Club levels, 0–7

• New to the sport and unaware of the rules; not sure of the correct way to hold the racket and unable to cleanly hit the ball.
• Looking to develop into a regular padel player; needs familiarisation sessions.
• Should attend Intro to Padel sessions before attending social padel sessions.

• Still new to the sport but grasping the basic strokes with slow returns; difficulty with the walls and court positioning but understands the rules of the game.
• Able to contact the ball without many swing-and-misses, but rallies remain short due to inconsistency.
• Uses the continental grip for all shots but not the serve.

• Still new to the sport but grasping the basic strokes with slow returns; some difficulty with the walls and court positioning but understands the rules.
• Rallies last longer with fewer unforced errors on basic shots like the forehand and backhand, though shot technique may not be correct.
• Uses the continental grip for all shots including the serve.

• Plays most basic shots (serve, forehand and backhand returns) with more speed and consistency, but needs court experience.
• Defends off the wall by getting the ball back over the net, but without shot selection between a lob, volley, bajada or chiquita off the back glass — best efforts to keep the ball in play.
• Longer rallies and fewer unforced errors on basic shots; volleys lack correct technique but points are finished by playing closer to the net.
• Starting to use slight grip changes depending on the shot.

• Plays the basic shots very well; volleys at the net on both forehand and backhand are consistent and powerful with a range of depth.
• Plays the bandeja consistently to defend and to change the pace of the rally, helping the team regain position.
• Plays the overhead smash by four metres when at the net, with some errors.
• Hits the by-three-metres smash once in a while — mainly power with minimal spin, so not technically mastered.
• Uses the cage to advantage, playing shots to the side cage that are difficult to return.
• Leads the team tactically, understanding how to play against opponents.
• Serves with great levels of spin and control, varying direction to set up the point.
• Uses the correct grip for the shot required, including some variety of drop shots.

• Plays the basic shots proficiently and consistently, with power, a range of depth, and minimal errors.
• Plays the bandeja, vibora, rulo and gancho consistently to defend or attack when appropriate, and changes the pace of the rally to help the team regain position.
• Plays the by-four-metres overhead smash at the net effectively and proficiently, with the ball exiting the court.
• Hits the by-three-metres smash effectively and proficiently with kick and spin, not just raw power.
• Smashes from deeper in the court remain effective, bouncing back over the net out of the opposition's reach.
• Uses the right shot selection (the rulo) to exploit the cage, plus backhand volleys from the left side to disrupt the right-sided player's positioning.
• Leads the team tactically, understanding how to play against opponents.
• Serves with great levels of spin and control, varying direction to set up the point.
• Defends off the cage, side and back glasses from all heights, choosing the correct return or defensive shot for the speed and height of the rebound — lob, bajada, chiquita, or flat return.
• Makes extreme grip adjustments depending on shot selection (vibora or flat backhand).

• Close to mastering every shot, but still makes judgement errors from only recently playing tournament-level games.
• Can do all of the elements required in levels 0 to 5.
• Winning 50% or more of tournament matches.
• Carries a recent Playtomic levelling-session level of 5.0 or above.

• Has mastered all the shots identified in the levels above.
• Competing at a high level across the UK and Europe.
• Has a Playtomic (or equivalent) level of 6 and above, officially ranked via a levelling session or ranking system.

What moves your level

• Winning moves it up, losing moves it down. A draw moves it only as far as the ratings gap says it should.
• Upsets count extra — beating a higher-rated pair moves you further up, and losing to one barely costs you. Favourites gain little and risk more.
• A wide scoreline counts for more than a tight one.
• New levels settle fast: for roughly your first five results, each match moves your number more than usual while it finds you.
• A big level gap between partners reduces how much the result counts for both of you.
• One result can move your level at most 0.75 either way.
• Grudge matches count double. Social session sets count half.