When and How to Use The Pickleball Lob: Offensive and Defensive

The lob, when used offensively and at the right time and place, can provide a strategic change of pace. It moves the other team back in the court and causes them to lose positional advantage. A defensive lob can buy you time from deep in the court when you’re being attacked, especially if you can’t play an effective drop shot. But the offensive lob is really the fun shot. You’re up at the kitchen line, you get a ball you can handle, loft it over their head, and watch them scurry back for it. It can change the momentum of a point and earn you many winners that wouldn’t be possible by just playing the ball softly in the kitchen.

The Risks and Rewards of Lobbing

The lob is a simple stroke but requires practice to develop the right touch. When it goes wrong, a flubbed lob—sometimes called a “flob”—can result in you getting whacked from close range and might earn you a stink eye from your partner, who rubs his new pickleball tattoo. Despite the risks, lobbing is definitely a weapon you want in your arsenal. Let’s explore when, how, and where to hit this shot.

How to Perfect the Offensive Lob

Remember, lobbing from the kitchen is often your best bet. First, you need to wait for the right ball—a ball that sits up in front of you, allowing you to get underneath and take it over your opponents’ heads (Figure 1).

Figure 1

Second, make it look like a dink until the last moment. As you approach the ball, everything about your body should say “dink” until you decide it’s a lob. Follow through high to get the ball over their backhand shoulder (Figure 2). Once you get comfortable with this, you can add a little topspin to make the ball hit and spin away from your opponent.

Figure 2

Wind Considerations and Lob Placement

Don’t forget about the wind. Lobbing into the wind is easier than downwind since the wind holds the ball up, allowing it to drop into the court at the last second. When you find the right opportunity, lift the ball over your opponent’s head—preferably over the backhand shoulder, since most players struggle with a powerful backhand overhead.

You can even lob off a volley for an extra element of surprise. Keep your backswing short like a dink, get below the ball with your paddle, then sweep upward and follow through to a smooth, high finish.

Defending Against the Lob

Lobbing can be a lot of fun, but what happens when your opponents lob you? Here’s how to defend the shot. When your partner scrambles to return a lob, you should retreat to the opposite side of the court, about 10 feet inside the baseline. If your partner drops the ball into the kitchen, you can move forward. If the ball is lobbed high again, you can move back with your partner to take a defensive position.

Final Thoughts

To wrap things up, my lobbing consultant, Cabo, wanted to remind you that lobbing is an important part of the game.

It adds unpredictability and variety, especially when used sparingly to maintain the element of surprise. For senior players, it’s a crafty weapon that doesn’t require much power, just practiced touch, to send the other team into scramble mode. Disguise the lob as a dink until the last second, sweep upward from under the ball to a high finish, and aim for your opponent’s backhand shoulder whenever possible. When mastered, the lob can become another great arrow in your quiver.

Have fun with it! See you on the court!