Your Racquet and Paddle Sport Headquarters
The Premier Racquet Sport Blog
At TheVolleyLlama, if it’s played with a paddle or racquet, a ball, and a net – then we play it and we’re obsessed with it! We’re here to give you everything you need to learn your favorite paddle or racquet sport along with tips to improving your game. Also, our product reviews are designed to be authentic because if we recommend a product, it’s because we’ve played with it and loved it!
Latest Articles
May 15, 2024
Master your tennis serve with tips on optimal positioning. Learn where to stand when serving in tennis to maximize power…
May 1, 2024
If you play driveway pickleball or need an easy portable net - these are my top 4 picks for The…April 18, 2024
When and where was tennis first played? Discover the fascinating timeline and origins of the original racquet sport - tennis!April 16, 2024
What is a volley in tennis? The volley is a different shot now than it was 20 years ago and…
March 20, 2024
What is the double bounce rule in pickleball? It's an easy rule to forget at first but it's also the…
March 13, 2024
What Was Tennis Originally Called? Explore the origins of tennis, the history behind its name, and learn what it was…March 10, 2024
A foot fault is one of the most aggravating faults in all of tennis. But what exactly does it mean…March 8, 2024
What is the definition of a double fault in tennis and what does is mean for your serve? I answer…March 5, 2024
Discover the ins and outs of the 'let' ball rule in tennis, including all the different types you'll encounter and…February 28, 2024
What is a volley in pickleball? If you're new to pickleball you'll want to know what a volley is and…
February 24, 2024
Proper footwork is crucial but, for beginners, knowing where to stand in pickleball can improve your learning curve significantly!
February 23, 2024
The double bounce rule is the most unique rule in all racquet sports. But don't get it confused with the…
February 21, 2024
What is a lob in pickleball and when should you use it? We explore one of the most misunderstood shots…February 21, 2024
Foster a community, promote the sport, and elevate your game! Here is how to become a Pickleball Ambassador in 1…
February 20, 2024
Rainy day dilemma: Can you play pickleball in the rain? Discover the ultimate wet-weather pickleball tips!
February 20, 2024
What is the 10 second rule in pickleball? Is it real , and how does it work? Get the facts…February 20, 2024
I bought and played with 25 of the best pickleball paddles for spin from every big name and after playing…February 18, 2024
Discover when pickleball was invented, how long it's been around, and who helped make pickleball the fastest-growing sport in America!
February 17, 2024
I've spent $2,000 on the best pickleball paddles from the best big-name paddle companies over my career. These are the…February 17, 2024
When it comes to pickleball courts vs tennis courts, it's more than just a sheer size difference. Here's what truly…February 16, 2024
New to pickleball? Here are the 5 rules of pickleball and how to implement them in just 30 minutes so…
February 16, 2024
I created a simple pickleball calories burned calculator to help estimate how many calories you burn no matter how long…
February 14, 2024
In this post, we're going to talk about an aspect of the game of pickleball that plagues beginners and experts…February 14, 2024
These are the 23 simple pickleball strategies that elevated my game from a beginner to an intermediate player in less…February 13, 2024
Pickleball features many unique shots and techniques, but few are as paramount as the drop shot. This move is known…February 13, 2024
I’ve had lower back surgery twice, and still play pickleball. This is how you know if pickleball is bad for…February 13, 2024
Is pickleball good exercise? Can you really get a cardio workout from pickleball? Get in shape and stay active with…
February 13, 2024
Master the game with our comprehensive guide on pickleball paddle regulations - know how to spot legal and illegals paddles…February 12, 2024
Discover how pickleball is different (and better) than tennis. I analyze the differences in equipment, rules, and strategies for each…
February 11, 2024
Can you hit overhand in pickleball? This is a common question for new players that has a simple answer; with…February 11, 2024
Curious to know if you can play pickleball on concrete? Learn the ins and outs of the fastest-growing sport when…
February 4, 2024
Pickleball has steadily gained a loyal fan base ever since it was invented in 1965, with courts sprouting up in…February 3, 2024
The origin of pickleball and its history are deeper than people think. Discover who invented it, where it came from,…February 2, 2024
Where did the name Pickleball come from? Did it come from rowing lore, a Cocker Spaniel named 'Pickles', or something…January 29, 2024
Game, set, salary! 💸 Learn the true value of a professional pickleball player's salary, and where their earnings actually come…January 28, 2024
Discover the official pickleball court dimensions in feet and learn how to set up your own court. A comprehensive beginner's…
January 26, 2024
Niupipo pickleball paddles started as a no-name, online only brand but are they a cheap alternative or a legit option…January 24, 2024
If you're learning the game, does choosing the best pickleball paddles for beginners really matter? I play-tested 20 paddles to…January 5, 2024
Welcome to the ultimate beginner's guide to the question What is an Ace in Tennis! I serve up the most…December 8, 2023
What does a pickleball look like? Do indoor pickleballs look different than outdoor pickleballs? I answer all your commonly asked…November 25, 2023
Looking to start playing pickleball for the first time? Learn what equipment you need and why in this helpful beginner's…November 3, 2023
Discover top kid-friendly pickleball paddles for young champs. Elevate their game with the best pickleball paddle sets for kids.
