Calculate your level of padel game

I still remember watching a padel match as if it was yesterday, someone asked me, do you play padel? To which I answered yes. The next question I remember it a little embarrassed as they asked me what level do you have? I was (well, and still am) an amateur on the padel court who uses this sport, like many others do to meet with friends once a week and to have a good time, I surprised myself by doubting what level of padel I had.

And of course, the world of levels is a bit ambiguous, it’s hard to determine your level because people have the tendency to not think that we are lazy or that we don’t have the level we’re talking about.

Well, after that question, I started researching the levels of the game and most importantly, how to know which one is yours.

The first thing you should know is that the idea of classifying your level of play in padel came from the NTRP rating system used in the United States to classify tennis players.

We already have clear where this classification comes from, as you know, the classification goes from 1 to 7, with 1 being the lowest classification, which corresponds to a beginner who has just started to play, and 7 being the highest classification, this group includes players at the professional level, although obviously these players are at another level.

Levels 1 and 7 are clear, it’s harder to classify all the levels in between. Here are some tips to help you figure out in which level you are.

Level 1 is for those who have just started to play, and are still getting familiar with the technicalities of padel.

Level 1.5 is no longer for beginners, but players who are still trying to keep the ball in play.

Level 2 is still undecided about his forehand and backhand shots and has difficulty keeping control of the ball and playing slowly. He makes mistakes in his foot position when executing techniques such as volleys and often makes double faults when serving/resto. Bouncing off the wall is the enemy of players at this level.

Level 2.5 is a player who has already developed the forehand and backhand but still doesn´t control these types of movements. On serve he is still a slow player, he is not comfortable at the net and although he hits forehands intentionally, he still does not have the control he should have. He is not a player who moves a lot on the court, in fact, he usually keeps the initial position of the game.

Level 3 has a moderate variety of strokes, knows where to direct the ball. He is able to return the ball quite consistently. Serve is quite developed, although it lacks power. Backhand volley is not mastered, but if he makes balls correctly, and rebounds are mastered, but are still slow.

At level 3.5 in addition to the variety of strokes there is a good control of the ball’s direction and is expanding the range of shots as the topspin or flat Defending with the backhand is still difficult. Begins to see some aggressiveness in the game near the net and begins to develop team play.

At level 4.0 the forehand has a lot of control and is also a well-established shot. As for the backhand shot, he can already direct the ball and get a considerable speed. He begins to return the forehand bounces and the position for hitting from the backhand becomes correct. The forehand volley is controlled and the backhand volley can be aimed in the right direction. He begins to use cut balls on serve and subtracts with control. He begins to glimpse the tray. This is a player with reliable strokes, but still has little patience in the game.

At level 4.5 a wide variety of strokes accompanied by speed and control is achieved. In the game begins to see the attacking position in many of the strokes, such as in the serve and backhand. His foot placement is usually correct on the volley and he gains some control, but still continues to make mistakes when he wants to hit with force. On rebounds he begins to show good forehand down the wall, but not as much on the backhand. He is playing a game with very good court coverage, and begins to anticipate the opponents in the game, changing the dynamics of the game.

At level 5.0 the backhand becomes a stroke with consistency, good control and direction of the ball in the shots. In addition, the player manages to make deep forehands and the forehand is consolidated with rises to the net. At this level a good power in the volleys is achieved and the player can find his opponent’s weak point. He makes good drops down the wall in both backhand and forehand, the serve has a lot of consistency, and sometimes manages to serve the ball in threes. There is good teamwork at this level, and players are able to vary their play to find their opponent’s weakness and read the game, which is not always an easy task.

Players who belong to level 5.5 are players who have developed a very good ability to read the game, and anticipate their opponent which makes them feel comfortable and reliable in the game. They are capable of deciding strategies for the game and one of their characteristics is the power and control as their main weapon.

And finally, the players of levels 6.0 and 7.0 are those ones who simply do not need a classification because they control the sport. They are those who practice, play professionally, and have a national ranking. For example, these players are our idols at the World Padel Tour.

If you still have doubts about what your level of play is, I leave you a test to calculate your level of play that I found online, you can click here, and in which I discovered that my level of play is not very good, as it is 2.5, which means that I need to improve a lot.