Home › Puzzle › They lob every single ball. How do you adjust?
They lob every single ball. How do you adjust?
Against a lobbing pair, stand a step deeper at the net. Trade the low volley for the overhead.
This pair lobs everything. You are being pushed back from the net over and over again. What do you change?
Against a lobbing pair, stand a step deeper at the net. Trade the low volley for the overhead.
Why
Net position is a trade-off, not a fixed spot. Standing tight to the net wins you the low volley and loses you the lob; standing half a metre deeper loses a little of the volley and wins you the ball above your head. Against a pair that lobs relentlessly that trade is obviously worth making. You get to their lobs in the air, you play bandejas instead of running to the glass, and after a few of those they stop lobbing, which was the real objective.
What this means at your level
Beginner
Two metres from the net is normal. Against lobbers make it two and a half, and stay patient.
Intermediate
Watch their contact point on every ball. Reading the lob early is what lets you stand deeper without losing the short ball.
Advanced
Stagger the pair. One holds the tighter position to punish the drive while the other sits deeper to cover the lob, and you rotate depending on which diagonal the ball is on.
Common questions
This pair lobs everything. You are being pushed back from the net over and over again. What do you change?
Stand a step deeper and take the lobs early. Against a lobbing pair, stand a step deeper at the net. Trade the low volley for the overhead. Net position is a trade-off, not a fixed spot. Standing tight to the net wins you the low volley and loses you the lob; standing half a metre deeper loses a little of the volley and wins you the ball above your head. Against a pair that lobs relentlessly that trade is obviously worth making. You get to their lobs in the air, you play bandejas instead of running to the glass, and after a few of those they stop lobbing, which was the real objective.
Why not move even closer to cut everything off?
That is the opposite adjustment. Closer to the tape means more court behind you, which is exactly the court they are aiming at.
What should a beginner do here?
Two metres from the net is normal. Against lobbers make it two and a half, and stay patient.
How does this change for an advanced player?
Stagger the pair. One holds the tighter position to punish the drive while the other sits deeper to cover the lob, and you rotate depending on which diagonal the ball is on.
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.
beginnerThe ball is at your feet at the net. What now?
A ball below the net cannot be attacked. Block it deep and wait for one above the tape.
beginnerBoth of them are at the net. What is the highest-percentage ball?
Only the lob moves a net pair backwards. Everything else invites them forward.