The Most Irritating Shot in Pickleball

Plus: New Spartus Paddle Giveaway!

Jan 17, 2024

Once again, the “paddle of the week” is not just one paddle but an entire category - paddle sets! If you or someone you know is getting into pickleball, there’s nothing better than starting out with a paddle set. Most are inexpensive, and having two to invite a partner is good.

We’ve compiled a list of the best paddle sets for several categories, including the most popular, lightweight, complete set with net, best value, and most comfortable grip.

This is good to send to folks asking for advice on which first paddle to get. Check out our Best Pickleball Paddle Sets of 2024!

Hi Pickleballers -

One of the most watched YouTube pickleball videos of all time is a match between Anna Leigh and Leigh Waters vs. Yana Grechkina Newell and Regina Franco Goldberg.

Anna Leigh and Leigh were facing into the sun, and Leigh couldn’t see the ball on lob shots. As soon as their opponents figured it out, they hit lobs every chance they got. Leigh (understandably, in my opinion) lost her temper, and Anna Leigh had to call a timeout and walk her off the court. Here is the video…

First of all, Leigh Waters is fantastic. We’ve interviewed her on the Simply Pickleball Podcast, and she’s a great storyteller, pickleball player, and mother. Second of all, lobs are a frustrating shot to defend against. I didn’t realize how frustrating it was until this past weekend.

My partner and I played mixed doubles at a local indoor pickleball court. We had played against the woman before, a decent player with an affinity for hitting lob shots. It’s never been an issue since I can usually get back to the baseline and hit a decent return.

We had never played against her partner but expected a relatively easy match. Well, it was not an easy match and extremely frustrating. Turns out her partner also liked to hit lob shots. He liked to hit them so much that that’s all he hit. The whole game ended up with us trying to get up to the net and then retreating to the baseline to return lobs.

Maybe you all know how to deal with non-stop lobs, but I was lost and irritated. We ended up losing the first game 11-1 and only improved slightly over the course of three games. Determined to get better at defending against lobs (and using them in my own game), I started my research as soon as I got home. I have a lot to learn and am certainly not yet an expert at defending against them. However, below are a few things I’ve discovered…

How to Defend Against Lobs

Plan accordingly. In our situation, facing non-stop lobs, the first thing we should have done was step a few feet back from the kitchen line. We’ll be slightly out of position for dinks, but we’ll have a head start to get back to the baseline if they hit a lob.
Hit to their backhand. It’s much harder to hit backhand lobs.
Hit harder return of serve drives. A hard hit, well-placed return of serve back to your opponent's baseline will help deter them from hitting a third shot lob.
Weaker player to return the lobs. Our strategy was to have me (the stronger player) return the lobs. In hindsight, this was incorrect. If my partner was chasing down the lobs, I’d get a better read on where the ball will land, how they’ll return it, and where I need to be.
Have a good overhead slam. You must absolutely punish them every time they hit it short, and you can take it out of the air.
Return with a drop shot. If you can’t take the ball out of the air, return the ball with a drop/reset.
Return with a lob. This is a good option if your opponent is hitting perfect lobs right inside the baseline, and there isn’t much room for you to back up. In our case, we were backed up against a net, and this was our best option. However, returning a lob with a lob is a low-percentage shot.
Practice. Since that dreaded match, we’ve incorporated lobs into every warm-up and practice session. If you haven’t yet faced a lobber, you will, so be prepared!

I also realized that I don’t use the lob nearly enough. I rely on my dinks, speedups, and overall net play. But I don’t often hit lobs. Well, that’s about to change, so watch out!

Spartus Pickleball Paddle Giveaway!

Spartus and Simply Pickleball have teamed up to give away TWO Spartus pickleball paddles: 1 x Ballista V2 and 1 x Centurion.

Sign up today for the Spartus Paddle Giveaway! Reminder: you earn more entries and increase your chance of winning by taking more actions (follow us on IG, refer friends, and subscribe to our newsletters).

Also, check out our review of the Ballista V2 and Centurion. The Ballista is a control paddle geared toward intermediate and advanced players. The Centurion is a power paddle geared toward all levels.

Good luck, and we’ll provide regular updates each week!

Thank you for taking the time to read our newsletter and supporting Simply Pickleball. Do you have any topic you’d like me to cover, questions to answer, or maybe I didn’t get something right? Send me a note - I’d love to hear from you.

Happy Dinking!

Woody

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