Description:
Kyle Whatnall
A lob is an offensive shot that can be hard to defend. It can take you by surprise and forces you to backtrack to make the play. Thus, it’s important to use good footwork to turn and retreat as you track down the ball and play it back to your opponent.
Recognizing a lob and being able to react quickly can put you in a positon to hit an overhead attack and put your opponent on the defensive. Other times, particulary when your opponent disguises their lob well or simply hits a really well-placed shot, a good option is to let the ball bounce before returning the lob. This gives you a little more time to retreat and make a quality return. After the lob bounces, you can hit a drop to get back in the point. Since you’re already scrambling, it’s best to slow down the game so your team can regain a good court position. Review the scenarios that follow to gain an understanding of how to defend a lob, then watch the video for a demonstration.
Example 1
In this example, the far-side player on the left sends a lob to the near-side team. The near-side player on the left recognizes that his opponent has to play a low ball, so the return can only go high. Using good footwork along with anticipating the high shot , he retreats backward and is able to hit an overhead shot to stay in the point. The near-side team is able to maintain offensive pressure and, a few shots later, capitalizes on an opportunity to put the ball away.
Example 2
The near-side player on the left sends a lob to the far-side team. The far-side player on the right sees the lob coming, so he retreats and smashes an overhead shot to win the rally. Once again, anticipation and efficient footwork minimizes the effectiveness of his opponent’s lob shot and even allows him to hit an aggressive attack shot
Example 3
When the near-side team hits a very good lob to the back court, the far-side player on the right lets the ball bounce before hitting a quality drop. This allows the far-side team to get back in the point.
Example 4
In this final example, the far-side team sends a lob deep near the baseline. The far-side player on the left tracks it down, lets the ball bounce and hits back a drop. This gives her and her partner time to get back in position. They continue to play drop shots, eventually getting back to the kitchen and winning the point.