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Player Skill Guidelines

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Tennis Racquets
Buying Guide

  1. Introduction: Racquet Construction & Anatomy
  2. Player Skill Guidelines
  3. Racquet Performance Criteria – Part 1
  4. Racquet Performance Criteria – Part 2
  5. Racquet Performance Criteria – Part 3 & Conclusion

What’s Your Skill Level?

Now that you know the basic structure of a tennis racquet, the next important step is to identify your skill level. The United States Tennis Association (USTA) has helped by establishing the National Tennis Rating Program (NTRP) for its leagues. But even if you don’t play in a league, these guidelines will help you to understand where you currently stand and where you’d like to end up.

NTRP Skill Guidelines (Range from 1.0 to 7.0)

A. Beginner (1.0 to 2.5)

1.0 – You’ve heard of Roger Federer and know which end of a tennis racquet is designed to hit the ball.

1.5 – You’re starting to learn the game, but not able to keep the ball in play consistently.

2.0 – You’re still working on your stroke and figuring out all the basic positions for playing singles and doubles.

2.5 – You can keep a very slow rally going and may be ready to play in some light, low-level matches.

B. Intermediate (3.0 to 4.5)

serena williams3.0 – You’re now at a point where you can consistently return medium paced shots, but still very weak when it comes to control, hitting depth, and having a handle on all the strokes.

3.5 – You’ve developed decent control on moderate speed shots, feel reasonably comfortable coming to the net, have pretty good court awareness, but not confident dealing with all types of shots.

4.0 – You’re now pretty comfortable controlling and hitting most moderately-paced shots from your forehand and backhand, but still make too many unforced errors and don’t play with a firm plan and strategy in mind.

4.5 – You’ve reached a point where you can play with pace, have a good grasp of your strengths and weaknesses, beginning to develop game plans, but not able to make difficult shots with any consistency.

C. Advanced (5.0 to 7.0)

5.0 – You’ve developed your go-to shot, can consistently hit winners and force errors, but your game may breakdown in high-stress situations.

5.5 – Your game is pretty robust and consistent, with solid strategies at your disposal, and stressful situations are handled much better.

6.0 – You’re good enough to play well at the collegiate level and in national tournaments.

6.5 to 7.0 – Thanks for checking out this site Ms. Serena Williams or Mr. Federer!

Racquet makers create models to accommodate every skill category (beginner, intermediate, advanced). So once you know your playing level, that will cause a significant number of racquets to fall out of consideration, and make it easier to pick one.

You’ll also know when it’s time to upgrade to a new model that matches your improved skill.

Example Playing Style: NTRP Skill Level 3.5

>>>>Racquet Performance Criteria – Part 1>>>>

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