The Complete Guide to the Pickleball Lob: How to Hit It, When to Use It and How to Return One Hit Over You

Coach Yoshi

Owner of Pickleball Lab

Published October 17, 2026

Updated October 24, 2026

About 17 min read

10332 characters

The Complete Guide to the Pickleball Lob: How to Hit It, When to Use It and How to Return One Hit Over You

You keep dinking at the kitchen line, you gradually find yourself under pressure, and before you know it, you've lost the point. When you want to turn that kind of flow around, one shot you can use is the lob, which sails over your opponents' heads.

I'm Coach Yoshi. I've played tennis for 15 years and discovered pickleball in 2026. In tennis, too, a lob over the head of an opponent who has rushed the net is a classic counter. In pickleball, the basic formation has all four players lined up at the net, so situations where a lob works come up naturally. In this article, I'll cover how to hit a lob, when to use it and how to return one that's been hit over you.

Why the Lob Works in Pickleball

A lob is a high, arcing ball that goes over your opponent's head and lands deep in the court.

In pickleball doubles, the basic formation is for both teams to move up to just behind the kitchen line and trade shots from there. The kitchen (non-volley zone) is the area extending 7 feet (about 2.13 m) from the net where you can't hit the ball before it bounces. Once a rally settles down, all four players are lined up at the net.

Overhead diagram of the basic doubles positions. On each side of the net, both players on each team line up just behind the kitchen line, and no one is in the space behind them all the way back to the baseline. Below the diagram, text (in Japanese) reads: 'The strongest setup is both partners together at the kitchen line. Line up side by side to form a single wall.'

Under the official court dimensions, the distance from the kitchen line to the baseline is 15 feet (about 4.57 m). Behind opponents who have moved up to the net, this entire space is wide open. If you drop a lob into it, your opponents have no choice but to turn and retreat, and in one stroke you can put opponents who had the upper hand at the net on the defensive.

I cover the basics of formation in Doubles Formations and Positioning and the exchanges at the net in 5 Fundamentals to Win Dink Battles.

💡 Coach Yoshi's Tip The lob works because you save it for the right moment. If you put one up every time, your opponents will read it and wait for it, already backed up. After a few dinks in a row, once your opponents start leaning forward, hit one. That frequency is plenty.

How to Hit a Lob

You hit a lob as an extension of a dink.

Lift It from the Same Setup as Your Dink

The most important thing is not letting your opponents realize it's a lob until just before you hit it. Your low stance with bent knees, your backswing and your foot position should all be the same as for a dink. USA Pickleball's explanation also says that the only thing you change is the very last moment of the swing (the follow-through). If you lean back or take a bigger backswing, your opponents will read it, and you'll give them time to back up.

Tilt the Face Up Slightly and Carry the Ball Forward and Up

Turn the paddle face slightly upward and send the ball forward and up from underneath. Rather than hitting it hard, think of scooping it up and carrying it. Make contact in front of your body. If you reach for a ball far from your body, you won't have control.

Aim for the Backhand Side, with Depth Near the Baseline

A short lob is a perfect smash opportunity for your opponent. But if it's too long, it goes out and you lose the point. Aim for a depth that lands near the baseline.

For direction, I recommend going over your opponent's head on their backhand side. A backhand overhead (a shot that hits a ball above your head from above) is harder to hit hard than one on the forehand side. Against a right-handed opponent, picture sending it over their left shoulder.

Height: Just Out of Reach of Your Opponent's Paddle

As a guide for height, aim for just out of reach even when your opponent stretches out their arm and paddle. Too low and it gets smashed; too high and your opponent has time to back up before the ball comes down. If you aim for the backhand side, a slightly lower lob gets through more easily. Against a tall opponent, you need that much more height.

When to Use the Lob and When to Hold Off

An offensive lob works when both opponents are at the kitchen line, leaning forward and expecting the next ball to be a dink or a drive. USA Pickleball also names this as the best time.

On the other hand, hold off in situations like these.

