{"Status":true,"Message":"","Response":{"post":{"postuid":"72000647133","tenantuid":"45a0010e-ec76-43e9-9914-4376bfa80903","projectuid":"4025e8c9-71ea-4557-850d-662c78598919","title":"Tournament Event Skill Setup: What Each Selection Means","slug":"72000647133-tournament-event-skill-setup---which-each-selection-means","html":"\u003Cp\u003EWhen creating events in Pickleball Tournaments (PT), you select a skill level and a rule that determines exactly which players are eligible to register. Getting this right ensures players can find and sign up for the correct events. This article explains each skill selection option and the numeric ranges they cover.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Chr\u003E\u003Ch2 id=\u0022skill_level_options\u0022\u003ESkill level options\u003C/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor each event, you choose a skill level (e.g. 3.0, 3.5, 4.0) and a rule that defines who qualifies:\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ctable border=\u00221\u0022 style=\u0022border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;\u0022\u003E\u003Cthead\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Cth\u003EOption\u003C/th\u003E\u003Cth\u003EWho can register\u003C/th\u003E\u003Cth\u003EExample\u003C/th\u003E\u003C/tr\u003E\u003C/thead\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003EAnd Under\u003C/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003EPlayers rated at or below the selected level (up to the top of that level\u0027s range)\u003C/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E3.0 And Under = players rated up to 3.49\u003C/td\u003E\u003C/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003EAnd Above\u003C/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003EPlayers rated at or above the selected level (no upper limit)\u003C/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E3.0 And Above = players rated 3.00 and higher, including 4.0, 4.5, 5.0\u002B\u003C/td\u003E\u003C/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003EOnly\u003C/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003EPlayers rated within exactly that skill level\u0027s range\u003C/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E3.0 Only = players rated 3.00 to 3.49\u003C/td\u003E\u003C/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003ETo (range)\u003C/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003EPlayers from the bottom of the starting level to the top of the ending level\u003C/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E3.0 To 4.0 = players rated 3.00 to 4.49\u003C/td\u003E\u003C/tr\u003E\u003C/table\u003E\u003Ccite class=\u0022recommended\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022title\u0022\u003ENote\u003C/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPlayers are never allowed to play down in skill level. A player rated 4.0 cannot register for a 3.5 Only event regardless of other settings.\u003C/p\u003E\u003C/cite\u003E\u003Chr\u003E\u003Ch2 id=\u0022skill_level_numeric_ranges\u0022\u003ESkill level numeric ranges\u003C/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPT skill levels correspond to the following rating ranges. A player\u0027s rating is rounded down to the nearest 0.5 for eligibility purposes \u2014 so a player rated 3.49 is considered a 3.0, and a player rated 3.50 is considered a 3.5.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ctable border=\u00221\u0022 style=\u0022border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;\u0022\u003E\u003Cthead\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Cth\u003ESkill level\u003C/th\u003E\u003Cth\u003ERating range\u003C/th\u003E\u003C/tr\u003E\u003C/thead\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E2.5\u003C/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E2.50 \u2013 2.999\u003C/td\u003E\u003C/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E3.0\u003C/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E3.00 \u2013 3.499\u003C/td\u003E\u003C/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E3.5\u003C/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E3.50 \u2013 3.999\u003C/td\u003E\u003C/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E4.0\u003C/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E4.00 \u2013 4.499\u003C/td\u003E\u003C/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E4.5\u003C/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E4.50 \u2013 4.999\u003C/td\u003E\u003C/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E5.0\u003C/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E5.00 \u2013 5.499\u003C/td\u003E\u003C/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003EOpen\u003C/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003EAny rating \u2014 no restriction\u003C/td\u003E\u003C/tr\u003E\u003C/table\u003E\u003Chr\u003E\u003Ch2 id=\u0022skill_rules_and_overrides\u0022\u003ESkill rules and overrides\u003C/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn the event setup, you can also enable a \u003Cb\u003ESkill Rule\u003C/b\u003E that allows players below the designated skill level to register. If you enable this and select \u003Cb\u003EOnly 1 partner may be lower than skill\u003C/b\u003E, at least one player on the team must meet the event\u0027s skill level requirement.