April 21, 2023
I've got two boys taking tennis lessons. I tried 3 brands and over 7 different racquets in search of the…
April 21, 2023
Whether it’s as simple as hitting the ball into the net or a more technical issue, there are a number…
April 14, 2023
If you've recently purchased a brand-new pickleball paddle, you may want to spend a little extra money and consider buying…April 14, 2023
An Illustrated Look at the Best Pickleball Bags I recently bought a bunch of new paddles and I needed to…
April 14, 2023
HEAD Pickleball Paddles In today’s post we’re going to take a closer look at all the HEAD Pickleball Paddles, explain…
April 14, 2023
The Stiga Pro Carbon is used by beginners and advanced players alike, but is it worth all the hype? Find…April 14, 2023
Killerspin Jet 800 Review - Should recreational players buy it? Is it worth it for casual players?April 14, 2023
The Adidas Barricade and its cousin the Barricade Boost are making headlines and impressing the tennis community. But, are they…
April 14, 2023
We've researched hours upon hours and looked at countless racquet models to find the three best tennis racquets for high…April 13, 2023
This is THE definitive guide for parents designed specifically around tennis rackets for 2-year-olds. Find the right pint-sized racket here!
April 13, 2023
Read this article before buying shoes for platform tennis! According to the Platform Tennis Association, this is what to look…
April 13, 2023
Tennis Rackets For 4 Year Olds: A Helpful Beginners Guide Hi, my name is Keith and I’m a tennis player…
April 13, 2023
The Wilson Rush Pro 3.0: The Most Durable Court Shoe Ever Welcome to my review of the Wilson Rush Pro…
April 13, 2023
The K-Swiss Express Light: A Perfect Dedicated Pickleball Shoe The K-Swiss Express Light represents one of the first major racket…
April 13, 2023
Which Pickleball Machines Replicate Shots The Best? In an effort to improve my pickleball game when I was on my…
April 13, 2023
Which pickleball paddle has the largest sweet spot? In this post, we’re going to examine which pickleball paddle has the…
April 13, 2023
The best pickleball paddles under $50 all have one thing in common and it’s what separates them from all the…
April 13, 2023
What Is The Best Tennis Racquet for Advanced Juniors? Finding the best tennis racquet for advanced juniors can be a…
April 13, 2023
Graphite vs Composite Pickleball Paddles – A Helpful Guide For Beginners Graphite vs composite pickleball paddles. The debate as to…
April 13, 2023
What Is a Pickleball Made Of? The Answer May Surprise You… Pickleball is a unique blend of tennis, badminton, and…
April 12, 2023
Easy Pickleball Tips And Strategies For New Players Just Learning Pickleball If you want to become a pickleball expert, you…
April 12, 2023
How to Play Pickleball Before we can get into how to play pickleball, let's start by answering the question: "what…April 12, 2023
Best Indoor Pickleball Balls – Jugs Review and More! Indoor Pickleball Balls - The Facts Ever wonder what the difference…
April 12, 2023
The Rally Graphite Pickleball Paddle Review If you're a new pickleball player, choosing your first pickleball paddle can be a…April 12, 2023
How To Improve Your Pickleball Serve And Rip It In 5 Easy Steps Welcome to my beginner's guide on how…
April 12, 2023
The Anatomy Of A Perfect Pickleball Lob Shot In today's post, we're going to discuss the single most lethal pickleball…April 12, 2023
Common Pickleball Injuries and How to Avoid Them Pickleball injuries are becoming more and more common as the game continues…April 12, 2023
Pickleball Strategy – The 9 Best Ways to Improve Your Return of Serve Welcome to the second installment in our…
April 12, 2023
What Is The Kitchen In Pickleball? A Simple Answer For Beginners What Is The Kitchen In Pickleball - The Rules…
April 12, 2023
The net plays a crucial role in both pickleball and tennis, and must meet certain regulation standards according to their…
April 12, 2023
A Step-By-Step Guide to Painting Pickleball Lines On A Tennis Court If you’re looking to turn a tennis court into…
April 12, 2023
What Is A Fault In Pickleball? A Simple Answer For New Players I love the game of pickleball but one…April 12, 2023
Babolat Pickleball Paddles – My Hands On Review Of All Paddles I'll admit, I had been wondering why it took…
April 12, 2023
How To Choose A Pickleball Paddle Without Buying It I’ve been playing pickleball for a long time but when I…April 12, 2023
What Is A Let In Pickleball? Learn Why The Rule Changed. Pickleball is becoming more popular every year, likely because…
April 12, 2023
