How to Hit a Lob in Pickleball

Here is a step-by-step guide on how to hit a lob shot in pickleball:

1. Get into position. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent. Your paddle should be held in front of you with your dominant hand on the top of the paddle and your non-dominant hand on the bottom.
2. Take a short backswing. Your backswing should be no more than a few inches. You want to keep your paddle low to the ground so that you can hit the ball with a lot of underspin.
3. Hit the ball with underspin. To do this, you need to brush up on the back of the ball as you hit it. This will cause the ball to dip down as it travels through the air.
4. Follow through. After you hit the ball, your paddle should continue to move in the same direction as the ball. This will help you to generate more power and control.

Here are some additional tips:

• Use a soft touch. You don’t want to hit the ball too hard, or it will go out of bounds.
• Aim for the back of your opponent’s court. This will make it difficult for them to return the shot.
• Be patient. It takes time to learn how to hit a good lob shot. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t get it right away. Just keep practicing and you’ll eventually get the hang of it.

Here are some common mistakes to avoid when hitting a lob shot in pickleball:

• Hitting the ball too hard. This will cause the ball to go out of bounds.
• Not using enough underspin. This will cause the ball to go too high in the air and give your opponent an easy opportunity to return it.
• Not following through. This will cause you to lose power and control over the shot.

You might want to take a look at a few YouTube videos on the lob shot. I suggest these two as being among the best: “Pickleball Lob-How to Hit an Offensive Lob” with C.J. Johnson and
“3 Keys To Hitting A Winning Offensive Lob Without Eating An Overhead Smash” with Jordan Briones

With a little practice, you’ll be hitting lob shots like a pro in no time.

The information in this blog post comes from my research and experience playing pickleball and can be found in my books — HOW TO GET STARTED PLAYING and HOW TO IMPROVE FROM BEGINNER TO INTERMEDIATE IN PICKLEBALL — both are available on Amazon. I hope you learn something from this post that you can take onto the courts to help you improve your game.