In this guide
When you create a group in Rostara you pick its sport, and the group starts with that sport's skill list. Everyone in the group is rated on those skills from 1 to 10, and the team balancer uses them to match teams not only on overall strength but skill by skill. This guide lists the presets, explains what each setting does, and shows how to build your own list.
The sport presets
| Sport | Skills rated | Specialist position |
|---|---|---|
| Soccer and futsal | Pace, Shooting, Passing, Dribbling, Defending, Physical, Goal Keeping | Goalkeeper |
| Basketball | Shooting, Ball Handling, Passing, Defense, Rebounding, Athleticism | None |
| Volleyball | Serving, Passing, Setting, Attacking, Blocking, Defense | None |
| Handball | Shooting, Passing, Defense, Speed, Physical, Goal Keeping | Goalkeeper |
| Ice hockey | Shooting, Skating, Passing, Defense, Physical, Goaltending | Goalkeeper |
| Padel | Serve, Volley, Wall play, Smash, Movement | None |
| Tennis | Serve, Forehand, Backhand, Net play, Movement | None |
| Other | Offense, Defense, Speed, Stamina, Teamwork | None |
Every preset skill starts with the same weight, and each comes with a short description that players can read while rating, for example Pace: "Speed and acceleration". The sport also sets the scoring your tournaments start from.
What low and high look like, per sport
Share examples like these with your group so a 3 and an 8 mean the same to everyone. See the rating guide for the full 1 to 10 scale.
Soccer, futsal and 5-a-side
| Skill | Around 3 | Around 8 |
|---|---|---|
| Pace | Usually beaten to the ball over ten metres. | Wins most races and gets back quickly. |
| Passing | Short passes go astray under pressure. | Picks out the right pass first time, both feet. |
| Defending | Dives in; easy to go past. | Reads the play and wins the ball cleanly. |
| Goal Keeping | Avoids going in goal. | The one everyone wants between the posts. |
Basketball
| Skill | Around 3 | Around 8 |
|---|---|---|
| Shooting | Mostly layups; rarely shoots from range. | Reliable from midrange and the three. |
| Ball Handling | Picks up the dribble under pressure. | Brings the ball up against anyone. |
| Rebounding | Rarely boxes out. | Owns the glass at both ends. |
Volleyball
Many leagues use letter levels: C for recreational, B and BB for intermediate, A and AA for advanced. In a mixed pickup group, a rough match is C ≈ 2 to 4, B ≈ 4 to 6, BB ≈ 6 to 7 and A or above ≈ 8 to 10 on the skills that player is known for.
Choose the sport for a new group
- Create the group from My Groups.
- Rostara asks "What does this group play?". Open Sport, pick one of the nine options, and tap Save. Pick Other if your sport isn't listed.
- The group starts with that sport's skills, its specialist position (such as Goalkeeper) and its tournament scoring.
An organizer can change the sport later in Group Settings → General → Sport. That relabels the group, changes the scoring new tournaments start from and resets the specialist position's name. It does not replace the skills you already have, so existing ratings are never lost.
Build your own skill list
- Open Group Settings → Skills (admins can also tap the tune icon on the Ratings page).
- Each skill card has a Name, a Description (shown when players tap ⓘ while rating), a Weight slider from 0.0 to 2.0, and a switch such as Belongs to Goalkeeper.
- Tap Add Skill to add one at the end, or the delete icon to remove one. A group can rate up to 32 skills.
- Tap Save Skills.
- If you changed a weight, added or removed a skill, Rostara offers to recompute stored ratings: tap Recompute Now.
What weight does
Weight sets how much a skill counts in the overall rating and in the balancer. 1.0 is normal; 2.0 counts double; 0.0 keeps the skill on the rating card but takes it out of the overall rating and the balance. A five-a-side group that cares most about who can run all evening might put Physical at 1.5 and Shooting at 0.8.
Renaming and removing
- Renaming is safe. Every skill keeps a permanent identity behind the scenes, so "Physical" can become "Fitness" without losing a single rating.
- Removing is permanent. The app warns you how many members have ratings stored for that skill; those ratings stop counting and can't be restored, even if you add a skill with the same name later.
- New skills are added at the end; the list can't be reordered.
How many skills should you rate?
Five to seven is the sweet spot. Fewer than four and the balancer can't tell playing styles apart; more than eight and people stop rating carefully, because every skill is one more slider per teammate. If your group argues about one thing in particular, such as who can play in goal, make that its own skill.
Questions organizers ask
Which sports have presets?
Soccer, futsal, basketball, volleyball, handball, ice hockey, padel and tennis, plus Other with a general-purpose list.
Which skills matter for pickup basketball?
The basketball preset rates Shooting, Ball Handling, Passing, Defense, Rebounding and Athleticism. Many groups also add Basketball IQ.
Can I add my own skills?
Yes, on Rostara Pro: rename, add, remove and weight skills in Group Settings → Skills. Up to 32 per group.
Does renaming a skill lose ratings?
No. Skills keep their identity when renamed, so every rating stays.
What happens to ratings if I remove a skill?
They stop counting toward overall ratings and can't be restored.
Can I change the group's sport later?
Yes, in Group Settings → General → Sport. It relabels the group and changes new tournament defaults; your skills stay as they are.
Do I have to recompute after changing weights?
Ratings on screen update straight away. Recomputing also updates the stored figures used in exports, and the app offers it after you save.
Is a single overall rating enough?
It works, but separate skills let the balancer avoid one team of all attackers and another of all defenders. Five to seven skills is a good balance.