How To Hit The Lob

Technique

Hit the shot with a full stroke without quite as much backswing but a long follow-through. Try to step into the shot as though you were hitting a ground stroke.

The Offensive Lob

An offensive lob is used to push your opponent away from the net. When your opponent is at the net, he's at an advantageous position. Hit the offensive lob over your opponent's backhand side. Ideally, hit it just inside the baseline on a low trajectory but a little higher than your opponent can reach with a slight jump.

After you hit the offensive lob, do not rush the net. You are pretty quite certain, when your opponent has a chance to return the shot, that he will use an overhead smash. Your best position is about 3 feet behind the baseline.

The Defensive Lob

The defensive lob is used when you are in trouble and have been taken wide off the court by your opponent's shot and want to get back into position.

The best place to aim a defensive lob is as near your opponent's baseline as possible. It is an excellent strategy to lob diagonally across the court because you will be hitting into the longest area of the court, giving yourself a better chance to keep the ball in bounds.

More Lob Tips

1. If a lob is hit at you, try to run far enough ahead of the ball so that you can turn around and take it on your forehand.

2. If your opponent hasn't come to the net you should try to return the lob as a regular ground stroke.

3. A lob with a top-spin hit at you should be caught before it bounces, remembering to hit up and through the ball. If you can't do that, you should get back farther than usual because the rotatio of the ball will cause it to bounce deeper into the court.

How to develop the lob more? Find out by checking the book Play Better Tennis in Two Hours by Oscar Wegner.