Physical Education

The Lob

An exclusively defensive shot, the lob is almost always used to return a smash far away from the table. A good lob will land deep in the table, with plenty of topspin/sidespin. The trick to lobbing is consistency. The opponent, provided he/she is skilled enough, will relentlessly attempt to smash every lob that comes his/her way. Occasionally they will try something else, but the most common scenario is the lob/kill rally. A lob requires plenty of anticipation and footspeed on the part of the lobber. Without either of those, one could not possibly hope to play catch up with a 100mph ball(although they do slow down considerably with distance).

To execute a lob, first detect the opponent's movements: if he/she is well into a smash, move back fast! Get ready, and drop your paddle low, along with the shoulder. Move the weight to the back foot. Bend your knees a bit more. When the ball comes your way, watch it carefully and push off on your knees, while bringing the entire arm up in an upward swinging motion. Hit the ball of the drop, on the back-bottom surface. Follow through high, then get ready for the unexpected(another smash, smother kill, etc.)!

Forehand lob

Backhand lob