quick I wouldn’t have gained any advantage.
On the other hand, if I’m playing against a
senior team that doesn’t have the mobility or
power of younger players, I may choose to use
the lob fairly often.
3 Where are your opponents located?
Knowing exactly where your opponents are
on the court is vital to great lobbing. This can
be the difference between getting a lob out
of your opponents’ reach or giving them an
easy smash.
I always tell my students to closely watch
where their opponents’ feet are while in a
dinking rally. If your opponents are very close
to the kitchen line and leaning forward, this
is a great time to use a lob that’s just out of
their reach.
Most of the time when you do this, you’ll
either force them to hit a weak overhead or
you’ll force them to chase down the lob. Many
bad lobs occur because they’re attempted
when the opponents’ feet are a step or two
behind the kitchen line. Lobbing at this time
is difficult because you have little court to
successfully work with.
4 Where is your location on the court?
Being aware of your location on the court
is also a very important factor in effective
lobbing. Most top players will only lob from
either a spot very close to the kitchen or from a
few steps behind the kitchen.
I’m definitely not a fan of lobbing from
behind the baseline. This is because it allows
plenty of time for the opponents to move into
position to hit an aggressive smash. The worst
time to use a lob is when you’re behind the
baseline and your partner is at the net, because
your opponents will have plenty of time to hit
a smash and have an easy target to hit—which is
your partner!
However, by using the lob while you’re close
to the kitchen line, your opponents will have
less time to react. In doing this, you can often
catch them by surprise and turn that lob into a
winner.
5 Where are your opponents moving to?
If your opponents are moving or leaning
forward, you often can catch them by surprise
by throwing up a lob. Your opponents may
be able to hit this lob, but you’ll be forcing
them to hit a weak overhead. However, if your
opponents are taking a step back or two just
before you hit the lob, you’ll probably see that
ball being smashed right at your feet.
6 Which shoulder are you lobbing over?
The lob can be much more effective if
you can lob over your opponents’ backhand
shoulder. To do this, you and your opponents
will need to be close to or at the kitchen line.
This will ensure that your opponents don’t
have time to move to hit the smash on their
forehand side.
7 Wind?
Wind direction is an important factor for
successful lobbing when playing outdoors.
If the wind is behind you, it’s probably not
a good idea to use the lob because a lob that
was very effective before—by being just out
of reach of your opponents—will now land
behind the baseline.
On the other hand, if the wind is at your
face, it may be a great time to lob the ball,
which will be just out of your opponents’
reach. The wind can be a factor in helping the
ball curl back inside the court.
So, next time you’re playing, give these Ws
of successful lobbing a try! •
Steve Paranto has been teaching pickleball since 1980
and was one of the first IPTPA certified instructors. He’s a
multinational champion at the 5.0 level and was inducted into
the Pickleball Hall of Fame.
JUNE/JULY 2020 | MAGAZINE 53