How to Improve Your Pickleball DUPR Rating: Strategies for Success

Pickleball has grown so much in the past years that there are many professional tournaments and leagues now. Because of this, ratings have also been created to categorize skill levels. 

What is Pickleball Rating?

A pickleball rating is a way to determine a player’s skill and ability. New players or beginners often have lower ratings while experts and professional pickleball players have higher ratings. The more you play, especially in tournaments and leagues, the higher your rating will get. However, this still depends on whether you keep on winning or losing. If you win, your rating will go up and if you lose, it will go down,

DUPR Pickleball

The Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating or DUPR is the most accurate pickleball rating in the world. Major tournaments like Carvana PPATour, Major League Pickleball (MLP), and United Pickleball Association (UPA) use DUPR.

How to Improve Your DUPR Pickleball Rating?

Constant Practice

Your goal is to improve your ratings right? The first thing you need to do is to improve your skills. Keep practicing. The pro pickleball players who have high ratings now started low too. Everybody does. If you make mistakes, that’s fine. That’s what makes you better because then you’ll know what and how to improve yourself.

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You can focus on improving in these areas:

• Footwork and Stance - pickleball requires a lot of moving around so you need to work on your footwork a lot. Practice moving around on the court while playing and don’t be embarrassed to try new things that will help you be quicker on your feet. Also, find a ready position that will help you the most in anticipating shots. Keep trying ready positions until you get the right one that suits you.

• Basic Strokes - focus on being consistent with the basic techniques in pickleball like the dink, groundstroke, and volley. Find a strategy that works for you best on how to do these strokes. Do drills with an opponent or by yourself.

For a pickleball paddle that will enhance your skills, use 101 Pickleball\s Zen Control.

• Serve, Return, Third Drop Shot - these shots are what would set the game for you. As a server, you will start the game with a proper serve. A pickleball serve may be a basic shot, but if you don’t do it right, it might result in a fault or your opponent taking advantage with a return shot. Don’t worry, you can still get the game back with the third drop shot anyway. The third drop shot in pickleball requires skills so you can buy yourself time to get closer to your kitchen. If you’re on the receiving end of the serve, make sure to do a deep soft return to force your opponent to stay near the baseline and give yourself time to approach your kitchen.

Strategic Play

• Study and Match Your Opponent’s Style

  Be observant and study your opponent's strengths and weaknesses and use them to your advantage.

• Mix Up Your Style

  Be flexible and try different playing styles. Mix up your moves and surprise your opponent.

• Find the Right Position in the Court

  Find the right position where you feel you'll have the optimal advantage by covering the maximum space and anticipate where the ball will go. Practice a ready position that suits you best where you'll be able to move fast and freely.

Mental Toughness and Physical Fitness

Your mental and physical health go hand-in-hand in pickleball. You have to be fit in both areas to be able to play properly. Additionally, playing pickleball has many benefits for you too.

In pickleball, you have to be physically fit to be able to play properly. Pickleball requires a lot of moving around, which means you'll use your whole body. It's good exercise, but you also have to maintain your body for the sport. Warm up before playing pickleball and cool down after to avoid pickleball-related injuries.

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Playing pickleball can also have an impact on your mental health, whether it's good or bad will depend on you. There can be stress and pressure, especially in competitions. That's ok. What's important is how you handle them. Focus on your goal and concentrate on your game. Take deep breaths. It's ok to lose, there will always be days where you won't win. Be a good sport and try again next time. Being a winner means you constantly improve yourself and you're a good sport. 

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Embrace your Competitiveness

Do you have a competitive spirit? Embrace that and use it to your advantage. Join tournaments and leagues and compete with different kinds of players of different skill levels. Whether from your local community or the big ones, don't be afraid to join. You have nothing to lose. Even if you “lose” a game, you will still gain experience and learn new things. 

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Join Lessons and Clinics

Most outdoor and indoor pickleball courts offer lessons and clinics. Just search for “indoor pickleball near me” or “outdoor pickleball near me” to check if there are pickleball courts near you that offer these.

Lessons can be done one-on-one or in groups. It doesn't hurt to enroll in a private lesson whatever your skill level is. It isn't just for beginners (although it would be really helpful for beginners). Coaches study your style and identify areas of improvement so they can create personalized feedback and lessons to help you get better.

A clinic is when pickleball players get together to share their experiences, best practices, and tips. This is a way to bring the pickleball community closer and help each other become better players.

Improving your DUPR pickleball rating is a process. It's a journey you have to take, no matter how long and hard it might be. You have to keep practicing and join many tournaments to hone your skills. It will take time and a lot of patience, but it’s going to be worth it once you achieve your goal rating. No one started at the top, even the top pickleball players like Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters started at the bottom and climbed their way up.