Somewhere along the line, the lob picked up a reputation as the shot of the desperate or the unsporting. It’s neither. Used sparingly and at the right moment, it’s one of the few ways to break up two opponents who have camped at the kitchen line.
Two kinds of lob
- The offensive lob is disguised and hit from the kitchen line, usually off a ball that looked like it was going to be a dink. It goes just over the reach of the net player and lands deep.
- The defensive lob is high, from the back of the court, and buys you time when you’re out of position.
When to lob
- Opponents leaning in: both of them right up at the line, weight forward.
- Off a low ball you’d normally dink, so they can’t read it.
- Over the backhand side of the player you’re lobbing, so a smash is harder.
- Rarely. A lob that’s expected gets smashed.
The UK problem: ceilings
Most UK pickleball is played in sports halls built for badminton, and many have low ceilings, beams or lights that bring a lob to a sudden end. Check the hall rules before the game. In many, hitting the ceiling is simply out; in others, players agree a house rule. Either way, an indoor lob needs a flatter trajectory than an outdoor one.
Outdoors: check the wind
On outdoor courts in parks, a lob into the wind can hang and drop short, and with the wind it can sail long. Play it into the wind when you need it to stop, and test the conditions in the warm-up.
Defending against a lob
- Turn sideways and move back with side steps or a crossover step. Backpedalling is how people fall over.
- Call it early. “Mine” or “yours”, and the player on the diagonal often has the better angle.
- If you can’t attack it, lob back or drop it while you recover. You don’t have to smash every lob.
The lob pairs with a strong net game: get there first with the doubles basics, then use the lob to keep opponents honest.