What Is A Lob In Tennis? Best Lob Technique In 2022

The lob shot involves a Tennis Player hitting the ball high and over his opponent. The ball will be sent to the back of the court, where the opponent cannot reach it. Topspin can be used for this purpose.

The ball can be considered an offensive or defensive shot depending on how it is struck and how the player intended it.

Using lab shots during play can increase the player’s ability to re-adjust or keep the opponent from their rhythm.

Steps To Successfully Hit A Lob In Tennis:

There are three basic steps to hitting the perfect lob. In order for a lob to work, every step needs to be practiced and executed properly.

Your chances of success in the shot will be very slim if you slow down on any of these three steps, so pay close attention to what you are doing here.

• Preparation
• Follow Through
• Making contact with the ball

To hit a well-executed lob, you must follow these three steps carefully. Being proficient at this task will take some time and practice, but you have to start somewhere.

Preparation

It’s probably not the most exciting part of the process, but it’s the most important.

You are less likely to succeed at a lob if you are not correctly positioned and prepared.

1. The Grip & Hand Positioning:

It comes down to personal preference when executing a topspin lob.

The best setup for executing a topspin lob is to use a continental or an eastern grip.

By putting the strings on these grips, it is much simpler to hit the ball’s back with the strings, leading to the ball diving at the end of its trajectory.

2. Preparation Of The Legs And Feet:

Perform a split step to prepare your legs and feet.

Put your racket back and turn to the side so that your shoulders are perpendicular to the net.

Forehand lobs are initiated the same way as forehands when prepared and backswing.

For offensive backhand lobs, the same is valid on the backhand side. No matter how you use your backhand, setting up is the same.

3. Prepare Your Hands For Contact:

Your racket head should be below the ball at the mid-calf level when you bend your knees.

Making Contact With The Ball:

• It would be best if you kept your eye on the ball as it approached.
• The ball can now be hit very high and deep with good spin now that your legs and arms are positioned correctly.
• Use your wrist to lift the ball off the ground. Do not force the stroke through as if you were fore-handing or back-handing.
• When you strike the ball, straighten your legs (like standing up) but don’t move your weight forward.
• The racket face must be parallel to the net at the point of contact with the ball. The lob trajectory should be behind the opponent.
• Your ball should have some spin on it, and you should aim over your opponent’s head.
• The height at which you should hit your ball is subject to debate.
• Getting a shot too low could allow your opponent to hit an overhead to reach it.
• You may not have enough time to get back to the ball if you hit it too high, and your opponent will have the chance to hit a defensive lob.
• It should land deep into the other side of the court due to the ball’s trajectory and the spin, making it extremely difficult to return. It would be best if you also practiced executing it.

Executing The Lob Follow-through:

• Your arm should be exaggeratedly followed through as you stroke the ball.
• After making contact and swinging through the shot, your racket should be high in the air. When you do it for the first few times, it will seem awkward, but you will become accustomed to it over time.
• Make sure you do it. By following through correctly, you will be better prepared for what follows (in the point).
• We hope you understand the point.
• Following through is often the difference between hitting a good and a superb lob.

What Is The Best Way To Execute A Tennis Lob?

The object of a lob shot is to hit the ball as far and deep as possible. This shot can be used defensively as well as offensively when executed correctly. If a defender is at the net, the lob is most effective.

1. Defensive Lob:

Step 1: Be Sure To Stop The Opponent’s Shot:

When under attack by an opponent, use the defensive lob. As a result, you won’t have enough time to position yourself.

The opponent must strike another winner before this shot can be executed to win the point.

When you strike the ball open-faced with a short backswing or no backswing at all, the ball will arc high above your opponent in the air and land far behind you.

Step 2: Follow through:

The foot does not transfer any weight to the lob, unlike a groundstroke. Using a gentle follow-through, extend the racket past your shoulder to produce some spin.

2. Offensive Lob:

Step 1: Preparation:

This shot is full of speed and aggression. A perfectly executed lob sends the ball spinning high into the air, strikes the court’s back, and kicks straight up to hit the fence in front of the opponent.

Because there is a lot of topspin applied, you must keep your distance. Drop the racket and bend your knees as you extend the racket for the backswing. To accelerate the ball, brush the face of the racket while pushing upwards, a little forward.

