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This list is a composite taken several documents found on the Internet.

Level 1.0

  • New—has minimal knowledge of the game. 


Level 1.5

  • Has taken at least one beginner lesson

  • Learning how to serve

  • Developing a forehand

  • Fails to return easy balls frequently

  • Learning to play the game, scoring and some basic rules 


Level 2.0

  • Has participated in novice and beginning skills practice

  • Moves around the court in a balanced and safe manner

  • Gets some serves “in”

  • Realizes aspects of score-keeping, rules and where to stand on the court during serve, receive of serve, and general play

  • Has some basic stroke skills, backhand, forehand, volley but has obvious weaknesses

  • Familiar with where to stand in doubles play 


Level 2.5

  • Able to serve “in” more regularly

  • Knows the two bounce rule and demonstrates it most times

  • Knows where to stand on the court during serve, serve receive and general play

  • Is mastering keeping score

  • Aware of the soft game and occasionally tries to dink

  • Working on form for ground strokes, accuracy is variable

  • Makes longer lasting slow paced rallies

  • Sometimes lobs with forehand with varying degrees of success

  • Beginning to approach the non-volley zone to hit volleys

  • Court coverage is weak but is improving

  • Knows fundamental rules and can keep score 


Level 3.0

  • Working to keep the serve and serve receive deep

  • Moves quickly towards the non-volley zone when opportunity is there

  • Trying to make flatter returns (where appropriate)

  • More aware of their partner’s position on the court and moving more as a team

  • Developing more power in shots

  • Beginning to attempt lobs and dinks with little success and doesn’t fully understand when and why they should be used

  • Demonstrates improved skills with all the basic shot strokes and shot placement but lacks control when trying for direction, depth or power on shots 


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Level 3.5

  • Demonstrates a broad knowledge of the rules of the game

  • Gets high majority of serves “in”

  • Able to serve and return serve deep

  • Hits to the weak side of opponent often

  • Demonstrates more strategies of playing during games

  • Works better with partners in communicating, covering court, moving to net

  • With varying consistency executes: lobs, forehand/backhand ground strokes, overheads, net volleys, and sustained dinking

  • Starting to use drop shots in order to get to the net

  • Knows when to make some specific placed shots in the game

  • Working on mixing up soft shots with power shots to create an advantage

  • Hits fewer balls out of bounds or in the net

  • Dinks mostly in opponents' kitchen and dinks lower over the net

  • Able to sustain dinking in the game

  • Has a moderate number of unforced errors 

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Level 4.0

  • Beginning to play more consistently in all phases of the game

  • Anticipates opponents shots resulting in good court position

  • Primarily plays offensively

  • Controls and places serves and return of serves to best advantage

  • Puts strategy into play in the game

  • Consistently varies shots to create a competitive advantage

  • Works and moves well with partner – easily switches court positions when required

  • Very comfortable playing at the non-volley zone. Works with partner to control the line, keeping opponents back and driving them off line

  • Can block volleys directed at them

  • Has good footwork and moves laterally, backward and forward with ease

  • Uses strategy in dinking to get a put-away shot

  • Consistently executes effective drop shots

  • Demonstrates 3rd shot strategies: drop shot, lobs and fast paced ground strokes

  • Hits a low number of unforced errors per game 


Level 4.5

  • Able to regularly convert a hard shot to a soft shot

  • Exhibits patience 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, anticipation of play, sustained volleying skills, superior put-aways – all with consistency

  • Understands strategy and can adjust style of play and game plan according to opponents strength and weaknesses and court position

  • Beginning to master dink and drop shots

  • Makes very few unforced errors 
     

Level 5.0

  • Has mastered all skills and strategies

  • Dependable in stressful situations

  • Athletic ability, quickness, and agility separates these players

SKILL LEVEL DEFINITIONS

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