I’d rate the losing team as 3.75-4.0 (closer to 4.0), and the winning team as 4.5.

The winning team is 100% without a doubt above 4.5 even, their mid-court volleys alone indicate a skill level that's pretty elite for rec tournaments. And the crosscourt angle on his two-handed backhand at 12:46, freakin A...I play 4.0+ players every week and that's just not a shot a standard 4.0 player can execute.

There was one severe poach there that I think illustrates a really important point. When you poach like that, it's not just bad manners. More often than not, it pulls you out of position and players at this level will *absolutely* punish you by putting the ball back to the other side (where you should have stayed). Easy point. You have to trust your partner. Even if it seems like they're missing too many shots, trying too hard to "cover" for them is likely to be worse.

I think both teams are 4.0. I agree the losing team made more errors, but i disagree with your statement that at 4.0 "you cant miss returns or pop the ball up." Even pros miss returns sometimes or get smashed due to a pop-up. We all have bad matches sometimes.

I see the point of 4.0 in cal vs 4.0 in Minnesota. These players are very solid with drops, drives, two handed BHs. Its nobody's fault, just the level of competition youre given in certain areas. Solid channel!!

The best advice I received for improving my backhand was to change the angle of the paddle to face a bit more skyward. The angle also depends on how close or far I am from the net. Now I don’t have to run around to hit a forehand; I am more confident with both! Thank you, Rory, for your videos!

If this is 4.0 then I’m Ben Johns😂

I agree clearly the losing team was not in the same ranking as the winning team. Even remove the unforced errors and your left with unimpressive shots and poor execution. They had no powerful serves, returns, or net game. I would rate them 3.5 level.

Winning team had a plan and executed it well. They mostly targeted the female player on the other side, forced her into difficult positions with her backhand. Generally agree with not losing points on serve. But wow, the serve at 7:02 was a difficult one to return, so I can't really blame the Ruby guy for missing. I think both teams are 4.0 level. Sometimes you have good days, sometimes you have bad days. The losing team made more mistakes and the winning team was definitely on their game. On a different day, my guess is that the score would be much closer. But the result would likely be the same. A bit curious that they decided to share a 15-1 demolition with you. They played really well, but they probably would've learned more by sharing their loss with you instead.

Just as an aside. Maybe PickleBall Pickapart could do a 5 minute video on how to set up your Phone/Camera to record a PickleBall game. I am sure there are alot of tips out there that would benefit players wanting to have their games reviewed.

To me, an important factor in assessing someone's rating is their unforced error rate. You can have 5.0 skills but if you're making errors like a 3.5 player then you're not a 5.0 player imo. True 5.0 players tend to be much more consistent than 4.5 players who in turn tend to be much more consistent than 4.0 players. In this match the winning female player was very consistent (like 4.5+ level consistent) and the losing female player was very inconsistent (like 3.0 level consistent, especially the incessant pop ups). And Rory is right about her backhand. Wasn't working for her. The odd thing is that Rory stated that she was playing with an extremely soft, "control" paddle. And yet so many pop ups. Hard to assess the male players as they didn't get much paddle time in this game.

Love to see these ankle benders play tennis

I will call them white shoes and black shoe team. Pickelball is a journey. When I started, I thought 4.0+ walked on water. now that I am there, watching higher play the first thing that shocked me was 4.0+ players still hit more unforced eirs than I thought. The biggest improvement is in their return shots. They get shots back 3.5, do not. I think both teams would be 4.0, black shoe team has a few more shots and are more precise. Learning to climb into 4.0+ people have to have the soft hands at the net. great to watch.

I'm maybe a 3.5(ish) player, but some days, I resemble that losing team. :( Something gets in your head and you cannot shake it. You could even see the losing male player occasionally droop his paddle/shoulders between serves. The biggest differences between the two teams were the female players. The losing team always targeted the on-fire winning female player. IMO in that game, she was the stronger player of the two. The winning male really wasn't tested.

Well , when you continually pop the ball up , you pretty much have to continually back off the NVZ ( if you have time ) in order to defend . And , ofcourse , this is no way to win . Plus , 3 missed return of serves . FORGET IT !

Nothing about the losing team says "4.0". They served short and soft ... returns were too short ... their footwork and positioning was poor ... their drops were too high ... their teamwork was nearly non-existent ... their shot selection was nearly always the wrong choice. I'd call them 3.25s. (But besides that, they were great!) 🙄 The winning team served deeper and more firmly ... returns were deeper and hit with some intention ... their footwork and positioning was solid ... their drops were usually good ... resets, too ... good teamwork ... and usually good shot selection. I'd agree they are 4.0.

Lady in black tights keeps backing away from the NVZ. Gets caught in trans zone over and over. Not 4.0