Why Is It Called The Kitchen In Pickleball? If you’ve ever been around pickleball players, you’ve probably heard the term…
April 12, 2023
How Many Pickleball Courts Fit On A Tennis Court? Transitioning or converting a tennis court into pickleball courts is easy…April 12, 2023
I give you 11 of the most influential pickleball tips for intermediate players that have changed the way I play.…April 12, 2023
A Helpful Beginners Guide To – Where Is Pickleball Played? Pickleball is a sport that's been gaining in popularity for…
April 12, 2023
Where Did Pickleball Originate And Who Invented It? Pickleball is one of America’s fastest-growing sports and has become a popular…April 12, 2023
What Is Pickleball And Why Is It Over-taking Tennis? I’ve been playing pickleball for over six years but the game…April 12, 2023
There 3 rules of a pickleball serve that are fundamental to not only having an effective serve but also a…
April 12, 2023
Can you play pickleball on grass? For recreational purposes yes, it can be done but you have to know what…April 12, 2023
3 Pickleball Kitchen Rules That Every Beginner Needs To Know Every time I introduce someone new to pickleball, I will…
April 12, 2023
How Long Does A Game Of Pickleball Last? It’s Faster Than You Think! Pickleball is an enjoyable sport to play…
April 12, 2023
Whether you've played ping pong for a long time or are someone new to the game, at some point this…
April 12, 2023
What Are 5 Faults In Pickleball Every Beginner Should Know? Pickleball has quickly become the fastest-growing sport in the U.S.…April 12, 2023
Illegal ping pong serves can be tricky to detect if you’re not familiar with the rules. Here are 5 illegals…
April 12, 2023
How To Keep Score In Pickleball Doubles vs Singles Like other racquet or paddle sports, pickleball can become a different…
April 12, 2023
How To Serve In Pickleball For Beginners A consistent serve is one of the most important skills a beginner should…
April 12, 2023
Improve Your Third Shot Drop In Under 5 Minutes The more you play pickleball, the more you’ll hear that the…April 11, 2023
A Beginners Guide To: What Is The Non-Volley Zone In Pickleball? The most unique area on a pickleball court has…
April 11, 2023
An In-Depth Look Into Pickleball Doubles Serving Rules One of the first sets of rules explained in pickleball to any…
April 11, 2023
What Are The 10 Rules Of Pickleball? Learning the basic rules to the game of pickleball is essential for any…
April 11, 2023
Unleash the Power: Why do badminton players shout "so"? Explore the impact of why players raise their voices for focus…
April 10, 2023
What Is A Rally In Pickleball? You often hear the term ‘rally’ in sports like tennis, especially when things are…
January 12, 2023
Wondering what size ping pong table to get? I've put together helpful answers to the most common ping pong table…
January 12, 2023
Buying a standard ping pong paddle is easy. Creating your own doesn't have to be hard. Here is how to…January 12, 2023
Does the ball have to bounce in ping pong or are you allowed to volley it? This one rule separates…January 12, 2023
A tennis ball bouncing during a game of tennis is a common occurrence and is a regular part of the…
January 12, 2023
So you’ve got a tennis racquet, some balls, a practice partner, and you’re ready to play and learn the game…
January 12, 2023
Can the ball hit the net in tennis? The simple answer is yes but based on different circumstances, different rules…
January 12, 2023
What is a half volley in tennis and how is it different than a regular volley? My simple answer for…January 12, 2023
There are many subtle intricacies of tennis and its rules, and one of the stranger ones revolves around serves and…
January 12, 2023
Racquet sports are my thing, so you can imagine how excited I was when I was first introduced to Platform…
January 11, 2023
Even though pickleball borrows elements from other racket sports, there are rules that are entirely unique to pickleball. The rules of calling a…January 1, 2023
As a fan of any and all paddle sports, it's always good to see these sometimes smaller, less heralded sports…
November 25, 2022
Click here for a simple one-page, beginner-friendly printable pickleball rules sheet you can take to the courts! One page, one…
October 12, 2022
There are 5 basic ping pong rules for dummies that can allow any new player to quickly learn the basics…August 20, 2022
I created the definitive guide on what a legal serve in ping pong is, and five simple steps to follow…June 26, 2022
For any beginner playing the game for the first time, knowing the 7 rules of pickleball is essential to learning…
February 26, 2022
