How Pros Punish Players Who Keep Lobbing

For the pros, getting lobbed is a temporary setback. They are so quick to regain the net, but at the club level, we get lobbed, we get stuck at the back of the court, and then we are attacked on that next ball. In this video, we're going to talk about what the pros do when the lob goes up, what they're considering, how they can keep the net or regain it quickly if they've lost it. Facing the lob is something that is much more common at the intermediate level. At the beginner level, Players often play faster, they use the smash, they don't use the lob as much, they don't have as much control on the ball, or if they do use the lob, it's short and can be easily finished. But at an intermediate level, players are learning the game of padel, they're improving, they understand that a lob takes the net position, and they need to be patient and consistent. And so this is where you face opponents that do lots of lobs, lobbers that are just lobbing the ball up from the back of the court. And when they get lobbed, they stand there and they give you another lob back. And it can be really frustrating because Maybe you haven't perfected your vibora and your attacking shots enough, and then you get forced to the back of the court again. So we're going to teach you how to beat the lobbers, and we're going to approach it like the pros would. The first option is they don't lose the net. So the first is that the lob goes up and you can't stop your opponent lobbing. You have to accept that it's part of the game, but your first objective is to not lose the net. So the lob goes up, and anytime The ball is not deep, you are saying to yourself, I'm going to hit this overhead and recover the net position. At a pro level, this is the reason they use the jump bandeja or the jump vibora, that they are moving back in the court, they're getting to a position where they want to jump and hit and be able to return. So if you notice when they jump and they land, they are landing so their body weight can go forward. They are not moving back and jumping and then falling back into the court, because the reason they are using the jump is they are hitting a ball they might not otherwise be able to hit with the bandeja, and therefore contacting the ball and pushing forward again. Because remember, the most important thing about the bandeja is hitting it to recover the net. That is why you're hitting it. That is why you're not leaving it to bounce, is because you are going to hit this and then regain the net position. At the pro level, they have the jump bandeja or the jump vibora and they push back. But at a lower level, you might not be able to do that, or it's a very difficult technique to effectively hit. But for you, it might be that the lob goes up and you're coming back into this position and you are hitting your bandeja and immediately thinking recover the net. You're not hitting and ball watching and seeing where it goes and then decide to amble in. You are hitting with the intention that you immediately going to push forward. Now if you can get your bandeja where it bounces and it goes off side glass or it goes in towards back glass first or it touches the glass or fence, it's going to buy you more time to take the net. Remember, this first solution is don't lose the net in the first place, so when you are coming back here, the worst place for you to go is down the line because it's going to open up the gaps, then you're going to be forced to stay back and defend. So most of these will go cross-court, some will go down the middle. If they're approaching and they're coming up the court, down the middle soft is a good option, or cross-court, but immediately push and get back to net as fast as you can because hopefully your partner is also there. The second solution is win the net straight back. So the lob has gone over you, you've established it's too deep for you to be able to hit a bandeja and recover, So you're going to come back, the ball is going to bounce, and you're going to play the ball with the glass. Now the pros are thinking, how can I immediately get on the offensive? They are coming back in a position here, they're like a coiled spring where they're going to step in and be aggressive with that shot if they can, or they're going to play a very difficult ball, stretch their opponents immediately off that shot. Whereas the club player often is not even considering considering attacking that ball. They're often moving back in a position where the ball is going to be behind them, and then they are automatically thinking, let's lob this. Now, there's nothing wrong with that, and you can lob immediately back, but if you are used to this and your opponents are used to this, then you doing this, they might not come in all the way. They might leave big gaps, and they're waiting for you to hit a lob So you can be aggressive. So if you go back into this position and you get behind the ball as if to hit a bajada, but you're behind the ball, behind the contact, you can choose to lob. Yeah, but it's your choice based off good positioning as opposed to being forced to lob because you are scooping that ball back. Sometimes you see the pros getting stuck in the corner. If there is a lob and it's close to the glass, they may scoop out, but They're really in trouble, but most of the time it's a mentality thing. They are going back with this idea that I am going to attack this next ball. They get themselves into a good position, and often they go fast down the middle because that is difficult for both players at net to cover, or they go softer with angle towards the fence, forcing their opponents to stretch and probably play an easy ball that they could then approach on that next ball. to come into net. So when you go back, when you've been lobbed, take in that same mentality of, right, this is my opportunity, my first opportunity to get back and attack that position. Now, if that means practicing the technique on your bandeja, then that's something that you would need to work on. But most of this is footwork and getting into a good position with plenty of space by the ball. And the same with every shot in the game, the preparation is about footwork. It's about getting yourself in a good position around the ball, That is exactly why on thepaddleschool.com we have our free video Faster Feet for Padel. When you sign up, it's part of the access that you get, and they're follow-along videos off the court. And actually, some of them are moving back for either a bandeja or volley, or bajada and volley. And the idea is, is that you can practice that off the court, the movement patterns, specific padel movements, so that when you come back onto the court, it's going to be much easier. That lob goes over your head and And you are immediately light on your feet, getting yourself in a good position for the bajada. So I'm going to set you a little challenge that when you play a match this week, I want you to practice this specifically. This is a tactical focus within your match, which is what you should be focusing within your matches, is tactics, less about the technique. Is that every time you've lobbed, I want you to think about going on the offense on that very next shot. Now it doesn't mean that you have to be really aggressive with your bajada, you don't need to hit it fast, but I want you to take the approach that you will get back in a good position to potentially hit something into a space. And if the bajada is not part of your repertoire yet, you can just hit a medium speed, quite aggressive shot down the middle of the court and go from there, because that is where usually the gap is So when you get back behind this ball, say to yourself, here's my first chance to be a little bit offensive. And if you feel like they're pushing up to the net, then absolutely use the lob, but go back with the idea that you are going to take it to them on this next shot.