{"id":990,"date":"2026-03-29T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-29T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pickle-times.com\/news\/joola-funksh1n-pb-r4lly-shoe-launch\/"},"modified":"2026-06-15T16:02:04","modified_gmt":"2026-06-15T07:02:04","slug":"joola-funksh1n-pb-r4lly-shoe-launch","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/pickle-times.com\/en\/news\/joola-funksh1n-pb-r4lly-shoe-launch\/","title":{"rendered":"JOOLA to Release the Pickleball-Only Shoe \"FUNKSH1n_PB: R4LLy\" on 3\/27 -- An Industry-First Top-Down Design, Limited to 1,500 Pairs at $180"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The evolution of pickleball-specific gear shows no sign of stopping.<strong>JOOLA<\/strong>On March 27, 2026 (local time),<strong>\u201cFUNKSH1n_PB: R4LLy (nicknamed The R4LLy),\u201d<\/strong>the industry\u2019s first pickleball-specific shoe with a top-down design, was officially released. Only 1,500 pairs will be sold, limited to more than 25 retail stores worldwide, priced at $180 (about 27,000 yen). It marks the birth of the most serious shoe in the history of pickleball footwear.<\/p>\n<h2>What is the industry\u2019s first \u201ctop-down design\u201d?<\/h2>\n<p>Most conventional pickleball shoes have been repurposed and modified from shoes made for other sports such as tennis or badminton. But<strong>R4LLy<\/strong>this one is different. \u201cTop-down design\u201d is an approach that<strong>analyzes the movement characteristics of pickleball as a sport from the outset and works backward from there to design the shoe.<\/strong>By combining feedback from pro players with cutting-edge footwear engineering, the result is a shoe thoroughly optimized for the movements unique to pickleball\u2014the fine footwork in the kitchen (non-volley zone), drag slides, and sudden stops and starts.<\/p>\n<h2>A closer look at the five key technologies<\/h2>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Technology<\/th>\n<th>Features and benefits<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Cordura\u00ae Advanced Fabric<\/td>\n<td>A material that combines abrasion resistance and light weight. Designed with the drag-foot-heavy kitchen play in mind<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Dynamic Fit Sleeve<\/td>\n<td>A customizable fit. Resists slipping even during sharp changes of direction in play<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Wide forefoot shape<\/td>\n<td>Supports the natural spreading of the toes. Strengthens balance retention and reset movements in the kitchen<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>CPU2K Protective Toe Cap<\/td>\n<td>Protects the toe from drag on highly abrasive court surfaces. Makes bold slides possible<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Lightweight Super Critical Foam<\/td>\n<td>A high-performance foam used in running shoes, retuned for pickleball. Reduces leg fatigue even during long play<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>In addition, it features a<strong>lightweight Qubit Foam midsole<\/strong>and<strong>and a carbon-fiber shank,<\/strong>, achieving a high level of both energy return and stability throughout the foot.<\/p>\n<h2>Hard to get\u2014a three-stage release schedule<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Stage 1 (released March 27)<\/strong>: Red, white, and black colorways. Sold at more than 25 retail stores worldwide, with only 18 pairs in men\u2019s sizes per store<\/li>\n<li><strong>Stage 2 (scheduled April 17)<\/strong>: Men\u2019s colorways plus women\u2019s colorways added. Limited to 18 pairs per store for men and 15 pairs per store for women<\/li>\n<li><strong>Stage 3 (scheduled May 8)<\/strong>: As the full-core R4LLy collection, it will go on online sale for the first time on the official JOOLA online store (joola.com) as well<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>It is highly likely that stores are already selling out of Stage 1 one after another.<strong>The May 8 online release<\/strong>looks set to be the realistic chance for players aiming to buy from Japan.<\/p>\n<h2>What it means for Japanese players: the arrival of the pickleball-specific shoe era<\/h2>\n<p>As Japan\u2019s pickleball population expands rapidly, the question \u201cWhat kind of shoes should I wear?\u201d is still often heard. You could say the R4LLy provides a clear answer to the questions of whether tennis shoes are fine or whether badminton shoes work. As pickleball-specific shoes spread, they lead not only to better play quality but also to less strain on the ankles and knees.