To practise a deep padel lob, first control the racket path, then aim for a useful landing zone, and finally test whether the shot gives your pair time to move forward. This progression is for players who can lift the ball but often leave it short or hit without recovering as a pair. It develops the shot from a predictable feed into a live point rather than asking you to add power straight away.
LTA Padel’s lob technique guide recommends preparing early, getting side-on, opening the racket face and moving the racket from low to high. It describes a useful deep target as a bounce beyond the service line but before the back glass, and suggests a cross-court direction for the longer distance. Treat that landing zone as a practice reference, not a rule: the right height and depth change with the opponents and the ball you receive.
What makes a lob useful in padel?
A lob is a high shot over the opponents, commonly used to push a net pair back and give your team time to improve its position. A high ball that lands short may still be easy to attack. A very deep ball that reaches the glass can also give opponents a different overhead opportunity. In practice, you are trying to combine enough height to clear them with enough depth to make the next contact less comfortable.
The lob is part of a wider decision. If your opponents are at the net, a lob may help you recover space; once they respond, your pair still has to read whether to advance or defend. For the shot choice after an opponent lobs, see our guide to bandeja, víbora and smash decisions. This drill focuses on hitting your own lob and following the next ball.
The four-stage deep-lob progression
Use a partner as feeder and alternate sides. Keep the first feeds comfortable. The suggested sets simply organise practice; they are not a skill test or an official coaching protocol.
| Stage | Setup and task | What to check before progressing |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Find the lifting path | From a stationary, comfortable position, drop a ball onto your racket and lift it up. Then have a partner feed an easy ball from the net. | Can you make a smooth low-to-high swing and send the ball clearly over the net without forcing the hit? |
| 2. Add a depth target | Start at the back and receive predictable feeds. Aim cross-court for a bounce beyond the service line and short of the back glass. Try six feeds to each side. | Is the ball both high enough to clear the net pair and deep enough to make them move back? |
| 3. Vary the feed and direction | Have your partner alternate forehand and backhand feeds, then call “cross” or “middle” before the feed. Aim for a large safe area rather than a line. | Can you keep your shape and adjust the contact while preserving height and margin? |
| 4. Make it a point | Put two players at the net and two at the back. Start each rally with a feed to the back pair, who must lob; then play the point out. | After the lob, do both players read the opponents’ reply and move forward or stay back together? |
Stage 4 adapts LTA Padel’s two-up, two-back drill. The added depth target and pair-movement check make it easier to see whether the lob did its job. If it clears the net but lands short, keep practising the target before making the feed faster. If the lob is deep but your pair is stranded at the back, work on reading the reply and moving together.
How should you create height without losing control?
Begin the preparation early enough that you can turn your body side-on before the ball arrives. Keep the racket ready and comfortably open, then let the racket travel from below the ball to a high finish. Bend your legs only as far as feels comfortable; use the movement to help lift the ball rather than trying to manufacture height with a rushed wrist flick.
Keep the swing compact and contact in front when the feed allows it. If the ball is low, fast or behind you, do not force the same lob from a poor position. Reset with a higher-margin return and practise that feed separately. The back-glass guide covers how to manage the next defensive ball if your lob does not move the opponents back.
A simple way to score the practice
After each attempt, give yourself up to two marks:
- Execution: Was the ball high enough to clear the net pair with a controlled swing?
- Outcome: Did it land in the agreed deep area and leave your pair able to respond together?
Do not award the second mark just because the ball landed deep. In the live stage, watch the opponents’ next contact and your pair’s position. A good lob can still require you to hold your ground if the reply is an attacking overhead. Use the padel positioning guide to review how both partners should adjust as a unit.
The two-mark check is a coaching aid for this drill, not a universal lob rating. If you miss the target, note whether the problem was height, direction, depth or recovery. Change one thing on the next repetition so you can tell what helped.
How Padel Coach App can support the progression
If you record a short set from behind the court, Padel Coach App can help you review repeated patterns in your contact and movement. Look at a few lobs together: did you prepare early, where did they land, and did both partners move after the opponents’ reply? Use the review to choose one focus for the next court session, alongside feedback from a coach when you need hands-on technique correction. See how to use video analysis for padel for a practical review workflow.
Quick questions
Where should a deep padel lob land?
LTA Padel describes a useful target as beyond the service line and before the back glass. Use that as a reference during practice, then adjust for the incoming ball and the opponents’ position.
Is cross-court always the best direction?
No. The cross-court diagonal gives a longer distance and more room for error, which makes it a useful starting target. In a match, choose the direction that fits the ball and the space your opponents leave.
Should I move to the net immediately after lobbing?
Not automatically. Read the opponents’ contact. If they are set under the ball for an attacking overhead, your pair may need to hold or recover defensively. Move forward together when the reply gives you time.
Source
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