Fuzzy Yellow Balls Review
There is a whole host of Youtube channels dedicated to tennis out there. Some aim their content at teaching, whilst others simply want to approach the professionals doing their thing.
Fuzzy Yellow Balls is a channel that has been around for a long time now. Their most popular videos date back to 2009 and are mainly slow motion, high quality clips of Roger Federer practice sessions.
These up close and personal videos of the Swiss maestro earned the Fuzzy Yellow Balls a lot of notoriety, making it one of the most popular channels on Youtube in the late 2000s.
They also feature practice videos of some of the most accomplished players at the time, including; Andy Roddick, Tommy Haas, Marat Safin, Rafael Nadal, Justine Henin and the Bryan Brothers.
These videos were some of the highest quality out there at the time and provided a rare look into how the greats of the game honed their skills.
They still remain iconic to this day in the world of tennis content on Youtube, but with a more competitive market and a much wider variety of content these days, is Fuzzy Yellow Balls still relevant?
You may think that FYB is solely a tennis highlights channel. However, they also feature a number of videos offering coaching, tips and tricks to budding tennis players.
Their most viewed video to date is one which breaks down the Roger Federer forehand grip. Their CEO and co-founder, Will Hamilton, explains Roger’s Eastern grip in a detailed yet easy to understand way.
This is the running theme of their instructional and informational videos. Will is great at taking some of the more obscure areas of tennis, such as grips, techniques and tactics and breaking them down into their individual components.
He then explains these one by one and makes relatable references to help his audience understand his points more clearly.
This is a great trait that many of the best instructional tennis Youtube channels share. If someone had randomly stumbled across a certain video and had no context about the creators, could they understand the content and relate to it easily?
This is the question that anyone giving online tennis instruction should be able to answer with a confident ‘Yes!’.
One of the stand out features of the Fuzzy Yellow Balls platform is the number of high profile tennis celebrity affiliations they have gathered over the years.
They have promoted their heralded ‘Playbooks’ with both the Bryan Brothers and Martina Navratilova, very impressive stuff!
They have also collaborated with Feisal Hassan, Gigi Fernández, Dr. Mark Kovacs, Jeff Greenwald and Craig O’Shannessy to collate their coaching courses and playbooks.
These individuals bring a wide range of professional experience to the site, adding weight to the coaching tips in these programmes.
The fact that these highly acclaimed tennis names have worked together in conjunction with the FYB team to improve their products shows just how much faith they have in the platform.
That being said, the question still remains. In such a highly contested market of online tennis teaching professionals today, are Fuzzy Yellow Balls still a big player? That’s what we are here to find out!
What Do They Offer?
There is more to Fuzzy Yellow Balls than meets the eye. They offer a range of products and services for budding recreational tennis players to benefit from. Let’s take a look at what they have to offer!
Youtube Channel
Of course, the main asset that drives the entire Fuzzy Yellow Balls platform is their Youtube channel. Their long standing presence on Youtube makes their die hard fan base a loyal one.
Their videos of the professionals practicing and Will breaking down tactical and technical aspects of the game are still iconic to this day.
Although some of the analysis videos may simply be Will explaining a concept or pattern of play on his famous tennis court whiteboard, this is a ploy that we see many other tennis Youtube channels use today.
Therefore, we can definitely say that the Fuzzy Yellow Balls model for producing online tennis instructional videos on Youtube laid the foundations for some of the more modern and popular channels out there at the moment.
Will and his team were producing this type of content over a decade ago when no one else was, and that foresight has to be commended.
Whilst the FYB content has certainly stood the test of time, the majority of videos on the channel date back to that early phase of Youtube when simply using high quality videos was enough to get great views and engagement.
However, with so many other online tennis coaches out there offering so much more varied forms of content these days, we can definitely see how Fuzzy Yellow Balls could become less relevant if they do not keep up with their competition.
Their Youtube videos are by no means spectactual in terms of the videography or production, but this resonates with the Fuzzy Yellow Balls ethos. They offer no frills, purist tennis advice, technical and tactical breakdowns and high quality practice videos aimed at the purist tennis fans.
Website
The Fuzzy Yellow Balls website is where you can find their paid content and additional video content. The team offers a range of products that can help you improve your game, providing a more detailed look at some of the individual aspects of the sport.
The website is basic but easy to navigate. It is great for those that want a user friendly experience and are looking to access their courses or playbook material fast.
Playbooks
Endorsed by the likes of the Bryan Brothers and Martina Navratilova, the Fuzzy Yellow Balls singles and doubles playbooks are reputable products. They break down some of the most important ‘set plays’ in tennis that all players looking to take their game to the next level should know.
The expertise of these tennis legends combined with the down to earth, relatable nature of Will’s recreational background makes for some easy to digest content. The Playbooks cost just $67 so are well worth the investment given you can learn from such successful and highly acclaimed players!
Additional Content
The additional videos and blog posts on the Fuzzy Yellow Balls website are well worth a look if you are searching for that extra, in-depth content on how to improve your game further. You can find these under the ‘latest content’ section of the website and they offer a more detailed insight into Will’s experience as a player, coach and observer of some of the game’s greats at work.
Courses
If you are looking for a more personal touch from the Fuzzy Yellow Balls team and want to learn from some of the most experienced tennis minds out there, their bank of courses are definitely worth checking out.
They have been put together with the help of FYB Director of Coach Education Feisal Hassan, professional coach and master tactician Craig O’Shannessy, former Olympic gold medalist, 17 times doubles grand slam champion and hall of fame member Gigi Fernández, performance psychologist Dr. Mark Kovacs and former ATP pro turned professional psychologist Jeff Greenwald.
With this unbelievable wealth of experience on your side, you will be sure to improve your game with the FYB coaching courses!
Takeaways
As far as old school tennis Youtube channels go, there isn’t one much more recognisable than Fuzzy Yellow Balls. Their iconic high quality videos of tennis stars practicing have been seen by millions of avid tennis fans the world over.
Their stripped back, no nonsense approach to an online tennis platform has made them one of the most user friendly and relatable platforms out there. In terms of the content itself, it is detailed yet to the point. The tactical and technical advice is easy to understand and clear to follow.
Whilst they could probably do with an updated website and a more regular Youtube upload schedule, the Fuzzy Yellow Balls content has stood the test of time and is certainly worth checking out if you are a keen tennis player looking to improve your game!
Explore more
Aug 23, 2022 • Course Reviews
The Best Online Tennis Coaching (Improve Your Game From Home)
Online tennis coaching is a great way to improve your game from the comfort of your own. Learning technique, fitness, footwork and the tactical and mental sides of the game without needing to actually get onto a tennis court really opens up the world of tennis coaching. Greater accessibility to…
Read MoreOct 14, 2021 • Course Reviews
Feel Tennis Review
The internet has provided a wide range of ways to learn new tennis skills. Youtube, Google and Instagram offer content creators, coaches and professional players a platform to display their skills and help recreational players improve their games. Although this is a great opportunity for budding tennis players to learn…
Read More