Tipbit #40 - The Lob
Pickleball lob shots have been a part of the pickleball game from the start, but in recent years, they’ve become more and more popular. Watching the Las Vegas PPA Cup three weeks ago I saw Anna Leigh Waters hit five lobs in her five game match. As you members who’ve played with or against me know, I love The Lob. Sometimes my lobs are very effective and sometimes they’re catastrophic, it just depends on how and when I execute it. Playing indoors both Friday night and Sunday my lops were on fire; perhaps it was the high ceiling and no wind. I use my lob as both a defensive shot, helping my team stay in the point or as an offensive shot, meant to be an outright winner or put my team in a better offensive position to win the point.
I used to lob just by opening up the face of my paddle and then following through from a low to high position. This lob adds little to no spin on the ball. In the last several years I have been experimenting with the topspin lob. I have had good success learning this shot on my forehand wing, but my backhand topspin lob is still a work in progress. To execute this topspin lob you need to drop your paddle’s head well below the ball and then in an almost vertical swing brush up on the back face of the ball; again it’s an almost vertical swing path. The motion of your paddle should be a motion that “grips” the back of the ball and rotates it forward. With some practice, this will feel natural in no time!
As your game progresses, you will find yourself increasingly involved in the soft game at the NVZ, with all four players dinking back and forth at the net waiting for the opportunity to put away a high ball. During this “jockeying” process, you generally think about two things. One, moving the ball around while keeping it low and two, watching for the opportunity to hit a speed up winner through an opening that's just too wide to resist. But, why not consider a third option, The Lob! Try this lob when you are dinking back and forth directly across from your opponent. Hit a particularly short dink shot, just over and landing close to the net. This will require your opponent to lean forward into the kitchen. With their momentum bringing them forward, hit (or pop) a lob over their head. Surprise! It works!
Two other tips, try to lob diagonally when possible to give yourself extra court length and I try to hit The Lob over your opponent’s backhand wing.
C' ya on the Greenwood courts, President Lueck
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