Home › Puzzle › How soon can you tell how deep the lob is?
How soon can you tell how deep the lob is?
Start moving as the lob leaves the racket. Decide smash or bandeja at the peak of its arc.
A lob leaves the opponent's racket. When can you judge whether it is short enough to smash or deep enough to need a bandeja?
Start moving as the lob leaves the racket. Decide smash or bandeja at the peak of its arc.
Why
The overhead decision has a timeline. The first cue is the opponent's racket face: open and lifting means a lob, so you turn and start moving back immediately. The second cue is the peak of the lob's arc: its height and speed at the top predict where it lands, and that is where the smash-or-bandeja choice is made. A lob that peaks high and slow will land deep; one that peaks low and fast will land shorter. Players who wait until the ball is dropping to decide are always late, and players who guess from the racket are often wrong. Move on the racket, decide at the peak.
What this means at your level
Beginner
The moment you see a lob, turn sideways and start moving back. Then look at how high it goes to decide what to do.
Intermediate
Watch the ball reach its highest point. High and slow: deep, bandeja. Lower and quicker: short, smash.
Advanced
Wind and lighting change the read. Outdoors, re-calibrate in the warm-up by watching a few lobs peak and land.
Common questions
A lob leaves the opponent's racket. When can you judge whether it is short enough to smash or deep enough to need a bandeja?
Around the top of its arc. Start moving as the lob leaves the racket. Decide smash or bandeja at the peak of its arc. The overhead decision has a timeline. The first cue is the opponent's racket face: open and lifting means a lob, so you turn and start moving back immediately. The second cue is the peak of the lob's arc: its height and speed at the top predict where it lands, and that is where the smash-or-bandeja choice is made. A lob that peaks high and slow will land deep; one that peaks low and fast will land shorter. Players who wait until the ball is dropping to decide are always late, and players who guess from the racket are often wrong. Move on the racket, decide at the peak.
Why not when it bounces and you see the height?
By then you are deciding whether to play it off the glass. The choice between smash and bandeja has to come earlier.
What should a beginner do here?
The moment you see a lob, turn sideways and start moving back. Then look at how high it goes to decide what to do.
How does this change for an advanced player?
Wind and lighting change the read. Outdoors, re-calibrate in the warm-up by watching a few lobs peak and land.
Puzzles like this one
They lobbed you deep. Smash it or play the bandeja?
Deep ball, high hands: bandeja. The shot exists to keep you at the net, not to win the point.
intermediateShort, high and yours. Bandeja or smash?
Deep ball, bandeja. Short ball with your weight going forward, smash.
intermediateYou are hitting a bandeja. Cross-court or down the line?
Bandeja cross-court and deep by default. It buys margin, and it keeps you covered while you recover.