<strong>For Japanese players who want to line up their gear ahead of the PPA ASIA 500 Sansan TOKYO OPEN 2026 scheduled for July,<\/strong>the R4LLy is a top candidate. JOOLA is also a sponsor of the world\u2019s top pros, including<a href=\"\/en\/player\/anna-leigh-waters\/\">Anna Leigh Waters<\/a>. The fact that you can get your hands on the same technology the pros actually use in matches is another point that pickleball fans will love.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>Source:<a href=\"https:\/\/joola.com\/blogs\/updates\/shoe-press-release\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">JOOLA Launches the Sports First Ever Top-Down Pickleball Shoe | JOOLA USA<\/a><\/p>\n<h2>Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)<\/h2>\n<h3>Q. How can I buy the R4LLy from Japan?<\/h3>\n<p>A. For now it is sold only at more than 25 retail stores worldwide. From May 8 onward, online sales are scheduled to begin on the official JOOLA online store (joola.com), and if it supports international shipping, orders from Japan should also become possible. Consider using a forwarding service as well.<\/p>\n<h3>Q. Why is it limited to 1,500 pairs?<\/h3>\n<p>A. Stage 1 is positioned as a \u201claunch edition,\u201d a test rollout ahead of the full-collection release from May 8. It is expected to be stably supplied as a regular lineup going forward, so check the information without rushing.<\/p>\n<h3>Q. How does $180 (about 27,000 yen) compare with other pickleball shoes?<\/h3>\n<p>A. As a pickleball-specific shoe, it falls in the \u201cpremium\u201d bracket. However, as a serious sports shoe equipped with a carbon-fiber shank and a high-performance midsole, its price is on par with high-end models in the competing category.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u30d4\u30c3\u30af\u30eb\u30dc\u30fc\u30eb\u5c02\u7528\u30ae\u30a2\u306e\u9032\u5316\u304c\u6b62\u307e\u3089\u306a\u3044\u3002JOOLA\u304c2026\u5e743\u670827\u65e5\uff08\u73fe\u5730\u6642\u9593\uff09\u3001\u696d\u754c\u521d\u3068\u306a\u308b\u30c8\u30c3\u30d7\u30c0\u30a6 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ssp_meta_description":"JOOLA\u3001\u30d4\u30c3\u30af\u30eb\u30dc\u30fc\u30eb\u5c02\u7528\u30b7\u30e5\u30fc\u30ba\u300cFUNKSH1n_PB: R4LLy\u300d\u30923\/27\u767a\u58f2\u2014\u2014\u696d\u754c\u521d\u306e\u30c8\u30c3\u30d7\u30c0\u30a6\u30f3\u8a2d\u8a08\u3067$180\u306e\u9650\u5b9a1,500\u8db3\u3002\u30d4\u30c3\u30af\u30eb\u30dc\u30fc\u30eb\u6700\u65b0\u30cb\u30e5\u30fc\u30b9\u901f\u5831\u3002","swell_btn_cv_data":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[123,23,57,89,51,28,119,113,6,62],"region":[],"class_list":["post-990","news","type-news","status-publish","hentry","category-paddle-info","tag-year-2026","tag-joola","tag-us","tag-wear-2","tag-kitchen","tag-shoes","tag-footwork","tag-pro-player","tag-ball","tag-volley"],"acf":{"summary":"JOOLA\u304c2026\u5e743\u670827\u65e5\u3001\u696d\u754c\u521d\u306e\u30c8\u30c3\u30d7\u30c0\u30a6\u30f3\u8a2d\u8a08\u306b\u3088\u308b\u30d4\u30c3\u30af\u30eb\u30dc\u30fc\u30eb\u5c02\u7528\u30b7\u30e5\u30fc\u30ba\u300cFUNKSH1n_PB: R4LLy\u300d\u3092\u6b63\u5f0f\u30ea\u30ea\u30fc\u30b9\u3002\u4e16\u754c25\u4ee5\u4e0a\u306e\u5c0f\u58f2\u5e97\u8217\u3067\u9650\u5b9a1,500\u8db3\u306e\u307f\u8ca9\u58f2\u3001\u4fa1\u683c\u306f180\u30c9\u30eb\u3002\u30ab\u30fc\u30dc\u30f3\u30d5\u30a1\u30a4\u30d0\u30fc\u30b7\u30e3\u30f3\u30af\u642d\u8f09\u306a\u30695\u3064\u306e\u4e3b\u8981\u30c6\u30af\u30ce\u30ed\u30b8\u30fc\u3092\u63a1\u7528\u3057\u305f\u3002"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pickle-times.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/990","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pickle-times.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pickle-times.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pickle-times.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pickle-times.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=990"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pickle-times.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=990"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pickle-times.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=990"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pickle-times.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=990"},{"taxonomy":"region","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pickle-times.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/region?post=990"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}