A lob is an invaluable shot for defensive players looking to buy time from out-of-position situations, so taking lessons with your squash pro to perfect its technique is key to mastering such an effective shot.
3.0 players can begin honing this skill through drills and conditioned games, including boasts, lobs, and straight drive/volleys. These drills have proven very effective.
Positioning
The lob is an essential offensive shot, yet many players struggle to use it effectively. Although often seen as defensive shot, it can also be used as an excellent counter attack option to take time away from opponents and open up opportunities for counter attack play. Lobs can take many forms: take early to force errors from opponent teams or play it deep to put opponents back corner away and force weak defensive returns.
Asserting yourself early will allow you to regain control of the point and prevent your opponent from gaining position as they chase after a lob. Furthermore, taking early possession will allow you to utilize your feet more effectively and move into better positions in the backcourt – something many players struggle with due to standing still when hitting a lob.
As with any shot, getting the angle right when lobbing is crucial to its success. Too high and your ball may fly out of court too easily or too soft and it will drop into your opponent’s front corner where they can easily retrieve it. A great way to improve this aspect of your lob game is watching some of the top players like James Willstrop or Rachel Grinham play and then replicating their technique and angles for success – such as James Willstrop or Rachel Grinham as examples of such players can provide invaluable instruction on how best to execute and obtain correct angles with their shots and angles for their lob shots.
Use of lobs combined with drop shots is another powerful tactic to use against opponents, forcing them to take deeper drop shots while making the lob harder for them to reach. This method can effectively disrupt their game while keeping points long and the pace high!
Another key component to keep in mind when hitting a lob is the racket face. An open racket face will add spin and keep the ball airborne longer; closing your racket face may reduce control but will often result in it going out of court.
Technique
If your opponent has an effective drop game, it is wise to position yourself such that when they drop short it goes directly into your back corners and is in reachable range for you to volley back at them. A high lob can also serve to break an attacking rally by using it against them.
An effective way to master the high lob is through hitting drills and conditioned games, which will help improve timing and placement. An experienced squash coach can also aid with technique development. As this shot requires remaining low with your racquet face underneath the ball before finishing high, lessons from an expert squash instructor may prove especially helpful in perfecting its execution.
Boast and Cross Court Lob is an effective drill for 3.0 players, as it involves player A hitting a boast followed by player B responding with a cross court lob. This helps improve both timing of lob as well as movement into T position after boast.
Another essential drill is practicing your own lobs. Doing this will allow you to get used to their height and improve your ability to volley them, two vital skills for advanced players who must stay competitive even when their opponent dominates on T.
As part of playing a match, it is also crucial that you vary the pace and style of your lobs in order to keep your opponent off balance and make it harder for him or her to read them. Use your lob serve as leverage against them by trying to force a lower volley return from them.
During a match it is vitally important to use as many lobs as possible on your opponent to force him out of the T and force his volleys forward quickly, increasing their danger. Furthermore, it should also be beneficial to lob some returns at your attacker, thus forcing them to backpedal more and reduce his time spent in the T.
Trajectory
Volleys require an in-depth knowledge of racquet movement in order to gain power and control, no different than any other shot. All shots – be they drives, drops or lobs – use energy from legs as fuel for transfer through torso, arm and racquet into ball. Each shot also has a specific trajectory which determines where its final resting place may be.
As an example, playing a boast that is too high and wide will put your opponent into the back corner, where they may easily reach for your lob and take control of the T (the intersection between short wall, half court line and two corners). This is certainly not what you want!
If the ball is hit too low and hits the sidewall, it may rebound in front of you forcing you to quickly play a volley as there won’t be enough time for recovery into the T. A well placed lob can place the ball deep in the back corner forcing your opponent into taking weak defensive shots.
A lob can create an attacking opportunity, especially when combined with a drop. This combination is often seen in professional squash matches and skilled players will use this strategy to their advantage using height on the front wall as leverage.
As mentioned previously, lobs can also be used to create a “let” decision in rallies. When an opponent retreats and a rebounding player’s shot hits the floor before they can reach it, a referee may call a let (which doesn’t result in either team winning or losing any points) because no intentional interference occurred between their retreating players and the returning player’s shot hitting the floor before them. This “let” refers to how it doesn’t impact points won or lost in this instance!
The lob is a difficult shot to master, yet one of the most essential skills any squash player must learn. Though often thought of as defensive shot, when executed effectively it can also become powerful offensive weapon which will devastate opponents.
Landing
Success with lobs lies in landing it just above the back corner of the court, forcing your opponent to move into non-volley zone and not immediately hit another lob straight back.
To do this, the shot should be struck with plenty of topspin and high trajectory – this will slow the ball down while making it more difficult for your opponent to return as less bounce-back will likely occur.
Mastering this shot requires great strength in order to produce an accurate shot at sufficient speed. Unfortunately, many players fail at this technique either due to not possessing sufficient power or using too much upper body power resulting in weak hits.
A proper lob should be hit at approximately a 90 degree angle from the ground, providing more control over depth and direction of your shot. One mistake that players often make when striking lobs is coming at it from too wide an angle, producing low shots which are easily returned by their opponents.
Remind yourself that a good lob requires movement on your part as well. I often witness players staying rooted to the spot when their opponent hits a lob, which allows your opponent to close in quickly on you and quickly take away the ball by hitting it faster themselves.
Lastly, when hitting this shot it is essential that you use a minimal backswing in order to conserve energy and prevent your opponent from anticipating where your lob is headed. Doing this is an excellent way of disorienting them and forcing them out of position as they won’t know whether you will hit short or long shots from this.