Your opponents are staying back: They don't need to retreat, so it just becomes a target for a smash
You're off balance: You can't lift it to the depth you want, and it tends to land short
You've already hit several in the same match: Your opponents will read it and wait for it, already backed up

There's also the "defensive lob," which you hit high and deep when you're under pressure, to buy time for your team to recover. You hit it with a higher arc than an offensive lob.

Wind, Sun and Indoor Considerations

Because a lob spends a long time in the air, it's strongly affected by the wind. With the wind at your back, it carries and tends to go out; into the wind, it gets pushed back and tends to fall short. On windy days, rethink whether to hit one at all. I've covered how to adjust for each wind direction in Pickleball in the Wind. Also, a lob hit when your opponent is facing the sun is a hard ball for them to track.

Indoors, with no wind, it's easier to judge distance, but under the official rules, if your shot hits the ceiling or a light fixture before it bounces, it's a fault on your side. In venues with low ceilings, go easy on high lobs. I cover the features of indoor courts in The Complete Guide to Indoor Pickleball.

How to Return a Lob Hit Over You

Learn how to handle a lob hit over your own team as a set with hitting one.

The best defense is anticipation. For example, right after your partner has been pulled forward by a short dink is a moment when you're likely to be lobbed. USA Pickleball's explanation says that if you call it at that point and cover for your partner, your opponents' lob loses its effect.

Once the ball goes up, keep these three things in mind.

Don't backpedal: If you retreat backward with your weight on your heels, you're more likely to lose your balance and fall. A sports medicine physician at a U.S. hospital also warns that backpedaling after a lob, falling and suffering a fracture or head injury is a common scenario. Turn your body sideways to retreat, and for a deep lob, turn around and run
If you can reach it, hit an overhead: Move your feet first and get directly under the ball or slightly behind it. From there, extend your arm and make contact in front of your body
If you can't reach it, let it bounce and reset: Don't force a smash. Let the ball bounce, return it with a drop that falls softly into your opponents' kitchen, and move back up to the net. The same goes for when you lose the ball in the sun

I explain how to hit a drop in How to Hit a Third Shot Drop in 5 Steps, how to work your way back up to the net in Mastering the Transition Zone and the basics of moving your feet in Pickleball Footwork.

💡 Coach Yoshi's Tip If you have a tennis background, when you see a ball floating up, you'll naturally want to put it away with a smash. But rather than hammering a ball you may not even reach from an off-balance position, letting it bounce and keeping the rally alive gives you and your partner time to get back up to the net. Don't try to win it all back with one shot. First, reset.

Common Lob Mistakes and How to Fix Them

Mistake	Cause	Fix
Too short and gets smashed	You're only lifting it up, not carrying it forward	Aim near the baseline and follow through forward and up
Too long and goes out	Too much force, or a tailwind	Scoop and carry instead of pushing it. Adjust your force to the wind direction
Your setup gives it away	A big backswing, or leaning back	Keep the same setup as a dink and raise only the final follow-through
It goes up to your opponent's forehand side	You're lifting it without choosing a direction	Aim over your opponent's head on their backhand side

Summary

The lob is a shot that turns pickleball's formation, with all four players lined up at the net, against your opponents. From the same setup as a dink, send it deep over your opponent's head on the backhand side. Save it for moments when both opponents are leaning forward. When one is hit over you, turn sideways to retreat, and if you can't reach it, let it bounce and reset with a drop. If you learn offense and defense as a set, you won't panic even when you're under pressure at the net.

In practice, try mixing a single lob, hit from the same setup, into a dink rally. Ask your practice partner, "Could you tell it was coming?" to check whether your setup is giving it away.

References

Author

Coach Yoshi / Owner of Pickleball Lab

Former international ski competitor and active tennis coach. Discovered pickleball in LA in 2026 and has play-tested more than 100 paddles from Japan and around the world. Pickleball Lab is Japan's exclusive authorized distributor of Engage Pickleball (as of May 2026).

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