Like dinks, volleys, Ernes, and Berts, Lob shots are gaining popularity among picklers because of their high range, long flight, and competitiveness. To do these shots, players perform a lofted shot to send the ball overhead and deep into the opponent’s court. As a pro player for many years and a pickleball fanatic, I love playing these shots. 

It was my father who taught me to perform these shots. He helped me enhance my arm movements, spins, offensive play, and paddle positions for longer ranges for these shots.I still remember my gameplay when I participated in the IFP Bainbridge Cup in 2021 at  Holly Hill, Florida. I still remember I won 2 matches in selection rounds with the help of extremely skilled Lobs and Erne shots by becoming unpredictable to the opponents..

 If you are also curious about these shots, I will give you a deep overview of them in this article. We’ll cover how to perform them, their types, how to defend them, etc. Keep reading to learn more about them:

Lob in pickleball:

According to USAPA, lob shots are:

A Lob is done when a ball is lofted for a deep and overhead shot across the net. These shots can become more effective when combined with dinks. 

It is performed in an offensive way to make your opponent move back again to his baseline. Always, hit these shots above and over the head of the opponent so that they use a backhand serve. You can hit the longer lob at the non-paddle side of the opponent at his baseline. In defensive play, it is performed to gain some time to prepare yourself for an offensive shot.

Types of lobs:

These shots have some types according to their manner of play,  tactic, and purpose. Let’s learn about them below:

1. Basic lobs:

   This simple shot is served high in the air and has a curved flight trajectory. Balls served with such shots land near the baseline on the opponent’s court. They are easy to perform for elderly players due to their ease of action and less effort.

2. Spin lobs:

   This shot is slightly more advanced than the basic one. The ball is shot aggressively with a topspin to land it in the opposite court. The landing is unpredictable and powerful. Opponents will find it hard to return and often miss it leading to a fault.

   If you want to beat the fast-paced rallies, you can use this spin shot for better outcomes. Make sure the ball lands inbounds near the baseline.

3. Offensive lobs:

   Competitive games need offensive play to catch your opponent off-guard and gain points over his faults. These offensive shots come in handy in such a situation. You have to hit the ball from your kitchen line over your opponent at the NVZ line.

4. Defensive lobs:

   These types of shots buy you time to position yourself for offensive gameplay. You stand at your baseline and hit this shot so the opponents move toward their side of the net. If your opponent also hits a Lob as a returning serve, you can use drop shots to counterattack his gameplay.

How to hit Lobs shots: 

Learning these shots is easy. But, it becomes more effective when you implement them offensively or defensively in a game. My brother who is an engineer taught me these tactics. I have shared important tips about these shots below: 

1. Offensive lobs:
   

   These shots are a great option when your opponent is at his NVZ line. You can serve this shot with a longer range in a flat-shaped curve but over the net so that it lands at the opponent’s baseline.

   How to serve this shot?

   The paddle face should be slightly upward while serving this shot. While serving the shot, balance your posture, bend your knees slightly, compress your body, and transfer that body weight force to the paddle in an upward-moving direction.

   Doing this will help the ball to travel a longer trajectory than a defensive shot. If you want to add a spin to the ball while performing, you can twist your wrist a little bit, turn the paddle slightly, and move the elbow and shoulders to add a spinning effect to the offensively served ball. As a beginner player, practice these shots for longer to gain perfection.

   When to perform this shot?

   – Lobbing is best when your opponent is standing at the NVZ line. He will need to get back to baseline in a scramble.
   – When your opponent faces direct sunlight in his eyes, you can perform a longer offensive lob to confuse him and catch him off-guard.
   – Hit this shot out-of-bounds when the wind is at your back. But, if your serve is with the wind, you need to hit a harder offensive shot to clear the ball over the opponent’s head.

2. Defensive lobs:

   These defensive have larger trajectories, more flight time, and elongated direction of the ball arc. These shots take a spare time for you to set your game for upcoming offensive serves.

   How to serve this shot?

   Hold the paddle open towards the sky and bend slightly. Take the paddle below the ball and hit it upwards. Add the compressed power of bent knees and shoulders into the paddle movement to add finesse and control to this defending shot.

   It should go far beyond the NVZ line and over your opponent’s head towards his baseline. Hitting it to the opponent’s non-paddle side will give you more time to prepare for the next serve.

