Every pickleball player has his or her own style on the pickleball courts (which is one of the reasons that the sport is so great—there are many styles that can be successful). Some players are more offensive in their play, while others may be more of a defensive specialist by keeping the pickleball in play and grinding out points.
One of these more defensive players is pickleball pro Callan Dawson, who is nicknamed the “Lob Doctor.” Dawson earned this nickname because of his prowess with the offensive lob. As Dawson describes it: “I don’t have a lot of offense off of the bounce. I like to dink a lot and grind it out. So, one of the things that I focus on to give me a little of that offense is to take the ball out of the air and throw in some lobs.”
If you are a defensive player like Dawson, or otherwise looking for more ways to create offense in your game on the pickleball court, consider doing what Dawson does to earn his nickname of the “Lob Doctor”—add the offensive lob to your game.
An offensive lob is like a bridge or a rainbow just over your outstretched opponents. An offensive lob will have a flatter trajectory (as opposed to a high up-and-down trajectory). To execute the offensive lob, try the following:
- Understand the purpose of…
