Pickleball Advice of the Day…
When a lob is hit over your head, the player on the opposite side of the lobbed ball should run back to retrieve it. For example, if the lob is hit to your right, your partner should run back to retrieve it, while you slide to the right to cover the space they vacated. This ensures better court coverage and minimizes the risk of injury from running backward.
Diagonal Responsibility:
If you’re at the non-volley line (kitchen) and your opponent lobs the ball over your head, your partner, who is on the opposite side of the court, should run back diagonally to retrieve the ball.
Sliding Over:
As your partner runs back, you should slide over to cover the space they’ve vacated, creating a more effective court coverage strategy.
Avoiding Backpedaling:
Running backward to retrieve a lob is generally discouraged as it can be risky, potentially leading to falls and injuries. Also, if you head straight back, you can lose track of the ball and you may have the issue of running into the ball and not being able to hit it over the net.
Communication is Key:
Good communication between partners is crucial to ensure that both players know who is responsible for which shots.
Shot Selection:
When returning a lob, consider hitting a drop shot into the kitchen to force your opponents to come forward or a drive to keep them back. As you think about it, you will have limited time to set so you may not be able to hit an effective drive. A drop shot may be the easy shot to hit as you work through your shot selection.
Teamwork:
The lob is a team shot, and both players need to work together to cover the court effectively and return the lob strategically.