Preparing for Your Level 1 Certification Evaluation
Welcome to the Level 1 Certification Evaluation Process!
Here's a helpful guide before you submit your evaluation.
The evaluation process is a crucial step toward becoming a certified PCI coach. It allows us to assess your skills, knowledge, and understanding of PCI coaching principles. This assessment ensures that you meet the necessary standards to guide and instruct players effectively. By evaluating your abilities, we can confidently certify you as a skilled coach, ready to contribute effectively to the pickleball community.
Video Submission Guidelines:
Playing Skill Evaluation
Not all great players are great coaches. And playing pickleball and teaching others to play it are not the same thing. But the fact remains that in a group or private lesson, competent instructors must be able to demonstrate basic playing ability.
The Playing Skill Evaluation requires you to show your proficiency in several of the most important areas of pickleball play: the serve; volleys; overhead smashes; and groundstrokes (both to someone at the net and at the baseline).
The Teaching Evaluation is submitted as a video for assessment. This video serves as an example of what you will be expected to demonstrate.
Teaching Evaluation
When introducing a teaching point to your students, it is important to do so in a way that is both clear and correct. This evaluation requires you to use four predetermined technical teaching points and deliver them as you would to a student or group.
You’ll need to set the context (i.e. when the skill occurs), identify the tactic behind the skill (i.e. why it matters), and explain how to perform it, all while speaking clearly.
Demonstration Evaluation
We believe that is important to run lessons in a way that is safe, fun and effective. Following the principles outlined in the PCI Training Materials, candidates must demonstrate a training activity correctly and run each of them with the players.
You’ll need to organize 3-4 students on the court, make sure it is set up safely, demonstrate the activity correctly and then run the activity with the players.
Note: You do not need to have sound during the Demonstration Evaluation. While it is fine to include sound, it is not mandatory. For this evaluation, we need to see that you can set up, demonstrate, and run the various activities. Audio is not required.
Record yourself performing all of the tasks as outlined in this video:
Record yourself introducing all of the teaching points outlined in this video example:
Record yourself demonstrating and running all of the activities outlined in this video example:
EVALUATION RUBRIC
PLAYING SKILLS EVALUATION
Groundstroke Rally (Half court; 6 consecutive to baseline; 3 FH & 3 BH)
Groundstroke to Volley (Half court; 8 consecutive using FH & BH; no more than 2 above shoulders of net player)
Serve Direction (At least 7/10 to correct side of target; hit equal attempts from left and right court)
Overhead Smash (Half court; at least 7/10 to partner at baseline)
Volley to Groundstroke (Half court; at least 8 consecutive to baseline; used FH & BH)
TEACHING EVALUATION
Height of Groundstroke
Direction of Serve
Height of Volley
Impact Point of Volley
DEMONSTRATION EVALUATION
Serve, Return +1
Groundstrokes & Volleys
Real Game with Bonus Points
Beat the Catch
2 on 1
Submitting Your Evaluations:
Attempt the 3 On-Court Evaluations
It’s time to get on the court! Please record yourself doing each evaluation and send the videos to PCI (instructions to follow). Don’t forget to review the evaluation rubrics and sample videos and tips to see exactly what we’re looking for.
These videos are then submitted by you for assessment.
Tips for recording your on-court evaluations:
● Position the camera so the whole court can be seen. This is best done by having the camera at the back of the court, behind the baseline and preferably a little above court level.
● Except for the serving portion of the Playing Skill Evaluation, the candidate should be in the near court (closest to camera). Like this:
● Record each evaluation as a separate video. This will make it easier to submit and assess.
● Leave the camera rolling for each evaluation.
● We can not accept edited videos.
● Upload your video to YouTube and email the video link to info@pickleballcoachinginternational.com.
● Learn how to upload a video to YouTube from a mobile device here.
What you will need
Playing Skill Evaluation. 1 assistant (similar or better skill level)
Teaching Evaluation. No players/assistants needed
Demonstration Evaluation. 3 or 4 players (any skill level)
Please submit all links to all of your submissions at the same time in ONE EMAIL to
info@pickleballcoachinginternational.com
*If you're unsure about how to upload your videos to YouTube or share the links, don't worry—many coaches find success by asking someone tech-savvy in their life for a little assistance. Whether it's a friend, family member, or someone who’s more familiar with these platforms, they can often help make the process easier!
