The Offensive Lob: Pickleball's Most Overlooked Weapon

Instead of trying to hit through your opponent, why not go over them?

The lob has a bit of a reputation problem in pickleball. For most players, it is the "oh no" button. You are out of position, you are scrambling, and you toss up a prayer hoping to buy a few seconds of life. It is a defensive white flag.

But Tyson McGuffin, one of the most recognizable faces in the pro game, wants you to stop thinking of the lob as a bailout and start thinking of it as a dagger.

In a recent video on his YouTube channel, McGuffin breaks down why the offensive lob is the most ignored weapon in the game. He calls it the "senior speed-up," but do not let the name fool you. This isn't just for the 65-plus crowd; it is a rhythm-breaker that can leave even the twitchiest young players looking like they are stuck in wet cement.

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Why the Lob is Actually Offensive

Most of us were taught that the kitchen line is a place for dinking until someone makes a mistake. We wait for the high ball to smash or the speed-up to counter. McGuffin suggests a third option.

The goal here is not just to survive; the goal is to change the rhythm. When you are locked in a cross-court dink battle, everyone gets into a groove. By introducing an offensive lob, you flip the point on its head.

Even if the lob does not land for a winner, it forces your opponents into a scramble. They have to retreat, hit a weak overhead, or drop the ball back while moving backward. None of those are fun options.

The Art of the Bait

The secret sauce to a successful offensive lob is disguise. If your opponent sees it coming, you are just giving them a free overhead. McGuffin talks about "bait dinks." You want to show the exact same look for your dink as you do for your lob.

• Keep your paddle tip down
• Do not look up at the sky before you hit it
• Do not take a massive backswing

You want to be sneaky. Honestly, the best lobs look like a mistake until they are ten feet over the opponent's head.

He demonstrates this by using a "push dink" that leads into a "lift." By maintaining a consistent paddle presentation, you keep the opponent guessing. Are you going to drop it short? Are you going to speed it up at their chest? Or are you going to send it to the baseline? That hesitation is all you need to win the point.

Identifying the 'Please Lob' Sign

How do you know when to pull the trigger? McGuffin points out a specific type of player who is practically begging to be lobbed. Look for the "over-leaner." You know the type.

They have a super wide stance, they are hunched over the kitchen line, and they are trying to take every single ball out of the air. They are "chasing trash," as Tyson puts it. When someone is that committed to leaning forward, their center of gravity is totally compromised. They cannot pivot. They cannot retreat quickly.

McGuffin says there might as well be a sign on their forehead that says "Please Lob." If you see that wide stance and heavy forward lean, send it over their left shoulder (if they are right-handed). It is the most difficult spot for them to recover from because it forces a backhand overhead while moving backward. That is a recipe for a miss or a very weak return.

Line vs. Cross-Court: The Geometry of Winning

While a line lob is great for catching someone off guard, McGuffin actually prefers the cross-court lob. Why? Because math.

The court is longer diagonally. You have more room for error. Plus, if you are playing against two righties, a cross-court lob forces the person on the left to move diagonally backward, which is an incredibly awkward movement. It disrupts their court positioning and usually leaves a massive gap for your next shot.

Whether you are hitting it off the bounce or out of the air, the key is to keep the head down and stay disguised.

Stop treating the lob like a last resort. Start treating it like the tactical nuke it actually is.

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