NEPC reviews all available information to determine the most accurate skill rating of a player. This includes tournament data outside of NEPC, and inside NEPC with our competitive Give ‘N Take League and our Blue Square Group Play Events: we want to use as much information as possible to make the fairest decision possible.  For cases where players don’t have sufficient competitive data (which is the case with most players), the club devotes staff resources to observe and determine a player’s skill rating during our Blue Square Group Play Events.  If you desire to be upgraded to the next skill level, there are two ways that can happen: either through Stephen Iandoli (see below), or through simply showing sufficient competitive results in our Give ‘N Take League.

If you would like to be assessed for a skill rating, please signup for an event on the calendar where you see “Stephen Iandoli” running the event, and, be sure to ask him before the event starts that you would like a skill assessment.  When signing up for your first events at NEPC before being assessed for a skill rating, if you are not sure if you are 2.5 or 3.0, for example, it’s always better to self-rate as a 2.5 and then you can ask Stephen to be moved to a 3.0, and/or, compete in Give ‘N Take to get moved to the 3.0 skill level.

With pickleball being a fast growing, emerging sport, there are many players with zero or little competitive data.  And, based on the club or region that a player comes from, either in New England or other parts of the country, the skill rating barometer can be quite different.  NEPC has a deep bench of players at all skill levels who have tournament experience at strong regional or reasonably strong national tournaments: this allows us to have very accurate benchmarks at each skill level to stay on par with what you can expect if you compete in another part of the country.  At the end of the day, your NEPC skill rating is the level that the club recommends you compete at in a strong regional tournament.

No. The club assesses all players’ scores and balances to assign the most appropriate skill rating, irrespective of the event level you’re competing in. Part of the fun of the Give ‘N Take system is to monitor your +/- balance and select events or private matches that you enjoy and while maintaining a balance that doesn’t stray too far from zero. If you consistently participate in events at the same level, and your balance trends higher and higher in the same direction (either positive or negative), the club will notice this and may request or require you to compete in events or matches with a different skill rating to get the trend going in the other direction.

Aside from resolving your +/- balance, registering for a Give ‘N Take below your current NEPC skill level can offer several other benefits, such as gaining experience against diverse players and playing styles, learning the tactics and strategies needed to defeat players with lower versus higher skill ratings, boosting confidence, and potentially discovering a new, up-and-coming player at the lower skill level whom you can invite as a partner for a higher skill level event.

Essentially, we review how a player performs against other players known to be at that level.  We assess: 

1. Overall skill with the basic shots (consistency, power, quickness)
2. How well they defend and/or attack.
3. Keeping rallies alive.
4. Body positioning on the court and anticipation: do they know where to be at the right times.
5. Shot selection.

The more consistent a player is, in those areas, their rating moves accordingly. It’s a fluid process and ratings are never set in stone: as the club gets more information (either through observation or data from competition), we consider changes both up and down.  Ultimately, the most accurate way to determine your skill rating is in a competitive situation where your opponents are known to be of a certain skill rating: this can be done through our Give ‘N Take League.

Always use the wait list on CourtReserve if you can’t get into something!  This is how we know to add more courts to the event.

When members have a suggestion for adjusting the calendar, they are encouraged to let one of the group play coordinators know, or contact the club.

Checkout the green circle, blue square, black diamond graphic on our Group Play page.

Have you ever driven 30 minutes to play, and, because you were the best player on the court, nobody would hit you the ball?

Have you ever been in a foursome where three of the players are “sharing” the ball around to each player, but the fourth player is constantly hitting almost every ball to the weaker player?

When it comes to how your private foursome handles its etiquette, that’s up to you. However, all of NEPC’s group play will operate with clear etiquette guidelines. These guidelines are comparable to how most successful pickleball clubs and communities around the country operate. NEPC is simply taking a step further to define the guidelines explicitly, so that all four players on your court are on the same page.

Are you a beginner who just learned the rules and are looking to learn the game in the most welcoming, social environment? Are you an intermediate or advanced player who would like to spend some time playing with beginners and experience play with the most casual, social, less-competitive players at the club? That’s “green circle” group play.

Are you looking for the classic recreational play that most pickleballers are used to at their local courts? That’s “blue square” group play. It’s not a tournament, your result isn’t going to affect your skill rating, and, in blue square play it’s bad etiquette to constantly keep the ball away from the stronger player. Blue square play is the midpoint of competitive play at your skill level, social and fun, and a great place to work on areas of your game and strategies that are out of your comfort zone.

Do you and your friend want to compete against another team to see who is the best team? Do you want to exercise strategies trying to exploit your opponents’ weaknesses, and, on the flipside, exercise strategies so your opponents aren’t able to target the weaknesses on your team? Do you want to feel the tournament jitters? Welcome to NEPC’s final category: “black diamond” group play. Members who are used to classic recreational play will find the black diamond play is a whole new world of experience and learning. Any seasoned player around the country will tell you that making some of your play blue square and some of your play black diamond, with a clear distinction between the two, is the only way to get the complete experience of the sport.

A final note on etiquette: etiquette is often not going to be perfect. Many of us have been in situations even with our friends where we feel like we’re not getting hit the ball. This is usually just the rhythm of that particular game and not intentional. Maybe one of your opponents just naturally plays 80-90% of their shots crosscourt, and, if you’re not crosscourt from them, you’re not going to see the ball…

If you’re in blue square play, and, you feel your opponents are not practicing good etiquette, the best approach is usually… step #1: give it a little time to see if it is intentional (it’s usually not), step #2: if the games are going by and it does appear to be intentional, try a “soft” approach of gently suggesting something to your opponents and/or gently pointing them to the club’s green circle, blue square, and black diamond guidelines which are posted on practice court fence, and finally, step #3: if necessary, members are welcome to bring the situation to the attention of their group organizer to manage.

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FAQs around green circle, blue square & black diamond:

Q: Can intermediates or advanced players play in green circle with beginners?

A: Yes!  Feel free to do that for a change of pace and to help onboard new players into the club.

Q: Is “stacking” allowed in blue square play?

A: Absolutely.  Blue square play is a great opportunity for teams to work on blending together, as long as that doesn’t involve heavily isolating one of your opponents. Also, if your team is just struggling or all of the balls seem to be going to one side of the court, this can also be a good reason to “stack”.

Q: Blue square play is supposed to be “friendlier” than black diamond play, but my opponents are just banging everything, is that OK?

A: Yes.  NEPC is an equal opportunity club when it comes to playing the banger vs playing the soft game.  There are many tactics and skills that Four Bases Academy can teach you to deal with the bangers. In fact, ‘back of the ball offense’ is the first base (the bangers) and, much the Four Bases framework after first base is devoted to countering that offense.