When done properly, the lob is a very effective way to move one person or a team off of the non-volley line (NVL), especially when players are hugging the line closely.
A successful lob is a high, out-of-reach shot that arches over the other players, landing deep in the court and closer to the baseline. When done effectively, there’s only one option for that receiving team: to chase it down.
Let's dive in...
When is the best time to lob in pickleball?
When a player or team is hugging the non-volley line they’re looking to take the ball in the air, which creates more pressure on you or your teammate.
If a team becomes so focused on this type of play, an undetected and deep lob can catch them off guard; their body is not set up for that sudden vertical movement, and they are likely squatting low with their eyes lining up with the height of the net.
Another great time to lob is off of a volley exchange, if someone sends a volley your way, that sits high, around the midsection, you can actually use the pace of their volley to lift the ball up and over their heads.
I’m finding myself doing more intentional, offensive lobs these days and I’m definitely seeing it more as well in rec play and in watching the pro tours; turning an opponent’s volley into a lob. Again, this is an effective way to move the other team away from the non-volley zone and throw them off of their rhythm.
Photo credit: A Pickleball Life
The risks of a lob. Of course, the obvious risk is that the ball lands too deep and is out of bounds. But some lobs are much easier to chase down and that’s either because it’s a shallow shot - or it takes a high bounce and that bounce keeps the ball inside the court.
The shallow lob makes it easier for one to smash and a lob that produces a high bounce allows more time for a player to run down the ball, get themselves around the ball and make their shot using their strengths - which is usually their forehand.
The lobs that allow for either of these options would be considered less successful and so, therefore, lobs are not always the best option. If you’re lobbing on the baseline you’re going to have to be very confident that you can achieve the depth and pace to send the ball deep.
Otherwise, you’re setting up the opponent for an overhead smash. Similarly, if you are trying to disguise the lob and can’t do a good job of it; so your opponent can read your lob too well or you’re unable to hit a deep lob, then the shallow ball turns into a smash opportunity and you’ll find yourself sitting on defense.
A defensive type lob is more of a “Hail Mary'' scenario when a team feels they’ve run out of time or options to hit another type of shot. I can really picture this happening when players are at the baseline and are unprepared for the return so they send their third shot up in the air.
The risk with this is, that the returning team is standing at their NVL, and in order to send it high enough past their reach, you need to create a thirty-foot shot. A third or fifth shot lob is always an option, just a risky one.
Defending the lob is another story, though. Your first line of defense is knowing a lob is about to happen. Read the body and read the paddle. Once you have this figured out you can anticipate the play much better and get ahead of the play. Playing the game with your head and chest up to be able to anticipate the lob, rather than being caught off guard.
Some teams who are being constantly lobbed might choose to play a foot off of the NVL to create less distance for them to run down, and by being early they might even be able to turn the lob into an overhead smash.
Realistically, with a successful lob, you do need time to chase down the lob. So how can you create that time? Again, watch their body language to give yourself more time. Is their head down with their paddle open to the sky? If so, they are more than likely looking to get underneath the ball to create height. Keep in mind that some players can do a good job of disguising their approach to a lob.
Another sign is if a player takes a step back either with their dominant foot or both feet then they are looking to create space between themselves and the ball, likely to project some distance.
Of course, there’s a chance that with this body language they have something else in mind, such as an offensive speed-up, but either way, keep the weight and energy on the balls of your feet and be prepared to move in any direction. As players climb in skill level the realization to read their opponent's body language and their paddle helps them detect and predict what shot they might be seeing next.
Sometimes though, there are lobs that are going to just be too good. A lob that ends up bouncing low or has a lot of topspin and kicks outside of the back end of the court is very hard to retrieve. There are some lobs that are simply too good, so, even if you hustle hard to chase it down, you still might not get the chance to make a good play.
What do you do once you’ve chased it down?
The most effective option is to reset the rally so that the ball drops into the opponent's non-volley zone. But your counter shot really depends on the amount of time you have.
If you’ve managed to chase down the ball and run around it (usually, so you end up on your forehand) then get under the ball, and wait out the timing of when your paddle makes contact with the ball.
You want to wait until the ball has slowed down so you can control how much momentum it’ll take to drop the ball. The drop will give you and/or your teammate to move back towards your own NVL. With less time to set up, typically a counter lob - or two - comes into play. Consecutive lobs can fatigue a team and lead to an error.
Lob etiquette. Is there such a thing? During rec play, I believe there is. The way I play lobs during rec play is that I aim to only hit offensive lobs. I don’t lob anyone who has visible mobility restraints or ones I am aware of.
I also won’t lob a team if the score is heavily one-sided or if the baselines are tight to the wall. My feeling is that there are quite a few who has a similar perspective on when or when not to lob.
Competitively, as someone who plays indoors half of the year, I’m selective on when to lob because I don’t practice it enough, in comparison to someone who plays outdoors all year and has a good sense of lobbing with the wind or against the wind.
There are players who thoroughly enjoy the art of lobbing, although I’m not sure there’s anyone who likes being lobbed. But the fact is that the lob isn’t going anywhere and in fact, people are reincorporating the shot into their game.
Lobs are happening in any scenario, so just be ready and whenever it comes your way, give it your best to keep the ball in play and always make your opponent hit one more shot.
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