Every player at Pad Thai Padel has a level. It is a number on The Padel Society scale, and it decides which academy group you train in, which events you can join and which Championship division you play in. Understanding the scale is the fastest way to get fair matches and to see your own progress.
This guide explains the four bands, Iron, Bronze, Silver and Gold, what the padel looks like inside each one, how the app tracks your level, and what you can do to move up. It applies in both Bangkok and Bali, because the two academies share one level framework.
The four bands on the scale
The Padel Society scale runs from 1.0 upwards, and the academy groups it into four named bands:
- Iron: 1.0 to 1.79
- Bronze: 1.8 to 2.49
- Silver: 2.5 to 3.49
- Gold: 3.5 to 4.49
The Bangkok academy's enquiry form uses plain-language names for the same ranges: Beginner (1.0 to 1.7), High Beginner (1.8 to 2.4), Low Intermediate (2.5 to 2.9), Intermediate (3.0 to 3.5) and Advanced (3.5 and above). Iron is Beginner, Bronze is High Beginner, Silver covers both Intermediate groups and Gold is Advanced. Whichever names you see, the numbers are the same.
What each level plays like
The numbers describe how consistently you can play a point, not how hard you hit.
- Iron: you are learning the basics. Rallies are short, the walls are still a surprise, and the priority is getting the ball back in play with a simple, repeatable swing.
- Bronze: you can keep a rally going and play basic points. You are starting to use the back glass on purpose, serving reliably and finding your way to the net.
- Silver: you play consistent doubles. You use the walls and the net deliberately, choose lobs and volleys for tactical reasons, and can hold your position under pressure.
- Gold: tactical, competitive padel. Points are built rather than won by error, you read your opponents' patterns, and your partnership moves as a unit.
Most players spend a long time inside a single band, moving through it in small steps. That is normal, and it is why the bands are wide.
How the app assigns and updates your level
Your level lives in The Padel Society app, the same app you use to book courts, coaching and events. When you join, you receive a starting level, and the app tracks it as you play matches and events through it. Because the app matches players by level, an accurate number means better games: the Americanos, Mexicanos and tournaments on the events page are all built around it.
The level is meant to move. Play regularly and the number reflects how you are actually performing, rather than how you played on the day you signed up. If you feel your level is out of step with your game, the answer is a Certified Level Assessment.
Certified Level Assessment sessions
A Certified Level Assessment is an on-court session run by the academy coaches, listed as an event in the app and on the events page. A coach watches you play and confirms your level on the scale, so the number attached to your profile is one a professional has verified rather than an estimate.
It is worth booking one when you are new to the clubs and want to be placed in the right academy group straight away, when you think you have outgrown your current band, or before you register a team for the Championship and need the right division.
How events and the Championship use levels
Levels are what make the club's events work. Weekly Americanos and Mexicanos are grouped by level so that every court in the session is a fair contest, and there are formats aimed at specific stages, such as First Time Padel sessions for beginners and Guided Americanos with a coach on court.
The Pad Thai Padel Championship, the amateur league at the Bangkok club, is organised entirely by band. Season 4 runs four men's divisions, Iron, Bronze, Silver and Gold, and two women's divisions, Bronze and Silver, with 90-minute matches over ten weeks. The Community Cup works the same way: each community fields squads at every level, and teams meet level against level, so an Iron pairing never faces a Gold one.
How to move up a level
Moving up is a matter of consistency, and three things speed it up.
- Lessons at your level. Group sessions at the Bangkok academy and Bali academy put you with players in your band and a coach who knows what the next band demands. Individual lessons target the one or two shots holding you back.
- Video analysis. The Bangkok academy's Growth and Performance plans include video analyses each month. Seeing your own positioning is often the quickest way to fix it.
- Play up a level. Once you are comfortable in your band, join an event or an open match one step above it. Losing to better players teaches you what Silver or Gold padel actually looks like, and the app records the results.
Combine the three and your level follows. A Certified Level Assessment then makes the move official.
Where most players sit
An August 2026 audit of rated users across The Padel Society network used three broad bands that do not map exactly onto the academy's four: roughly 47 percent of players sat at 1.5 and below, 44 percent between 2 and 3.5, and 8 percent at 4 and above. In other words, the great majority of players in the network are Bronze or Silver, and Gold is a small group at the top.
That is reassuring if you are starting out: you are in the biggest part of the community, and the events calendar is built around your level. It also shows how much room the scale leaves above you.
Your level is a tool, not a verdict. It gets you into fair games, the right academy group and the right Championship division, and it moves as your padel does. Book a Certified Level Assessment on the events page, pick a plan at the academy, and read our other guides for what to expect at your first session.
Sources: The Padel Society app on the App Store · Pad Thai Padel Championship hub · Community Cup
Tags: levels · Iron · Bronze · Silver · Gold
