Squash’s unsung shot?

I’m on a crusade. A lob shot crusade. The purpose of this post is simply to raise awareness of the lobbing and to encourage you to do it more!

Why? It is a neglected shot, particularly at junior and club level. Judging the right height and width to avoid your opponents volley is tough at first but this is often due to a lack of practice. We simply don’t play the lob as often as we ought to, resorting to whack the ball to length frequently because we lack the composure to slow ourselves enough to play a lob or simply not trusting in our ball control.

The Advantages

In many ways this rarity is to your advantage though. As they are uncommon, players are often ill-prepared to deal with lob shots. Make them your secret weapon. If it’s played well, the lob is often an outright winner as it can just dribble into the back corners leaving opponents with no room to swing and a ball with no momentum. Even a wild swipe won’t save someone from a well executed lob shot.

Additionally the lob is a great counter-attacking shot, a bit like the two wall boast I’ve talked about before, and can help you go from chasing the rally to being in control in just one shot. The cross-court lob from the back of the court can be challenging to judge but it is such a good shot for catching an opponent out, as is the straight lob from the front, a favourite of mine.

Lob shots slow the pace of the match and can be particularly effective against players who like to hit the ball hard and run a lot, as they will disrupt the faster pace they enjoy and ruin their rhythm. This strategy of changing the pace is something you should be able to do if you have aspirations in the game, as it is the sort of tactic that can change the course of a game. Lobs are also useful against smaller players, which is particularly poignant at junior level. Although, they are also effective against tall players, where a drop and lob game can make the tallest player exhausted from lunging down and then standing up high repeatedly!

When you practice lobbing, really go for the height. Forget all else – just ensure you get the lift. From there you can learn to control the angle and the pace.

Next time you play, just see if you play a single lob shot. If you don’t or only play a lob rarely, your game is missing a vital dimension.