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Pickleball Skills - Self Assessment
This assessment is merely a guide for understanding, not a classification or personal label of ability. It yields a snapshot of performance and identifies opportunities for improvement. At the end, the total points collected based on your responses can be divided by the maximum obtainable to yield a suggested rating of your pickleball skills.
You must answer each of the 17 questions for the final score to be valid. Read each of the responses to each question and select what is best for your current status. Your results remain confidential. Provide only one response per question. At the end, press the submit button. The result will be sent to the email provided. You may take the assessment as many times as desired.
*
- Required Field
First Name *
Last Name *
Email *
How is my serve?
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-- No Selection --
(A) I get about half of my serves in the service court, not fast or hard.
(B) I get about 60% of my serves in the service court, and can place some deep.
(C) I get about 75-90% of my serves in the service court, striving to place the ball, with the majority deep and a few aces.
(D) I get almost all of my serves in the service court, varying the type, speed, force, depth, and placement.
(E) I rarely ever miss my serve, use a variety of shots, can control and place where I want.
Choose 1
How is my return of serve?
*
-- No Selection --
(A) I sometimes miss my return entirely, especially against better players.
(B) I am beginning to return most serves and deliver the ball deep, but not consistently.
(C) I can return most of the serves and deliver the ball deep, allowing time to approach the no volley zone.
(D) I can return almost all of the serves, whether they are long or short, lobs, or fast and hard, and can vary the delivery without committing a fault.
(E) I can return almost all of the serves that come my way, and can place the ball so my opponent has to work hard to get it.
Choose 1
How well do I volley with my forehand?
*
-- No Selection --
(A) I sometimes pop the ball up, hit into the net, out-of-bounds, or I miss it entirely.
(B) I can successfully volley with my forehand, but usually miss hard and fast approaching balls.
(C) I can successfully volley with my forehand and am beginning to keep them lower to the net.
(D) My forehand is my strongest stroke, my hardest and most accurate, and low to the net.
(E) I rarely miss a forehand shot; return the ball with accuracy, often hard and can impart desired spin.
Choose 1
How well do I return a groundstroke with my forehand?
*
-- No Selection --
(A) I struggle reading the flight of the ball after the bounce and frequently hit the ball up or out.
(B) I am attempting to contact the ball before the apex after the bounce imparting direction and desired depth.
(C) I am developing control with by forehand; generating a dink, drop or drive when strategically beneficial.
(D) I frequently demonstrate control with my forehand; generating a dink, drop or drive when strategically beneficial.
(E) I contact the ball without fault and return a dink, drop or drive with appropriate power and precision.
Choose 1
How well do I volley with my backhand?
*
-- No Selection --
(A) I often miss this stroke, and my backhand is very weak.
(B) I'm beginning to anticipate this stroke and am moving into position to get it but am sometimes late.
(C) I have worked on this stroke, anticipate it better, and return the ball about half the time.
(D) I see the shot coming and get ready to return the ball low to the net and am successful about 75% of the time.
(E) My backhand is no problem; I can return the ball with speed, force, and accuracy about 90% of the time.
Choose 1
How well do I return a groundstroke with my backhand?
*
-- No Selection --
(A) I struggle with balance, reading the flight of the ball after the bounce and frequently hit the ball up or out.
(B) I am attempting to contact the ball before the apex after the bounce imparting direction and desired depth.
(C) I am developing control with the backhand groundstroke generating a dink, drop or drive when strategically beneficial.
(D) I demonstrate control with the backhand groundstroke and am beginning to prefer it over the forehand groundstroke.
(E) I am consistent with execution, have learned to "wait" for the ball and return a dink, drop or drive with appropriate power and precision.
Choose 1
How is my lob?
*
-- No Selection --
(A) I don't know when, where, or how to execute a lob; so I rarely, if ever, use it.
(B) I am beginning to lob with a forehand motion and at least half of the balls go out of bounds.
(C) I am learning when, where, and how to use a lob, and am successful with it about 50% of the time.
(D) I am good at executing a lob, either forehand or backhand and am successful with it about 75% of the time.
(E) I know when, where, and how to execute the lob and do it with accuracy about 90% of the time.
Choose 1
How are my dinking skills?
*
-- No Selection --
(A) I can get my dink shots over the net about half of the time, but rarely dink in a game.
(B) I am beginning to learn the importance of the dink, starting to implement it in my game and can do so for short durations.
(C) I am developing a sustained dink exchange at the net.
(D) I am regularly initiating and sustaining a dink exchange at the net until a "put away" is received.
(E) I know when and how to dink with purpose and move effectively with my partner.
Choose 1
How are my approach shots?
*
-- No Selection --
(A) I'm attempting approach shots but don't always get to the non-volley zone line with my partner.
(B) I am attempting to hit a drop, drive to the baseline or lob to approach the net (3rd, 5th, etc. shot).