Learn how to lower a tennis net for pickleball in a few simple steps that you can do in under…
January 22, 2022
After playing with 4.0 level players and even coaches, I’ve learned six fundamental ways on how to keep the ball…
December 31, 2021
Can you play pickleball on a tennis court? Not every tennis court is set up for pickleball, here is the…
December 22, 2021
Why is it called pickleball? Read why the game's name is also its biggest controversy stemming from the game's founding…October 24, 2019
I bought the Prince Response Pro and within 10 minutes of playing with it, I knew exactly why 5.0 level…
September 14, 2019
I recently took a tennis trip with my family and learned first hand that finding the best tennis bag for…September 7, 2019
I spoke with pro shops and racquet experts to learn more about the best tennis racquets for seniors. It was…
July 11, 2019
I spoke with racquet experts and even my local pro shop to create this helpful guide for anyone looking for…
June 9, 2019
When looking into what Spec Tennis Paddles to choose from, I went right to the man who created the game…
May 27, 2019
A while back, I began to look into and learn more about other paddle or racquet sports (aside from pickleball)…
May 19, 2019
I’ve got two sons, now ages 6 and 8 but, they started tennis lessons way back when they were 3…
May 15, 2019
The tennis technology of today has come a long way since the early games of handball. It hasn't changed the…March 10, 2019
Ping Pong may be a simple game to comprehend but Ping Pong Strategy goes a lot deeper! Here are 15…
February 10, 2019
When researching pickleball paddles, I interviewed three 5.0 Pros and 1 BIG paddle manufacturer and learned 17 gamechanging facts about…
January 26, 2019
Can your brand new pair of tennis shoes go in the washing machine? Can tennis shoe go in the dryer?…
December 8, 2018
Ever since my two kids started taking tennis lessons, I've been anxiously waiting to get my wife and kids out…
August 11, 2018
I’m still kind of shocked. I’m sitting here at my computer dumbfounded, impressed, puzzled, excited and very relieved! So why…
May 1, 2017
Pickleball is arguably the most inviting, inclusive sports I can think of. What I mean, is that whether you're a…
April 14, 2017
In this article, we're going to break down a common "Pickleball Pro Tip" - Getting to the net! Like “capture…
March 26, 2017
Good pickleball volley technique is vitally important to winning points consistently. Most points, if kept alive, are won or lost…February 23, 2017
Believe it or not, the game of pickleball is over 50 years old! That's right, the game began way back…
February 22, 2017
In this post, we’re going to talk about 25 simple pickleball tips for beginners. These pickleball tips are designed to be elementary and…
February 11, 2017
The most difficult shot to pull off consistently in pickleball is - the third shot drop. It's the foundation to…February 1, 2017
I bought and tested tons of the best pairs of court shoes for pickleball that every big name brand has…September 4, 2024
Tennis elbow braces can work wonders to push the pain away when you're enjoying your favorite sport. They may work…September 3, 2024
Tennis elbow braces can seem like a miracle for people dealing with tennis elbow. For some players, they can nearly…August 31, 2024
If you’ve played tennis there’s a chance you’ve experienced pain in your elbow at some point. Swinging back and forth…August 31, 2024
There’s so much to learn when first starting to play tennis. So many rules, old bits of etiquette, and new…
August 31, 2024
There’s so much tension leading up to a serve in tennis. The returning player has to guess where the ball…
August 31, 2024
The tennis net can be a source of frustration for many players. It's one more barrier to consider when hitting…August 16, 2024
Discover what happens when a tennis match is suspended due to weather, darkness, or other reasons. Learn about rescheduling, scoring,…
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Welcome
Welcome to TheVolleyLlama.com. My name is Keith, I’m just a lover of all sports that involve a racquet, net and a ball. I played competitive high school varsity tennis, love racquetball and my whole family plays pickleball regularly. I started this website to help give people like you the basics to learn these wonderful games.
I also love providing players like you with simple, actionable tips to help improve your game on the court.
I also take pride in the fact that the products I recommend here have been researched, analyzed, bought, played with, worn, and used. So you can be sure that if I recommend a product, it’s because we’ve used it!
