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by Pickleball Superstore February 05, 2023
We’ve all heard about the third shot drop and the third shot drive, but what about the third shot lob? It is a shot not often utilized on the pickleball court, especially as a third shot. It needs to be in your pickleball skill arsenal however.
A lob is a ball that is hit in a high arc to the back of the opponent’s court. Essentially, you want to hit this ball high over the net, over your opponents’ heads and away from their paddles. Landing the ball about 1-3 feet away from the baseline on your opponent’s side of the court.
Once you enter into the pickleball 3.5 skill level or above, focus on honing your lob to be over your opponents non-paddle shoulder. For a right handed player, hit the pickleball lob shot over their let shoulder to be the most effective.
REMEMBER: if you hit a lob shot shorter than desired, you’ve just set your opponent up with a great chance at an overhead smash shot. These can be frustrating shots and are hard to defend – you’re going to experience this until you master this shot.
Since the defensive lob is mostly a reactive shot, we will focus on the offensive lob when answering the question of when it’s a good idea to use or not.
Remember to practice your lobs before using them in a high-stakes match. It can be risky to use a lob, but if you use them strategically and pick a good moment, like those listed above, they can and will work in your favor.