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EYou can also set a \u003Cb\u003EMax Rating Difference\u003C/b\u003E to limit how far below the event level a player can be. For example, if your event is 4.5 And Under with a 0.5 max difference, only players rated 4.0 and above would be eligible.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Chr\u003E\u003Ch2 id=\u0022frequently_asked_questions\u0022\u003EFrequently asked questions\u003C/h2\u003E\u003Csection class=\u0022faq\u0022\u003E\u003Ch3\u003EWhat\u0027s the cutoff between 3.0 and 3.5?\u003C/h3\u003E\u003Carticle\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA player rated 3.49 is considered a 3.0 player in PT. A rating of 3.50 marks the start of the 3.5 range. So for a 3.5 And Under event, a 3.49-rated player is eligible; a 3.50-rated player is also eligible (since 3.5 is the ceiling, not just the floor).\u003C/p\u003E\u003C/article\u003E\u003C/section\u003E\u003Csection class=\u0022faq\u0022\u003E\u003Ch3\u003ECan players play up in age categories?\u003C/h3\u003E\u003Carticle\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENo. Players are never allowed to play up in age. The age rule works similarly to skill level \u2014 the event sets a ceiling, and players cannot register above it.\u003C/p\u003E\u003C/article\u003E\u003C/section\u003E\u003Csection class=\u0022faq\u0022\u003E\u003Ch3\u003EWhat does the Open skill level mean?\u003C/h3\u003E\u003Carticle\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOpen events have no skill restriction \u2014 any player regardless of rating can register. Use Open when you want a no-barrier event or are running a fun/social division.\u003C/p\u003E\u003C/article\u003E\u003C/section\u003E\u003Chr\u003E\u003Ch2 id=\u0022related_articles\u0022\u003ERelated articles\u003C/h2\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https://pickleball.com/docs/en/72000633417-how-to-set-up-my-event-in-a-tournament\u0022\u003EHow to Set Up an Event in Your Tournament in PT\u003C/a\u003E\u003C/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https://pickleball.com/docs/en/article/how-to-configure-tournament-registration-settings-in-pt\u0022\u003EHow to Configure Tournament Registration Settings in PT\u003C/a\u003E\u003C/li\u003E\u003C/ul\u003E\u003Chr\u003E\u003Cp\u003EQuestions about skill level setup? Email \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:support@pickleball.com\u0022\u003Esupport@pickleball.com\u003C/a\u003E.\u003C/p\u003E\r\n\u003Cscript type=\u0022application/ld\u002Bjson\u0022\u003E\r\n{\r\n  \u0022@context\u0022: \u0022https://schema.org\u0022,\r\n  \u0022@type\u0022: \u0022FAQPage\u0022,\r\n  \u0022mainEntity\u0022: [\r\n{\r\n    \u0022@type\u0022: \u0022Question\u0022,\r\n    \u0022name\u0022: \u0022What\u0027s the cutoff between 3.0 and 3.5?\u0022,\r\n    \u0022acceptedAnswer\u0022: {\r\n    \u0022@type\u0022: \u0022Answer\u0022,\r\n    \u0022text\u0022: \u0022A player rated 3.49 is considered a 3.0 player in PT. A rating of 3.50 marks the start of the 3.5 range. So for a 3.5 And Under event, a 3.49-rated player is eligible; a 3.50-rated player is also eligible (since 3.5 is the ceiling, not just the floor).\u0022\r\n    }\r\n},\r\n{\r\n    \u0022@type\u0022: \u0022Question\u0022,\r\n    \u0022name\u0022: \u0022Can players play up in age categories?\u0022,\r\n    \u0022acceptedAnswer\u0022: {\r\n    \u0022@type\u0022: \u0022Answer\u0022,\r\n    \u0022text\u0022: \u0022No. Players are never allowed to play up in age. The age rule works similarly to skill level \u2014 the event sets a ceiling, and players cannot register above it.\u0022\r\n    }\r\n},\r\n{\r\n    \u0022@type\u0022: \u0022Question\u0022,\r\n    \u0022name\u0022: \u0022What does the Open skill level mean?\u0022,\r\n    \u0022acceptedAnswer\u0022: {\r\n    \u0022@type\u0022: \u0022Answer\u0022,\r\n    \u0022text\u0022: \u0022Open events have no skill restriction \u2014 any player regardless of rating can register. Use Open when you want a no-barrier event or are running a fun/social division.\u0022\r\n    }\r\n}\r\n    ]\r\n}\r\n\u003C/script\u003E","publish_status":0,"post_type":"Article","authoruid":"42b786ed-5ff2-467c-9593-d828908ee6d2","author":{"authoruid":"42b786ed-5ff2-467c-9593-d828908ee6d2","name":"Christy Cook","url":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/christy-cook-texas/","photo_url":"https://graffiti-auf7e6dwhxhcbwek.z03.azurefd.net/45a0010e-ec76-43e9-9914-4376bfa80903/4025e8c9-71ea-4557-850d-662c78598919/4fd2cf59-047a-4a00-8a6d-2d9c6c9f91fe.jpg?v=1114665229","linkedin_url":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/christy-cook-texas/"},"featured_image_updating":false,"meta_description":"Learn how to select skill levels for tournaments: And Under, And Above, Only, and To options explained with rating ranges for player eligibility.","keywords":"tournament setup; skill level selection; player eligibility; skill level ranges; rating system; \u0022And Under\u0022 option; \u0022And Above\u0022 option; \u0022Only\u0022 option; \u0022To\u0022 option; common skill levels","display_toc":true,"has_workingcopy":false,"allow_indexing":true,"sort_order":3,"total_views":122,"date_stale":"2027-07-30T00:00:00","date_published":"2025-12-08T10:28:00","date_updated":"2026-08-17T19:28:16.757","date_created":"2026-02-28T20:38:36.43"}}}