INSTRUCTION By Alice Tym
THIRD SHOT LOB — WHAAAAT ?
First it was a third shot drop . Everyone had to have one . Players dropped the third shot into the kitchen regardless . Good players looked down their noses at players who could not gently guide a soft drop into the Non-Volley Zone ( NVZ ). Bangers were vilified . Where was their soft shot ?
Then came the third shot drive , fifth shot drop . Take the third shot ball early and try to catch the approaching opponent with a hard shot before he got to the NVZ line and got set up . Bangers loved it , but then came that fifth shot drop . Players had more options . Also during this time , players improved overall . More tennis players came to the game , coaching became more available , and more players began to drill and work on their games . New players brought new styles and new shots .
Suddenly , the “ rules ” were not so fixed . And somebody lobbed ! Lobs worked to keep players from crowding the NVZ line and smacking volleys away for winners .