   When to perform these shots?

   These shots work best when your opponent is at the NVZ/ kitchen line on his side of the court. A few years ago, I was in a practice match with my brother. I was continuously serving fast-paced Ernes and volleys. We had a margin of 1 point and he defeated me with defensive lobs. It was unexpected! I got to learn new lessons on that day!

Top tips to become a ‘Lob-perfectionist’:

• Wait for the perfect opportunity to hit this shot. When your opponent is at NVZ in a fast-paced rally and dinking consistently, it is great timing to return the serve with a lob.
• Practice is the key to mastering these shots. Try basic, spin, offensive, and defensive lobs at your opponent. Doing this will give you more ground to play and earn points.
• Target the non-paddle area of the opponent to make him unable to serve back. Try to add spins too! It will create more effective shots.
• Lobbing into the wind works best for a powerful and non-returnable shot. It will make your opponent commit a fault and you can get a point.

When to avoid lobs?

Knowing when to avoid lob is a skill too! Here are a few tips to know when NOT to go for lobs:

• Avoid these shots if your body posture is in an inconvenient position. As a perfect lobber, you must be in front of and close to the upcoming ball so your paddle can easily come beneath that ball. Your body must easily bend at the knees and provide compressing support to the ball for an effective large curved lob.
• Do not attempt this shot when your opponent is at his sideline. It becomes easier to return that serve from the back of his court. You can opt for short serves, Ernes, dinks, or whichever shot brings your opponent towards his NVZ
• If your opponent is taller, you need to hit larger curving shots. The ball should go above his head. It becomes easy for them to return those shots due to their longer forearms and larger jumps. In such situations, you can hit short serves instead of lobs. 

How to defend against lobs?

Sometimes, your opponent hits highly competitive lobs. I feel we should stay calm without getting startled and return those lobs with another suitable shot in such situations. Let’s learn about defending these shots below:

To learn about defending lobs in visual explanation, kindly watch the following video:

• Watch for clues from the opponent:

If a player wants to perform this shot, he usually bends his knees, opens the paddle face in a slightly upward direction at the sky, and tries to compress his body posture. You must recognize these signs from his body language and prepare to defend this shot if it comes from your opponent.

• Smash the ball with an overhand:

If your opponent is hitting short lobs, try to smash the returning serve hard. Your opponent may not go for another lob if he feels this smashed shot was powerful.

• Make your opponent stand at the baseline:

One can hit a powerful lob from being closer to the net in his volley zone instead of the backside of the court. If you feel that your opponent can hit this shot, serve long shots so that he will stay at the baseline of his side of the court. 

• Aim at your opponent’s non-paddle side:

Focus on the backhand side of your opponent. If he tries to hit an offensive shot, doing this trick will let him hit with a backhand instead of a forehand lob. 

• Try different shots:

1. Overhead shot:

If your opponent consistently hits this shot, you can serve an overhead smash in the downward direction of your opponent’s court. Doing this becomes easier if you are tall. This strategy will surprise your opponent and he might miss to serve. 

Hit the upcoming lob in the air before it lands in your court. You can win a point in the rally with this tactic. 

2. Drop: 

This is the second-best shot after an overhead shot to defend a lobber. If you can’t perform an overhead shot, you can hit the ball softly from the back of your court for a drop serve. I personally like drop serves because of their ease and soft serving strategy. I need less effort and I can gain a point in the rally while defending. 

The ball must land in the non-volley zone of the opponent’s court. This unexpected returned serve will make your opponent unable to hit the drop shot. If he steps in the NVZ area while returning your drop serve, it is counted as a fault. It results in giving you a point and end of rally.

3. Drive:

You can use a drive shot if you miss hitting an overhead or drop shot. A low-served drive will land softly in the opponent’s court across the net. These shots give you some time to prepare for the next serve as a drop shot.  Ensure to stay in near the NVZ line for serving next drop shots.

To learn about defending these shots in detail, you can refer to the following video:

Conclusion:

I can totally say that a lob shot can change the game for you and create opportunities to score points and play offensively. Whether it is a regular or spin, offensive or defensive, this shot will take you a step forward in the running game! You also must learn to avoid these shots at suitable times and play wisely. Don’t forget to apply strategies to master these shots for better gameplay. Which lob shots do you prefer and why? Do let me know in the comments!