By Eli Buenaventura
For Variety

HAVING been a baseline player all my life whether I am playing in a singles or doubles match, I never hesitate to hit a lob shot if opportunity allows me to do so. Actually, I credited some big points I and my partner, Roy Pangelinan, a net player, scored in the second round of the men’s 4.0 doubles division at the Guam Hilton Tennis Invitational over the weekend to my lobbing .
Here are some reasons I include a lob in my shot selections.
1) Most underpractice shot in tennis. For some reasons, many recreational and club players don’t practice lob shot. More often, I see them hitting ground strokes, a number of volleys, overheads and serves before they start the set. Because they don’t practice a lob shot, the bad thing is that if the lob goes over beyond their overhead zone, the offensive players now become the defensive ones. Spend time practicing with the lob shot and experience its effectiveness in your game.
2) Players don’t want to hit overhead shot all the time. Regardless of their level of play, most players avoid hitting overhead. They have two reasons: Execution must be precise as the descending ball behaves differently. The other reason is that players have to put extra effort if not double, to put the ball away. As tennis great, Arthur Ashe, said, “ I hate hitting overhead for it takes a lot of energy.”
3) Lob shot neutralizes an offensive net game. The lob shot keeps the offensive server and his partner at bay. I have seen a lot of players miss the opportunity to stop the powerful net game of their opponents by hitting the ball straight to the onrushing server. If you are in the deuce court, try to lob down the line and you will be surprised how easy you can rack up points.
4) Effective against tall players. Lob shot does not only give me a chance to get back to the point. It is also very effective against tall players and net huggers. I used a lot of lob shots at the Guam Hilton Tennis International last weekend and Roy and I won our event.
Here are the strategies and thoughts that I always apply when doing a lob.
1) Always check the netter. I observe my opponents where they stand all the time at the net. First, if they stand on the service line, I don’t lob. I use my normal groundstrokes instead. Second, if they are in the middle of the service box, I lob them crosscourt with caution. As in the groundstrokes, the court is longer hitting the lob crosscourt. And thirdly, if they are standing closer to the net, I have a lot of fun lobbing them with impunity.
2) Visualize the lob shot while on the run. Not all lobs are the same and under your control. For instance, when I am returning a lob on the run, I start visualizing where I am going to place the ball before my racket hits it. I make sure that my racket is facing the sky 60-degree angle depending on my position on the court.
3) Hit the ball up with your racket facing the sky higher. The big mistake in hitting the lob shot is that the racket is not on the right angle. Worst, to avoid the ball going out, they decelerate their swing. The result is a short lob ready to be put away by the opponent across the net. I try hitting the ball on different angles with my racket almost facing the sky. I hit it higher because it is tough to hit the ball going straight down.
4) Give your first game by hitting lob shots. This strategy does not seem to sound right. But by giving a game at the beginning of the match, I have two objectives: One reason is to get the feel of the lob shot. The other objective is to let my doubles opponents think that I will be lobbing them all the time. Always remember that hitting an overhead is not fun.
5) Put pressure to your opponent by lobbing. When we led the set at 5-4, I lob our opponents when were ahead 40-15. Under this condition, either of our doubles opponents is too pressured to hit an overhead. As a result, the return is weak and my partner is ready to blast to close the match.
Here are the drills I regularly do to hone my lob shot.
1) Crosscourt to crosscourt drill. Get a bucket of balls and stand on either the deuce court or the ad court. Practice hitting a lob shot crosscourt. Pay attention to the height of the ball and the angle of your racket. Adjust the angle of your racket to the desired spot you want the ball to land. 50 balls on the deuce court and 50 balls on the ad court will do the trick for your next match.
2) Serve and return lob drill. Have someone hit serves to you both on the deuce court and ad court and lob all the returns. You can return crosscourt or down the line. Pay attention to the trajectory and spin of the ball in relation to the angle of your racket. Also pay attention to the depth of your return.
Whether it is a social or a regular tournament match, try lobbing your opponents and have fun. Take it from me. I have done this for over 20 years since I learned the lob shot and it still works up to this day – at least for me.