EASI
Tennis Skill Rating System (ETSRS) |
1.0
You are a beginner.
You may have played socially a few times over a period
of several years, but, basically you do not know
how to strike the ball.
|
2.0
You have
learned to rally well enough to have fun, but
cannot strike the ball well enough to sustain a 6 stroke rally.
While you are able to have some short 3 ball rallies, you do not
understand the most basic principles of any stroke. You may have
developed some stroke habits in order to keep rallies going. |
3.0
You have
taken lessons often enough to know the classical stages of a
stroke (takeback, step, swing, follow-through) and have played
enough
to win games and sets from a 2.0 player. But the strokes you
have are not consistent (you cannot sustain a 5 shot sequence
from the
baseline with any stroke). You do not understand the four most
basic technique principles: (1) making the racquet move in
a straight line; (2) keeping the elbow in front of the body
plane;
(3)
the wrist leading the racquet head; (4) keeping the wrist laid
back. Also, you do not understand the four stages of position
adjustment and visual processing: (1) the height of the ball
over the net; (2) the
bounce; (3) the maximum height after the bounce; (4) the key
frame.
|
3.5
You can sustain a multi-shot (6 or more) rally from the baseline
with
either the forehand or backhand. You can put your serve in most
of the
time.
While your rallies are consistent, they are often short (the
ball lands near or inside the service court). You can move from
side
to side for 4 shots without missing. You can block your volleys.
You have an
understanding of the 3.0 level but have not mastered these points.
Your racquet still has some tendency
to pull off the path of the ball before contact. You
still break your wrist on occasions, and the wrist sometimes
gets ahead of the racquet head causing you to shank the
ball. You do not know the role of the shoulder in striking
the ball. You are only able to rally at low speeds. You do not have
an understanding of moving the racquet with stability or the role of
stability in increasing the speed of your rallies. |
4.0
You can sustain long and deep
(within 9 feet of the baseline) ground stroke rallies. You can
hit a basic defensive volley, overhead, lob, and serve. You can
occasionally hit an offensive serve. You are good at keeping the
wrist ahead of the racquet head and moving the racquet in a straight
line into the ball for 8 inches or more, and you can execute
consistently the four basic elements of a stroke and of position
and visual processing described in 3.0 above except you are still
slow in acquiring the key frame. While your rallies are deeper
and faster than the 3.5 level, you have not mastered the basic
skills sufficiently to operate at higher speeds. |
4.5
You have
thoroughly mastered all 8 factors described in 3.0 above for all
strokes (but not every spin) except the key frame acquisition
which still needs more development. Your footwork is sufficiently
stable
to permit
you to rally
at fairly
high
speeds.You
do
not fully
understand or utilize the shoulder in stroke production of
all strokes. Also, you have not mastered pulling the racquet
by
the butt
until
the stroke reaches the acceleration stage. You are not using
the shoulder to lengthen the linear interval of the strike
stage on all strokes, and you do not understand the punch component
of the acceleration stage. You can execute the specialty
shots needed to hit strong approach shots off of balls that
fall in the service box. |
5.0
You have all skills of the 4.5 level. In addition you have begun
to use the shoulder at some level in every stroke. You have
begun to use the punch at some level. You have developed each
stroke to a stable level, but you do not yet understand the
technique of pulling the racquet forward by the butt and transitioning
this motion into the acceleration stage to combine it with
the punch. Your strokes, while very good, may be confined to
either being flat ball shots or top spin shots (depending on
your comfort level) without the ability to combine these methods
in a single rally. |
5.5
You have all skills of the 5.0 level plus the ability to punch
the ball consistently. You also can combine flat balls and
top spins in a single rally. While you can execute 3-4 ball
rallies at high speeds, you do not understand the method of
advancing the racquet by the butt and transitioning this motion
into the punch sufficiently to sustain unlimited rallies at
high
speeds. |
6.0
You have the 5.5 skills plus you understand the technique of pulling
the racquet forward by the butt and transitioning the stroke into
the acceleration stage for the punch. Your foot work provides the
stability needed to assure that your racquet motion has a stable
transition from the contract and rotation stages (where the racquet
is being
advanced
by the butt) to the acceleration stage where the motion is transitioned
to the punch, followed by the use of the shoulders to maintain
the racquet orientation through the strike. You can hit any shot
consistently
for a hundred repetitions or more. You understand and can utilize
all spins. |
7.0
You have the 6.0 skills but can execute all skills more consistently
and at significantly higher speeds than
the 6.0 skill level. |
| |
