The Art of the Tennis Lob
The lob is the most disrespected shot in tennis — and the most underused. Club players either never lob (and get destroyed at the net by aggressive volleyers) or lob badly (short, floaty balls that get smashed into the next postcode). A well-timed lob is one of the most effective shots in the game, especially in doubles. Here's how to hit both types and when to deploy them.
Two Lobs, Two Purposes
There are exactly two types of lob in tennis, and confusing them is where most players go wrong. Each has a completely different technique, purpose, and risk profile:
| Factor | Defensive Lob | Offensive Topspin Lob |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Buy time to recover position | Win the point outright |
| When to use | You're stretched wide, off-balance, or desperate | Opponent is tight to the net, not expecting it |
| Height | Very high — 6-8 metres above the net | Lower — 2-4 metres, just clearing their reach |
| Spin | Minimal (flat or slight backspin) | Heavy topspin — ball dips and kicks away |
| Swing speed | Slow, open-faced push upward | Full swing — same racket speed as a groundstroke |
| Risk | Low — even a mediocre defensive lob buys time | High — if it's short, you've served up an easy overhead |
| Difficulty | Easy to learn, just needs height | Hard — requires topspin technique and precise timing |
Defensive Lob Technique
The defensive lob is a survival shot. You're stretched wide, the opponent is at the net waiting to put the volley away, and your only option is to send the ball high and deep to buy yourself 3-4 seconds to recover.
Open the racket face
Tilt the racket back to about 45 degrees — the strings face the sky more than the net. Use your existing grip; there's no time to change it when you're scrambling.
Push under the ball
Swing gently from low to high with an open face. You're not hitting the ball hard — you're lifting it. Contact the bottom half of the ball and push upward. The ball should travel almost vertically at first.
Aim deep
The ball needs to land within 1-2 metres of the baseline. A defensive lob that lands at the service line is a sitting duck for an overhead smash. Aim for height — 6-8 metres above the net. Too high is better than too low.
Recover immediately
The moment you hit the lob, sprint back to the centre of the baseline. The whole point of the defensive lob is buying recovery time — waste that time watching the ball instead of moving and you've defeated the purpose.
Offensive Topspin Lob Technique
The topspin lob is one of the most satisfying shots in tennis — and one of the hardest to execute. When it works, the ball sails over the net player's outstretched racket, dips sharply due to topspin, and kicks away after bouncing. It's essentially unreturnable. When it doesn't work, you've hit a short lob that gets put away for a winner.
The key difference from a regular topspin groundstroke is the angle of your swing path. Instead of brushing up at about 45 degrees (normal topspin), you brush up at 70-80 degrees — almost straight up. The racket face stays semi-closed (semi-western or western grip), and your wrist action creates the sharp upward trajectory.
Contact point is lower than usual — around knee to mid-thigh height. This gives you the angle to send the ball up sharply while still applying topspin. If you try to hit a topspin lob from waist height, the ball goes too flat and doesn't clear the net player.
When to Lob: The Decision Framework
| Situation | Lob or Pass? | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Opponent crowding the net (inside service line) | Lob | Maximum space behind them, minimal time to retreat |
| Opponent at service line (standard volley position) | Either | They have time to back up — consider a passing shot first |
| Sun directly behind your opponent | Lob | They'll stare into the sun tracking the ball — free points |
| Strong headwind | Pass | Wind holds lobs up, making them hang and drop short |
| Strong tailwind | Lob | Wind carries the lob deep and makes the overhead harder |
| Doubles — both opponents at the net | Lob | Lob over the weaker overhead player to reset the point |
| You've already lobbed twice this game | Pass | They're expecting it — hit the passing shot they're not ready for |
Practice Drills for the Lob
- Target lob drill: Place a target (towel or bag) 1 metre inside the baseline on the opposite side. From the baseline, hit 20 defensive lobs aiming for the target. Track how many land within 2 metres of it. Accuracy above 40% means your depth control is solid. Use practice balls so you're not chasing after every shot.
- Partner volley-lob exchange: One player at the net, one at the baseline. The net player hits volleys; the baseline player responds with lobs. The net player must retreat and hit overheads. 10 reps, then switch. This drills both the lob and the overhead simultaneously — and shows you in real-time whether your lobs are deep enough. More partner drill ideas in our two-player drills guide.
- Topspin lob from short ball: Partner feeds a short ball to your forehand. Instead of hitting a passing shot, hit a topspin lob over an imaginary net player. The lob must clear 3 metres above the net and land inside the baseline. This is the hardest lob to execute — start with 10 attempts and aim for 3 successful ones.
- Lob under pressure: Play points where the baseline player gets only one shot option per point (called before the point starts): lob, pass, or free choice. When "lob" is called, you must lob regardless of positioning. This trains you to execute the shot under match conditions, not just in feeding drills.
The Lob in Doubles
In doubles, the lob is arguably the most important shot in your arsenal. When both opponents are at the net (the standard attacking formation), a good lob over the weaker overhead player forces them to retreat and resets the point to neutral. Even if the lob isn't perfect, it makes net players hesitate — and hesitation at the net means they start backing up, which opens gaps for passing shots. See our doubles strategy guide for how the lob fits into the bigger doubles picture.
The best time to lob in doubles is when the net player poaches aggressively. If they're constantly cutting off your cross-court shots, one good lob sends a clear message: stay home or I'll go over you. That threat alone creates space for your passing shots for the rest of the set. For the volleys you'll need when your own lob draws you into the net, check our volley guide.
Night Tennis Lob Tip
Lobbing under lights has one unique advantage: the ball disappears into the dark sky above the floodlights. If you play evening sessions with LED balls, the glow actually makes tracking easier for both players — but on a poorly lit court with standard balls, a high defensive lob is essentially invisible for 2-3 seconds. Use that to your advantage.
Add the lob to your game
Practice balls for high-rep drilling, LED balls for evening sessions, and everything else to sharpen your doubles game.