drives from opponents. 5.0 players have the confidence to force errors with drives, lobs, overheads and volleys.  5.0 players have the patience and a willingness to adjust shot selection as needed. 5.0 players start every match with an overall plan but can adjust play depending on the weather.  5.0 players consistently win several matches, including back draw matches in APTA regional events. Higher level 5.0 players can go from offense to defense within a point and are more consistent on offensive opportunities.

5.5

You have won a match or two in the main draw of most APTA Regional Ranking Events entered.  A 5.5 player quickly recognizes opponents’ playing styles, strengths and weaknesses and formulates and executes a game plan. You can vary strategies and styles of play in competitive situations and hit dependable shots in high level match play.  You can handle spin serves and spin over-heads and have a consistent serve and a dependable first volley.  You are comfortable playing the deuce or ad court and can build points from either side.  5.5 players can drive with consistency off of the screens and can lob with placement and height to control play.  5.5 players get the serve, the return and the first volley in play 80% of the time and routinely have exchanges lasting 25 shots or more. Potential strengths include the ability to consistently hit offensive, winning shots off of weak volleys and weak overheads.  5.5  players have the ability to be able to consistently hit overheads that force the ad court player to play a side back screen.  5.5 players have developed the ability to hit low, deep first volleys, consistently forcing the baseline team to hit a lob and can hit drop volleys to win a point. You probably make over 100 screens in a two set match. You can serve, volley and hit overheads with a continental grip.

6.0

You have had extensive training for national level tournaments and consistently win several main draw matches in APTA National Ranking Events. You can handle spin and pace off of serves and overheads to the point where you can still drive or lob  effectively.  You can hit drives off of many screen shots with consistency and accuracy.  The only screen shot you might miss occasionally would be off of an opponent’s overhead that hits the ‘nick or corner or possibly when it hits a seam. You make a high percentage of your forehand and backhand drives. You can hit controlled volleys on hard hit drives hit by high level players. 6.0 players win several points each set hitting a drop shot winner. You can consistently hit an attack overhead to the ‘side-back’ screen in the ad court corner assuming the player is right handed. Your overhead variety produces very few overhead errors in high level competition. Your physical, mental and tactical abilities allow you to be competitive against higher rated players.  6.0 players rarely make errors on the serve, return or first volley.

6.0

You have had extensive training for national level tournaments and consistently win several main draw matches in APTA National Ranking Events. You can handle spin and pace off of serves and overheads to the point where you can still drive or lob  effectively.  You can hit drives off of many screen shots with consistency and accuracy.  The only screen shot you might miss occasionally would be off of an opponent’s overhead that hits the ‘nick or corner or possibly when it hits a seam. You make a high percentage of your forehand and backhand drives. You can hit controlled volleys on hard hit drives hit by high level players. 6.0 players win several points each set hitting a drop shot winner. You can consistently hit an attack overhead to the ‘side-back’ screen in the ad court corner assuming the player is right handed. Your overhead variety produces very few overhead errors in high level competition. Your physical, mental and tactical abilities allow you to be competitive against higher rated players.  6.0 players rarely make errors on the serve, return or first volley.

6.5-7.0

You possess offensive weapons that force opponents to make errors. You possess offensive weapons that can be outright winners.  6.5 players can easily win points off of an opponents’ short lobs and off speed drives.  6.5 players and above have defensive abilities to extend points and have probably played several matches lasting well over two hours long.  All 6.5 players and above have exceptional footwork, anticipation, quickness and/or speed.  A 6.5 level player might have a weakness but it might only be revealed after a point has gone for 25 hits or more. A 6.5 player is able to dictate play off of the serve and volley and can hit a majority of their volleys with control and depth.  This player has variety on the overheads and is able to add pace, take away pace, add spin and  hit with depth on demand. This player can create offensive opportunities off of screen shots and rarely lose main draw matches to anyone ranked lower in the overall APTA National Rankings. All 6.5 players have high level racket skills.  They all have the endurance to be competitive in a 2 or 3 day APTA Ranking Event and have probably reached several finals in APTA Ranking events. All 6.5 rated players have a shot to shot awareness of all 4 players positioning on the court at any given time and they all have a mastery of the game’s tactics.