JOOLA’s mission to create the game’s first top-down pickleball shoe has been an early success, with R4LLy shoes taking gold on the PPA tour, and shoes flying off the shelves. But let’s be honest, we’re a bit biased, we made the shoes, but JOOLA isn’t the only one talking about the R4LLy.

Meet Izzy, better known as @izzy.idol, the self-proclaimed biggest pickleball content creator in Texas. Izzy has been playing obsessively for a year and a half, and what started as a casual new hobby quickly turned into a full-blown passion. He drove all around Dallas chasing the best competition he could find, studied every PPA match featuring Ben Johns and Anna Bright, and channeled his background in content creation into building one of the most engaging pickleball communities in the game. From his first content videos alongside Ben and Anna in Las Vegas, to conducting full interviews with Ben, Anna, and Fed in Scottsdale, Arizona, Izzy has quickly achieved what most would consider unobtainable goals, and he's just getting started.

JOOLA sent Izzy a pair of the men’s blue R4LLy pickleball shoes, with a simple ask: wear the JOOLA R4LLy pickleball shoes and see how they feel, see how they perform, and see how they hold up when your average 4.0 pickleball addicted recreational player wears the R4LLy’s every single day for 30 days. 

Over those 30 days, Izzy drilled, played in two tournaments, played singles and doubles, and played rec games basically every day. In total, he wore the R4LLy for 70 hours of playtime and around 80 hours total.

After Izzy completed his 30-day test we asked him to be a guest-contributor to the JOOLA blog, here’s is what Izzy had to say:

“JOOLA was solving for one problem. They solved it. The R4LLY shoes are clearly made FOR pickleball and ONLY pickleball. These shoes are not meant to be worn on date nights, lifting at the gym, running errands, or for tennis. But for pickleball? Completely nailed it.”

“I wore the R4LLY shoes every single day for pickleball for 30 days straight to really put these shoes to the test. Included in these 30 days were playing recreational games, drilling at least 3x a week, playing outdoors and indoors, playing singles and doubles, and even competing in two tournaments in these shoes. I had the best tournament performance in my pickleball career in these shoes. Now, is that a coincidence? I'll leave that up for you to decide.”

“As far as how these shoes felt: light, maneuverable, and snug. To me, these shoes are true to size, IF you allow yourself a break-in period. If you don't want a break-in period, maybe sizing up half a size would be preferable. As soon as I put on the shoe, I could feel the snugness and support around the back of my ankle down to the middle of my foot. Even without tying my shoes with the laces, these were a great fit. As someone who constantly mimics Ben Johns, he doesn't tie his shoes during warm-ups or light drilling. So of course, I had to mirror that same mannerism, and even without tying the laces, the shoes felt amazing.”

“The soles held up wonderfully, as seen in my photos. Against competitors like the Babolat Jet Mach 3s and 4s, the soles last much longer. At the higher levels, "toe drag" is critical, especially during longer dink rallies at the kitchen. Higher-level pickleball players show the most wear near the toe box. The upper toe box is still fully intact and not worn out to the point of already needing a replacement. That is a HUGE deal.”

Bottom line: “When I am on the court and playing my best, I am not even thinking about what is on my feet. And that is the best thing a player can have. Not worried about their equipment during play. My speed, my slides, my lateral movement, and overall performance were not hindered by what was on my feet. I foresee easily getting another full month of use out of the R4LLY shoes. This comes from a major pickleball addict who plays daily, drills, and competes. I'd imagine the average recreational player will enjoy a single pair even longer than I would.”

“I’m excited to see how JOOLA iterates and improves its shoe game even more; as we see with their paddles, JOOLA never stops innovating.”  

Final Rating: “I give them a 10 out of 10 for my 30-day pickleball playing experience with the JOOLA R4LLy’s.”

📱 Watch on Instagram: @izzy.idol's 30-Day R4LLy Test

 

Well, there’s not much else to say, other than go get your pair of JOOLA R4LLy pickleball shoes right now.