If you play padel, you have probably been added to a WhatsApp group, either way. And you find yourself directly in a group without knowing if the level corresponds to yours.

Let's try to clarify this phenomenon of WhatsApp groups in padel.

The idea is good and can be effective but…

The initial idea is laudable: facilitate meetings between players, integrate them into groups and organize games quickly. However, several obstacles appear.

One of the first problems is that general groups often include all levels. Players do not all know each other, which sometimes prevents them from requesting or accepting games through this type of group. Paradoxically, players considering themselves “very beginners“can be stronger than those who believe themselves”intermediate leagues".

The main problem is therefore: how to evaluate yourself correctly and be honest with yourself?

Regardless of the level, from beginner to experienced player, everyone wants to play with slightly stronger opponents. This desire is natural, but the perception of one's own level can be very different from that of others.

Level tables

Important players like PadelXp et That's itPadel have put together tables to try to clarify the levels. However, the flaw remains the player's ability to analyze himself objectively.

Zoom: the 2024 padel levels

This is why WhatsApp groups often struggle to function optimally. A frequent consequence is the creation of subgroups to filter the levels. However, these subgroups often end up including friends to please them or to avoid being perceived as pretentious, which reduces their effectiveness. The initial group then becomes more and more inactive, until it is forgotten…

This does not mean that players stop playing padel. A new group is created to refine the levels, but it ends up encountering the same problems: players ask to be integrated, and the group gradually dies out. So, the cycle of WhatsApp groups begins again.

The solutions

The solutions are not obvious, but in France, many software programs offer interesting solutions.

The coach or club manager also has an important role to play. For example, monthly tournament systems, like the “League“, rank the club’s players, and this ranking is updated regularly.

In some clubs, teachers even offer a level assessment. Consequently, players no longer have to analyze their level of play themselves and therefore over- or under-rate themselves!

The climbs and descents are also an interesting exercise to position yourself in relation to others. Sometimes we will blame the partner, but in the long term, if you constantly lose, you will have to review your assessment of your level.

the national ranking is obviously open to criticism from many angles, but in the end, it remains an interesting indicator for evaluating a player.

Franck Binisti

Franck Binisti discovered padel at the Club des Pyramides in 2009 in the Paris region. Since then, padel has been part of his life. You often see him touring France to cover major French padel events.

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