What am I tested on to become certified?
You are tested on your knowledge and abilities in three main categories:
- Written Knowledge
- Playing & Demonstrating Skills
- Teaching Abilities
Your certification rating will be the lowest rating you receive across those three categories. For example, if you achieve PRO in written, PRO in skills, and COACH in teaching, your overall rating will be COACH.
What do I need to do to pass the Written assessment?
To pass the written assessment with the ASSOCIATE COACH rating, you must answer 75% or more of the questions on the test correctly. To achieve the COACH rating on the written assessment, you must answer 80% or more correctly. To achieve the PRO rating on the written assessment, you must answer 90% or more of the questions on the test correctly.
What do I need to do to pass the Skills assessment?
To pass the skills assessment with the ASSOCIATE COACH rating, you must display technically sound strokes at a minimum 3.5 skill level while playing and demonstrating. Most coaches who achieve the ASSOCIATE COACH rating in Skills play between a 3.5 and 3.75 level. No tournament play required.
To pass the skills assessment with the COACH rating, you must display technically sound strokes at a minimum 4.0 skill level while playing and demonstrating. Most coaches who achieve the COACH rating in Skills play between a 4.0 and 4.25 level and have participated in a minimum of 1 pickleball tournament.
To pass the skills assessment with the PRO rating, you must display technically sound strokes at a minimum 4.5 skill level while playing and demonstrating. Most coaches who achieve the PRO rating are typically closer to a 4.5+ level in ability and technical demonstration and have participated in several pickleball tournaments.
Is there a study guide or practice test available for the written knowledge exam?
While there is not a study guide or practice test written specifically to prepare you for the final knowledge exam, the test content is entirely comprised of material you would have been exposed to in the course study guide, online video course, and in-person course. As long as you paid attention and jotted down a few notes, you shouldn’t have trouble on the final exam.
How will my clinician assess my skills?
PPR Certification Workshops are hands-on and take place on the court. Your clinician will observe your techniques and skills throughout the five-hour workshop, instead of running you through a series of drills asking you to make a percentage of shots for a rating.
How do I know what my player rating is?
If you have not received an official rating by playing in a sanctioned pickleball tournament, you may self-rate by visiting USA Pickleball’s website and reading the detailed PDF documents they provide describing the skills and abilities of each level of player.
What does the teaching test look like? What can I do to ensure success in this part of the test?
For the final hour of the workshop, each instructor will be asked to deliver a 15-minute sample group lesson, using the other coaches at the workshop as their ‘students.’ Instructors will need to follow the open-closed-open lessons structure introduced in the study guide and discussed throughout the course. In order to be successful in this portion of the certification workshop, coaches will not only need to follow the basic lesson structure, but also strongly link the activities to the main theme of the lesson (focusing on just one-two technical and tactical parameters) and demonstrate solid coaching skills in terms of player analysis/diagnosis, demonstration, activity explanation, etc.
What do I need to do to pass the Teaching assessment?
To pass the teaching assessment with the COACH rating, you must demonstrate a competent application of the PPR teaching methodology (specifically following the open-close-open lesson format) and show an ability to exercise basic coaching skills in regards to demonstration, feedback, activity structure, and error analysis. To pass the teaching assessment with the PRO rating, you must demonstrate all of the above skills at an exceptional level while executing a flawless application of the open-closed-open lesson structure.
What type of prior experience and skills do I need to have to become PPR certified?
To become PPR certified, you need to demonstrate solid pickleball-specific technique and tactics as well as be able to provide accurate diagnostics and corrections for your students. Having prior teaching experience (in a school setting or in other sports/racquet sports) is definitely a plus, but will not guarantee certification, since this is a course designed to certified you to specifically teach pickleball. Our course attracts high-level pickleball players, enthusiasts of the game, full-time pickleball instructors, tennis pros transitioning into the game, or players who avidly teach their communities and want to learn more about how to do it properly. That said, take the time to absorb as much as you can from the prep materials and work hard on your own pickleball game to put yourself in a great position for success.
When and how do I receive my certification results?
Your certification results will be emailed to you within two-three weeks of your workshop date. For example, if you take the certification class on Tuesday, October 12th, you will be guaranteed to have your scores by Tuesday, November 2nd at the latest. Oftentimes, we are able to turn the scores around in as little as one week. We know you are excited to find out how you did!
If I don’t get the rating I was hoping for, can I retest? How can I do that?
Yes – you may retest any portion of the certification workshop for a retesting fee of $40 per segment being retested. If you need to retest the written portion of the course, you can do so 30 days after the date of your workshop. To retest the skills or teaching portions of the certification, you can do so at any upcoming certification workshop by attending the final 1.5 hours of that workshop and jumping in to do your lesson. We recommend taking 4-6 months minimum to incorporate your coaches’ feedback into your teaching in order to put yourself in the best position for future success. If you would like to attend the entire certification workshop again, you may do so for half-price. To register for a retest, please call the office to register at 843-785-7244
Our pickleball certification workshops are designed to guide instructors who are working with adult pickleball players at the beginner and improver levels towards certification. Each certification workshop is delivered by highly-trained clinicians responsible for creating an effective learning environment for all coaches.
