What padel level am I?

Flobit's padel ladder has 13 rungs, from 1.0 to 7.0 in half-point steps. Its wording follows the padel rating of the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), Great Britain's governing body for tennis and padel. You choose the rung that fits you best, so it is a self-assessment, not a test.

The LTA groups its statements into Beginner (1.0 to 3.0), Intermediate (3.5 to 5.0) and Advanced (5.5 to 7.0). Its own list goes from 1.0 straight to 2.0, so the 1.5 rung is Flobit's addition. At the top, the LTA ties 6.0, 6.5 and 7.0 to positions in the professional rankings, so most social players never need to look above 5.5.

A 3.5 is the first rung of the Intermediate band, and the only rung defined by where you come from: "Control from another racket sport, new to padel." The LTA's wording is "I lack technique but do have some control on the court. Competent tennis and squash players who are new to padel come under this category."

In practice, a 3.5 hits the ball cleanly and keeps it in play thanks to tennis or squash habits, but the walls, the doubles positioning and the padel-specific shots are still new. That differs from a 3.0, which describes a padel player who has become consistent and has started using the walls. Two people can both be "about 3.5" for opposite reasons, so read the description, not just the number.

If you saw a 3.5 on Playtomic, it means something else. Playtomic's scale runs from 0 to 7, and its levels are calculated from your match results and the levels of your opponents. A Playtomic 3.5 is a measured number, while an LTA or Flobit 3.5 is a description you pick. They can land close together, but there is no official conversion between them, so treat any chart that claims one as a guess.

Start with the descriptions in the table, then move one rung at a time. Judge yourself on a normal match against regular opponents, not on your best day or your best shot. These questions work as signposts:

1. Can you keep a rally going from the back of the court? If you are still working on getting the ball over the net, you are at 1.0 to 2.0. The LTA's 2.0 reads "I can get the ball in play but my shots lack direction and control", and its 2.5 adds "I can rally with basic shots".
2. Do you use the walls on purpose? Letting the ball come off the back wall and returning it consistently is what the LTA's 3.0 describes: "pretty consistent and can use tactics like playing off the wall".
3. Do you cover the court as a pair? Moving together, closing the net and knowing why you lob are what the 4.0 and 4.5 descriptions are about.
4. Do you control the overhead? A steady bandeja or víbora (the controlled overheads that keep you near the net) shows you understand net play, which usually appears around the 4.0 and 4.5 rungs.
5. Have you played tournaments? The 5.0 rung is for an "experienced tournament player". If you have never played a competitive event, 5.0 is probably too high.

Three checks keep you honest. Ask your usual partner which rung they would give you. Look at your results: if you beat players one rung above you most weeks, move up, and if you lose heavily to them, stay put. And be careful with your tennis level, because a strong tennis player is a 3.5 until the walls and the positioning click.

All three use a number up to 7, but they are built differently.

A federation ranking is a different thing again. Ranking points record tournament results, not how you play on a normal evening, so they don't give you a level.

Because none of these is defined in terms of the others, no exact conversion exists. If a club asks for your Playtomic level, give that number. If it asks for an LTA rating, use the LTA statements. When you move between systems, start from the description and treat the number as a first guess for your next few matches. The tennis levels guide shows how the same 1.0 to 7.0 idea works for tennis, where the wording comes from the USTA.

Your level is what you say about yourself. Your rating is what your results say.

• Level: the rung you pick on the 1.0 to 7.0 ladder. Hosts use it to set a level range on an open match, and the range is shown on the listing as guidance while the host approves each request.
• Rating: a separate ELO number for padel, worked out from confirmed results. It starts between 900 and 1500 depending on the level you declared, or at 1000 if you declared none. It moves more during your first 10 matches, then settles. In doubles it is measured against the average of your opponents, and it is reversed if a result is disputed.
• Sportsmanship: a separate score from 1 to 5 stars that players give the opponents they played against. It says nothing about skill.

Browsing open matches has no level filter. You filter by sport and by anytime, today or this week, so read each host's level range and note before you ask to join. A level range only works if people rate themselves honestly, which is why the rating exists: it shows over time how you actually perform. How ratings work.

Work on what the next rung describes. The ladder doubles as a to-do list:

Habits matter more than any single drill. Play regularly, play with people a little better than you, have a lesson now and then, and ask your partner what they see.

How long does it take to go from 2 to 3? Nobody can give you an honest number. It depends on how often you play, whether you take lessons, how comfortable you get with the walls, and whether you already play tennis, squash or another racket sport. There is no official timeline, and any site that promises one is guessing. Judge your progress by the descriptions instead: you are ready for 3.0 when your rallies hold together and the walls stop surprising you.

Balance the pairs, not the whole group. Add up the levels on each side to see whether a match is even. A 4.0 with a 2.5 (6.5) against a 3.5 with a 3.0 (6.5) is a fair game, while two 4.0s (8.0) against two 3.0s (6.0) is not. Adding levels is only a rule of thumb, because partners have chemistry too, but it takes a few seconds.

Three ways to organize a mixed group:

• A Mexicano night. After each round, players are ranked and every group of four plays 1st + 4th against 2nd + 3rd, so strong and newer players share a court and the two sides stay close. In Flobit the organizer can also rate each player from 1 to 5 and ask for balanced partners. See the Mexicano guide.
• An open match with a level range. When you host, set a range such as 3.0 to 4.0 and use the 280-character note to describe the pace. The range is shown on the listing so players know the level you want, and you approve each request. Open matches explains the options.
• Friendly ground rules. Agree the pace before you start, let the stronger players play the safe shot rather than the winner, and swap partners between sets.

Mixed groups are where honest levels matter most. A player who rates themselves two rungs too high ruins the balance for everyone else, so ask people to pick the description, not the number they would like.

What is a 3.5 in padel?

Is 4.0 good in padel?

How long does it take to go from level 2 to level 3 in padel?

What padel level am I?

Is a Playtomic level the same as a Flobit or LTA level?

What is the highest padel level?

Can a tennis player skip the lower padel levels?

Is my Flobit level the same as my rating?