Backhand Lob
Backhand Lob
Preparation
Backhand grip
Run and plant foot
Short backswing on defensive lobs
Swing
Open racket face
Low-to-high swing
Follow-Through
High racket finish on defensive lobs
Complete follow-through on offensive lobs
Misstep
Lobs are hit out.
Correction
Reduce the length of your backswing, don’t swing as hard, or compensate for wind at your back.
When you are defending against a smash, you don’t have much choice about what to do or how to do it. Staying in the point one more shot is the goal. But when you have time to set up and your opponent is expecting a groundstroke, a well-disguised offensive lob—forehand or backhand—can win the point being played and can give your opponent something else to worry about the next time she comes to the net.
Hold the racket as you would for any groundstroke, although you may have to hold it tighter just before contact with the ball to withstand the force of an opponent’s smash. No special grip is required. If a shot comes to your forehand side, use the grip you have been practicing for forehand groundstrokes. Change to a one-handed or two-handed backhand to hit lobs from the opposite side. Look at it this way: The lob is just another way of executing a forehand or backhand, but it’s hit higher, softer, and preferably deeper than a normal groundstroke.
Tennis: Steps to Success Jim Brown,Camille Soulier