Professionals agree that the lob is the most crucial padel shot. Enhancing this one-shot can greatly increase the consistency of winning matches for club players. Dedicated training and changing your thinking to shoot deep are the keys to becoming a better lob.
The Training Trap for Lobs
The majority of club players don’t properly train their lob. In order to give opponents time to practice smashes, the lobs hit during warm-ups are typically brief, creating a negative habit for match play.
Issue: During matches, players frequently practice short lobs or merely use them as a quick feed for a partner’s overhead exercise.
Solution: Even if the deep lob momentarily irritates a partner who is attempting to practice smashes (such as the vibora or smash), you must set aside dedicated training time for it.
Get Rid of Your Glass Fear
Club players often underhit and leave the ball short because they are afraid of hitting it too long (hitting the back glass).
The analogy is that the pro strategy is similar to aiming for a bucket. They may miss a lot at first, but they soon figure out their range and settle down. Club players frequently fail every time because they are afraid.
The Mentality Change: Don’t be scared to strike the glass. If you miss a lob deep, it’s a “good mistake,” but if you miss a short, you almost certainly lose the point.
The Drill: Set aside time to practice lobs, making it a conscious effort to miss each one long rather than short. You’ll be shocked at how fast you learn your range and how few deep lobs you really miss. Professionals even choose to return first in order to determine their range with the lob early in the game because of this mentality.
How to Hit the Lob and When to Use It
Both an offensive and a defensive shot should be employed with the lob.
When to Apply It:
When you are certain that you will hit a decent lob, use it at a reasonable moment.
It works especially well as an aggressive stroke when the ball is short. To give you and your partner time to take the net, consider a good, deep lob rather than a challenging passing shot.
When you are in a tight spot and just trying to make it through the point, don’t use the lob as a “last resort” because these desperate lobs typically don’t work.
Technical Guidance:
Make it easy (“the shovel” method): To get accuracy and distance, push the ball high and flat.
Avoid the tennis habit: Tennis players with a “wristy” topspin lob need to change their technique. In padel, you need to practice coming underneath the ball and hitting it flat (up-and-under contact) instead of hitting up the back of the ball.