Tennis: Coaching Cue for
Optimal Distance on Lob Shots

Dick Moss, Editor, Physical Education Update.com

A Lob Shot Aimed So its Apex is Over the Net Will Only Reach the Opposing Service Line

The lob can be an effective shot for keeping opponents away from the net. But if you come up short on a lob, it gives your opponent a perfect overhead smash opportunity...and you'll quickly find yourself eating tennis ball.

If your students find that their lobs often come up short, it's probably because they're miscalculating the trajectory of their shots.

To Land Near the Baseline, Aim the Shot So its High Point is Over the Opposing Service Line

They should realize that a lob shot will descend at a much steeper angle than it ascends. So, if they are on their own baseline and aim the shot so its apex falls directly above the net - a logical aiming point if they are (incorrectly) assuming a symmetrical trajectory - the ball will drop only around the opposing service line.

"Yummy," says the opponent!

Coaching Cue for Lob Location
Instead of aiming so the apex of your lobs is above the net, aim for the high point to be above the opposing service line.

This will drop the ball closer to the opposing baseline -- a much better location for a lob shot.

Reference: Joe Dinoffeer, "Get More Length n Your Lobs." Tennis.com, 4/18/07.
http://www.tennis.com/yourgame/instructionarticles/drills/drills.aspx

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Tennis: Coaching Cue for Optimal Distance on Lob Shots

Tennis: Coaching Cue for
Optimal Distance on Lob Shots