Establishing a DUPR rating
“Welcome to Lake Wobegon, where all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average.”
Many pickleball players of my generation remember hearing that sentence each week on the Prairie Home Companion radio show. As a business statistics professor, I still chuckle at that last phrase. Think about it. If all the children are above some measure, that point simply can’t be the average. And, if all those children have been playing pickleball in PE for a school year or two (lucky kids!), there’s a good chance that all of them have improved at least a bit from day one.
Experts agree that one of the most important aspects of developing a skill is setting a baseline of performance and measuring progress against that baseline. As you develop new skills, your “average” performance changes and a new baseline becomes your “new normal.” This applies equally to players who want to “go pro” and those of us who’s next goal is consistently land a dink in friendly games. Measuring that performance, though, can be tricky and is often subjective.
At what point am I no longer a beginner? Is it time-based? Can someone who’s played for two years still play at a beginner level?
If I’ve played for a while but still miss two out of five serves or service returns can I be considered intermediate?
How does my inability to consistently land a third-shot drop impact my ability to progress on the court? Isn’t just hitting the ball hard enough? (Answer: NO!)
If I win almost all my games in my rec league, am I advanced compared to the others?
Self-ratings are a start. USA Pickleball has a great tool for self-rating. Though, it is still somewhat subjective since it relies on our memory of our past play. And, if we are honest with ourselves, we tend to be a bit forgiving when recalling past performance.
For instance, a golfer working on improving her game might keep track of drives in the fairway, greens hit in regulation, and number of putts on each hole. This is easy to track during the round with an app or on the score. With pickleball, though, we typically don’t write down number of accurate serves, number of dinks that stayed low, or number of sustained and accurately placed volleys. So, when we self-rate we tend to over-estimate our actual performance on those items. Plus, a self-rating is just a point-in-time evaluation. That can be helpful for determining if you should be playing in the beginner plus league or the intermediate league, but not very helpful in measuring improvement overtime.
Enter DUPR. Yes, DUPR. It rhymes with super as in Super DUPR!
DUPR is the Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating system. It useful for all players including those just starting out. With DUPR, you simply record you matches in an app and over time a rating is established. Since DUPR uses your last 60 doubles matches or last 30 singles matches, it is great for tracking how your skill level changes over time.
Plus, tracking all or most of your matches removes the impact of one great match or a day where you just couldn’t hit those serves.
Think of that for a second.
Say you are counting calories and hoping to lose some weight, you wouldn’t just count the calories for salads. Nope. To be fair to yourself, you’d also count the Culver’s turtle sundae you had after that night of pickleball! (Go ahead! You deserve it.) Track all or most of those calories and you’ll have a better picture of how you’re progressing towards your goal.
How does DUPR determine the rating?
There is some cool data science behind the DUPR system. (OK, I’m a data geek so I think it is cool.) For now, know there are three factors that go into the calculation of a DUPR rating:
Points won – number of points each team won in a match and the player’s percent of points won over time.
Victories – number of games and matches won. Note that points are just as important, possibly more important, than wins. Close matches impact the ratings differently than blow outs.
Type of Result – Self-posted recreation matches carry less weight than, say, a sanctioned tournament or official league play. But, they all count!
What about unevenly matched matches? For a match to count in DUPR, players or teams must have DUPR ratings within 1.5 points of each other. So, if my partner is also 3.83, our opponents must average between 2.38 and 5.33 for the match to impact future ratings. Matches with players without established ratings will eventually count once they’ve played a few matches with other rated players. The DUPR FAQ page does a great job of explaining these details.
GETTING STARTED
Getting started is super DUPR easy:
Download the DUPR app for your phone and create an account. (Search for DUPR on the Apple App Store or Google Play. You can use DUPR on a laptop/desk top without a smart phone but recording your matches while at the court is a lot easier with a smart phone.
Have your playing partners create DUPR accounts, too. Since you’ll enter the players and scores for a match. EVERYONE playing a DUPR game will need to have a DUPR account.
Note: if you’ve played a tournament, you might already have a DUPR account. Head over to https://mydupr.com and search for your name. If you are in the system but don’t have a login, you should be able to claim the account. Contact support@mydupr.com if you need help.
RECORDING RECREATIONAL GAMES:
After a game or match, enter all four players and the score — then submit.
One of your opponents will need to confirm the score of the match.
Matches confirmed before Monday will impact the ratings typically updated on Tuesday each week.
You’ll need to get at least 10 matches before the ratings start to make sense so get out there, play, and record.
CLINICS, LEAGUES, and TOURNAMENTS:
Many leagues and clubs are now using DUPR to direct players to certain courts appropriate for their skill level. Having an established DUPR rating will ensure you don’t accidentally end up on the advanced court when your skill level is around the beginner plus level.
DUPR Flex and Waterfall leagues are popping up around the country so could be a good option for your play.
DUPR clinics are a great way to establish an initial rating since everyone playing will have an account and you’ll get a few hours of concentrated DUPR play. Check with your pickleball or athletic club for DUPR clinics. You can also find DUPR “clubs” in the DUPR app. Those DUPR club directors may be available to conduct private DUPR clinics for 4 to 12 players. Be sure to have an established DUPR account before attending your first clinic. Otherwise, the scores can’t be entered.
Since DUPR is now the generally excepted international rating system, it is used for most tournaments in the United States. If you’ve played in a USA Pickleball sanctioned tournament, or many unsanctioned tournaments, there’s a good chance you have some DUPR matches already in the system.
In future posts, we’ll explore the information available. It will make more sense if you have a few DUPR matches under your belt. So, get the app, create an account, and record some recreational matches! You, too, will be super DUPR!!
A version of this article appeared in the Greater Waukesha Area Pickleball eNewsletter. Subscribe here.