When you are on a dead run and you want to hit a defensive lob, you probably do not have time to rotate your shoulder or transfer your weight. How do you make the defensive lob deep? On the forehand side, I can usually hit it deep because I have a strong forewarm and wrist. The problem is on the backhand side, my slice lob is often short when I am on dead run. My opponent can hit an easy high volley or overhead to put it away. How can I hit this slice lob deep? I'd rather it goes long than being put away.
backhand defensive lob on the dead run???
- Thread starter jkhtennis
- Start date
Marius_Hancu
Talk Tennis Guru
even on the run, I prefer the topspin lob for the control it offers.
just don't forget to close a little the racket face from the vertical and then swing upwards aggressively
just don't forget to close a little the racket face from the vertical and then swing upwards aggressively
SocalTennis
Rookie
If you feel it's hard to hit deep on the dead run, do you best to lob it as high as you could and the angle will hopefully bring it to deeper zone. good luck
Marius_Hancu said:
Thanks, Marius. I have a two-handed backhand. Most of the times I can do a topspin lob unless I get pulled really wide, then I have to hit a slice backhand lob, that's when I couldn't get it deep. Don't know whether I did something wrong with the swing or not. Maybe I am not pulling with the right musle.
Hard shot to hit and the advice so far leaves a lot to be desired because its just about imposible to hit a topspin lob on the shot described unless one can come under the shot and attempt to hit a forehand - kinda out of the question if I'm understanding the problem correctly. You might try to open up the racquet face or playing the ball a spec earlier. In any event, its a very difficult shot.
T
TezukaRocks
Guest
backhand lob on the run
My advice is swing directly up. The ball goes high into the air providing you with sufficient time recover/get into position. I use it on my forehand side from the baseline to charge the net, it lands only 1/2 ft away from the net!
My advice is swing directly up. The ball goes high into the air providing you with sufficient time recover/get into position. I use it on my forehand side from the baseline to charge the net, it lands only 1/2 ft away from the net!
TezukaRocks: Your lob lands only half a foot away from the net, but this is exactly what you're trying not to do. The other guy can easily put the ball away on the second bounce, or even the first if he's good enough. The lob gives you a lot of time, but charging the net isn't going to be useful if the ball is just going to be smashed into your face.
Unless you confused your words and wrote "net" instead of "baseline". Then, sorry for the misunderstanding.
Unless you confused your words and wrote "net" instead of "baseline". Then, sorry for the misunderstanding.
YEMntFtb
Rookie
You will see most pros when they are on the dead run tend to lob the ball up flat, or with slice, but very high. Also, most players may lunge into the shot, right foot forward. If you've ever watched player that is the real deal, you will notice they tend to do this, it gives them time to get back into position and possibly return the overhead if the lob is too shallow. If you're playing outdoors try to get it up really high, eventually you will get better, just practice it a lot. The topspin lob works well to but you have to have quick hands if your on the dead run.
Hit it harder.
Seems like lame advice, but it's probably not in your case. If you have hit enough of these shots, and are able to analyze your weakness to the extent that you can say with a reasonable degree of confidence that 'your slice lob is usually short when you're on a dead run,' then you are able to make simple corrections to your game.
The BH lob-on-the-run isn't an offensive shot by any means, and if you're being forced to hit one, you're all but out of the point already. The best you can hope for is to neutralize this bad situation as often as possible. You're not trying to hit an offensive shot; you're trying to hit a defensive shot that will succeed the greatest % of the times you try it over your tennis career.
That said, A) you know that right now you 'usually' hit it too short. Usually, as in the majority of the time. This is no way to maximize your results. B) You and virtually everybody has the strength to hit that ball over the back fence if you put your mind to it. You throw it up short because you're scared of hitting long. Not because you can't hit it deeper.
So you have to get over that fear and start hitting harder. It'll go deeper. It'll take a while before you figure out how hard is hard enough. And when you do, yeah, some'll go long. But if you have decent feedback mechanisms working in your brain, you'll get it to where the % of decent defensive balls hit that way is at a higher % that your current sub-50% number. Just get past the don't-hit-it-long psychological hurdle first. Just remember, hitting it long isn't that bad when the alternative is setting the opponent up to feed you a fuzz sandwich.
Seems like lame advice, but it's probably not in your case. If you have hit enough of these shots, and are able to analyze your weakness to the extent that you can say with a reasonable degree of confidence that 'your slice lob is usually short when you're on a dead run,' then you are able to make simple corrections to your game.
The BH lob-on-the-run isn't an offensive shot by any means, and if you're being forced to hit one, you're all but out of the point already. The best you can hope for is to neutralize this bad situation as often as possible. You're not trying to hit an offensive shot; you're trying to hit a defensive shot that will succeed the greatest % of the times you try it over your tennis career.
That said, A) you know that right now you 'usually' hit it too short. Usually, as in the majority of the time. This is no way to maximize your results. B) You and virtually everybody has the strength to hit that ball over the back fence if you put your mind to it. You throw it up short because you're scared of hitting long. Not because you can't hit it deeper.
So you have to get over that fear and start hitting harder. It'll go deeper. It'll take a while before you figure out how hard is hard enough. And when you do, yeah, some'll go long. But if you have decent feedback mechanisms working in your brain, you'll get it to where the % of decent defensive balls hit that way is at a higher % that your current sub-50% number. Just get past the don't-hit-it-long psychological hurdle first. Just remember, hitting it long isn't that bad when the alternative is setting the opponent up to feed you a fuzz sandwich.
Marius_Hancu said:
Very good advice here. The goal is to stay in the point - therefore, you must get the ball in. By hitting a topspin shot you're A) Adding something to concentrate upon whilst hitting; B) Giving yourself more margin for error; C) Possibly hitting a winner, as a TSL will carry out of the court.
Jet
Jet Rink said:
I have never seen a *professional* tennis player -- one who plays with a two-fisted BH, who gets extended so far that he has to reach for the ball one-handed on the dead run -- who can execute a 1HBH topspin lob in that situation more than like one time out of a million.
I think I might have seen Agassi do it once when he was a teenager, but he promptly apologized.
Asking a recreational two-hander to execute this shot is a recipe for losing every such point for the rest of his life. High and deep is about the best that can be hoped for.
Or maybe we have very different definitions of what "on the dead run" means?
