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Why do coaches call the lob the most important shot in padel?
The lob is how the point changes hands. It takes the net from them and gives it to you.
Every coach says the lob is the shot to learn first. What does it actually do that other shots do not?
The lob is how the point changes hands. It takes the net from them and gives it to you.
Why
Padel points are mostly won by the pair at the net, and the pair at the back cannot hit through two good volleyers. What they can do is go over them. A deep lob forces the net players to retreat, and while it is in the air the back pair moves forward and takes the net. That single exchange, lob, retreat, advance, is how the balance of a padel point shifts, and it is why the lob is taught before the smash, the volley or the bandeja. A player who can lob deep on demand is never out of a point; a player who cannot is only ever waiting to lose it.
What this means at your level
Beginner
Practise the lob more than any other shot for your first six months. Deep, high, and then walk forward.
Intermediate
The lob has variants: high and deep to reset, flat and fast to attack a pair standing close, sliced to hold up in the air. Learn the deep one first.
Advanced
At the top level the lob is disguised, hit late, and aimed at the backhand overhead every time. The fundamentals never change; the precision does.
Common questions
Every coach says the lob is the shot to learn first. What does it actually do that other shots do not?
It changes who has the net. The lob is how the point changes hands. It takes the net from them and gives it to you. Padel points are mostly won by the pair at the net, and the pair at the back cannot hit through two good volleyers. What they can do is go over them. A deep lob forces the net players to retreat, and while it is in the air the back pair moves forward and takes the net. That single exchange, lob, retreat, advance, is how the balance of a padel point shifts, and it is why the lob is taught before the smash, the volley or the bandeja. A player who can lob deep on demand is never out of a point; a player who cannot is only ever waiting to lose it.
Why not it wins points outright when it lands?
Rarely. The lob wins position, and the position wins the point two shots later.
What should a beginner do here?
Practise the lob more than any other shot for your first six months. Deep, high, and then walk forward.
How does this change for an advanced player?
At the top level the lob is disguised, hit late, and aimed at the backhand overhead every time. The fundamentals never change; the precision does.
Puzzles like this one
Both 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.
intermediateWhat do you do with the return of serve?
The return lob is how the receiving pair steals the net. Aim over the player who is still moving.
advancedThey are camped at the net and you cannot lob. What now?
If you cannot lift it over them, make them lift it for you. The chiquita is a slow ball at their feet.