(C) I am learning the purpose of and benefiting from the approach shot (drop, drive or lob) to get to the net and begin dinking.
(D) I often use the approach shot, my partner and I can get to the non-volley zone, and we move together while dinking.
(E) I consistently use an approach shot with few unforced errors and "work" the non-volley zone with my partner.
Choose 1
How well can I drop?
*
-- No Selection --
(A) I am learning how to execute a "drop shot."
(B) I can implement a "drop shot" but miss more times than successful.
(C) I am able to execute a "drop shot" but hold back on routinely using it.
(D) I often execute successful "drop shots" from anywhere on the court.
(E) I can consistently make successful "drop shots" from anywhere on the court.
Choose 1
How are my overhead strokes?
*
-- No Selection --
(A) I rarely initiate this shot and when I do, it often goes into the net or out-of-bounds.
(B) My overhead stroke is not as hard or as accurate as I want it to be.
(C) I can execute an overhead stroke and place the ball where I want about 50% of the time.
(D) My overhead shot is fairly hard, consistent, and accurate at least 75% of the time.
(E) My overhead stroke delivers one of my best shots: hard, fast, and accurate at least 90% of the time.
Choose 1
How are my communication skills with my partner?
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-- No Selection --
(A) I rarely talk to my partner about the game, except to say the score, time out, "In" or "Out".
(B) I am beginning to communicate basic observations to my partner, like who is left-handed, hit it to the backhand, and who appears to be the weaker opponent.
(C) I communicate often with my partner with: "Yours, Mine, No, Switch, Come Up, Stay Back, Put Away, I go, etc." to keep our "wall" intact.
(D) I communicate most of the time with my partner, we move together as a "team" and can set up a point.
(E) I communicate all of the time with my partner; we function as one "unit" on the court and can execute "plays."
Choose 1
How are my strategy skills?
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-- No Selection --
(A) I don't know much about "strategy of the game" and only concentrate on getting the ball back over the net.
(B) I am learning to put the ball where my opponent is not and thinking about knowing what shots to use when and where.
(C) I am beginning to use a variety of strokes and know the strategy of using certain shots at certain times.
(D) I frequently apply strategy with shot selection and frequently used them to gain advantage in a game.
(E) I am a student of the game and understand the importance of using various strategies to keep my opponents back and control the game.
Choose 1
How are my footwork skills?
*
-- No Selection --
(A) I am often "not in the right spot" and therefore miss some shots; or I can't move fast.
(B) I am beginning to anticipate where the ball is going to land and move to the playable spot to meet the ball.
(C) I can travel the court, stay on my toes, shuffle, pivot, and apply the split-step.
(D) I move around the court in a smooth, balanced manner, anticipating lobs, forehands, backhands, dinks, slams, etc. most of the time.
(E) I am like a "rabbit" on the court, almost always moving to wherever the ball is, anticipating correctly, making the shot, and getting back into position for the next shot.
Choose 1
How is my movement?
*
-- No Selection --
(A) I'm developing balance and learning to move in a safe manner.
(B) I move in a balanced and safe manner.
(C) I am mobile, get ready and set.
(D) I move smoothly across the court, conserving energy and reducing the risk of injury.
(E) I am comfortable moving anywhere on the court and appear as a machine in motion.
Choose 1
How well do I know the rules?
*
-- No Selection --
(A) I am learning basic rules including venue specific policies, the "two bounce rule" and how to score.
(B) I know "house protocols", court etiquette and basic rules for play including how to keep score.
(C) I know the main official rules including how to refigure the score and correct server, can share venue specific policy and understand court etiquette.
(D) I have actually read the complete official rulebook, can demonstrate understanding of the content, am able to share venue specific protocols and cite court etiquette.
(E) I know, communicate and demonstrate understanding of rules/protocols from various sources and can cite any variances.
Choose 1
Am I positioned for the moment?
*
-- No Selection --
(A) l am learning where to stand during serves, returns and point play but are still not comfortable with some positions.
(B) I know where to stand as the server, server's partner, and receiver.
(C) I am developing correct court positioning for doubles and how to "move as a team."
(D) I frequently know were to be and move in tandem with my partner to cover the court.
(E) I remain alert, synchronized with my partner, anticipate the shot and move to get the ball.
Choose 1
Tally your points and enter results below. You may need to clear the zero to add your points.
Count the number of responses beginning with (A), multiply by one and enter the result. This provides a subtotal of points earned. *
max: 17
Count the number of responses beginning with (B), multiply by two and enter the result. This provides a subtotal of points earned. *
max: 34
Count the number of responses beginning with (C), multiply by three and enter the result. This provides a subtotal of points earned. *
max: 51
Count the number of responses beginning with (D), multiply by four and enter the result. This provides a subtotal of points earned. *
max: 68
Count the number of responses beginning with (E), multiply by five and enter the result. This provides a subtotal of points earned. *
max: 85
Add the subtotals of your points earned and divide by 17. This is your suggested rating.
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