Step 2: Follow through:

You can spin more with your racket raised above your shoulder if you push up ultimately. Maintain your balance while looking at the ball, so you can start preparing for your next shot.

The shot looks like a forehand groundstroke, so it is an excellent disguise shot. This is a great way for players to gain points by catching their opponents by surprise.

Top Spin Backhand Lob:

One or two hands can be used to hit this shot. It requires a continental grip to execute a one-handed shot. With the continental grip, the swing path must be low to high. The racket must be placed above their heads on the side of their body with more strength (right for right-handed players).

The racket face is left slightly open in one-handed backhands, which results in the shoulders being tipped backwards to gain height.

Two-handed backhand lobs should be performed just like two-handed backhand groundstrokes, except that the movement needs to be more defined to heighten the shot. A similar follow-through is also necessary.

Important Point:

The upward movement is best left until the last minute, as with the forehand. Avoid overusing it.

Also Read: List The Best Tennis Balls

Top Spin Forehand Lob:

In a forehand lob, once it has passed over the opponent’s head and bounced, the topspin further distances the ball. Consequently, this shot performs well when executed well, so it is good to have in the locker room.

How:

• After clearing the net player, the ball needs to be brought down as fast as possible with lots of topspin. As a player raises the racket from low to high, he faces the ball in front of him and raises the head of the racket above his head.
• In order to raise the ball above an opponent, players should lower their shoulders on the racket side and open their racket face a little to achieve the height.
• Although players may assume that an open racket will prevent topspin, the motion from low to high is so distinct and evident that it generates the topspin.
• It is essential that players set up as if they were going to do a groundstroke, and make the necessary changes before the shot. It should not be used too often.

Related: Top Tennis Racquets For Intermediate To Advanced Players

Lob Technique In Tennis:

An opponent standing in volley position is lobbed by hitting a ball over their head with a lob shot. It can be used both defensively and offensively.

Nevertheless, too short of a hit gives your opponent confidence and helps him shine. There is too much room, so it’s annoying and frustrating. And yet, it’s a shot that’s underused and often underestimated.

1. The Classic LOB:

Whether it’s a hammer grip, a continental grip, or even a half-closed grip, the grip has many variations. Setting up is the same as backcourt shots; however, the position may be narrower.

As the head descends, the racket is raised. The player bends each leg to adjust the position of the racket, shifting weight to the back leg.

A shallow position to a high position is followed by an ascending trajectory of the racket’s end. There is no abrupt movement. During movement forward and upward, the knees are gradually extended.

Open racket heads enable the wrist to remain strong when it strikes the ball.

The racket moves with the trajectory of the ball. With the racket above the head and balance, the end of the movement is very high.

2. The Lifted LOB:

Whenever the opponent approaches the net without doing much damage and comes close to the net, a lifted lob is an attack lob. As the ball passes through the opponent, it falls rapidly to the court and scurries away.

When taking elevated shots from the back of the court, the player assumes the same preparation stance and grip. The racket is at ankle level after set up, the head is closed, the knees are bent, and the weight is transferred behind the back leg.

In order to initiate the shot, the player must thrust forward and upward with his back leg, while tilting up towards the sky, sending his racket head in an upward motion as he meets the ball.

Flexibility and relaxation are key upon impact to achieve great speed with the racket.

Continually moving up and forward, follow-through occurs in a prominent ascending direction. Rackets should be raised above the head at the end of the movement, with a balanced body.

3. The Slice LOB:

Defending with the slice lob is a shot that allows a player to move between shots by hitting a high shot.

Slice backcourt shots are taken with the exact grip and stance as backcourt slices. Racket heads should be open when set up is complete, roughly at ankle height. With the back leg shifted towards the ground, the knees bent.

To begin a shot, players must thrust upwards from the back leg, turn their bodies and send the racket head upwards toward the ball. Players should maintain an open head and firm wrist.

Following through upward and forward is the follow-through. The body and arms should remain balanced throughout the follow-through when the racket is raised at the end of the movement.

Conclusion:

You may one day surprise your opponent by hitting an offensive lob.

Your ability to use a defensive lob to escape trouble on a Tennis Court will likely prove useful sooner than you think.

It is essential to practice lobs to use any shot from your tennis toolbox.