Tennis lob: check your form with your phone
The lob sends the ball high over an opponent at the net, either to defend or to attack. A good lob has enough height to clear the opponent's reach and enough depth to land near the baseline.
No equipment needed. Practise at home. Just do the swing properly in front of your phone. No court, ball or shuttle is needed, and a racket is optional: the coach judges your movement, so a shadow swing at home in a hallway or garden is enough.
What good looks like
- Prepare as for a groundstroke to hide the lob, with the racket face slightly open.
- Swing from low to high and meet the ball in front of you.
- Bend your knees to get under the ball, then lift up through the shot.
- Finish high, with the racket pointing up and out toward where you want the ball to land.
Common mistakes and how to fix them
Hitting it too short
A short lob is a gift for a smash. Follow through high for height and depth.
A flat swing
Without a low-to-high path the ball goes flat and low. Swing up through the ball.
Standing tall
Bend your knees so the lift comes from the legs.
What Formanti checks on your lob
At the top of the reach, not at the follow-through where the arm is already coming down.
- Reach: hand clearly above your shoulder. an overhead shot is hit up high
- Arm height at the top: 90–100°. Low to high swing path
- Elbow: 105–175°. Open face lifts ball deep, racket finishes high
- Elbow lead: elbow up before you swing. lead with the elbow, then throw
- Speed: against your own other swings. power comes from a quick whip, not a push
Your ready stance
Hold still between swings and the coach talks you into position.
- Knees: 115–165°. Soft, bent knees let you push off in any direction
- Back lean: 0–30° forward. A little forward: not upright, not hunched
- Feet apart: 1.2–2.2× shoulder width. Feet wider than your shoulders, for balance
What your report looks like
When you finish, you get a report like this one.
- How many swings were in range, out of how many.
- The one thing to work on next, then the next, each with a drill.
- Every swing as a picture with your skeleton on it: ticked, or flagged with what was off.
What you hear and see when you are off
Hand not high enough
The coach says: “Reach up, hit it at the very top.”
On screen: Reach up: hit it above your head.
Drill: Shadow 10 swings and freeze at the top: your hand should be clearly above your head before you whip down.
Arm too low
The coach says: “Get that arm up a bit higher.”
On screen: Lift your hitting arm slightly higher at the top of the swing.
Drill: Shadow 10 swings in slow motion and freeze at contact: check where your elbow is before you speed up.
Arm too high
The coach says: “Keep that arm a bit lower.”
On screen: Keep your hitting arm a lot lower at the top of the swing.
Drill: Shadow 10 swings in slow motion and freeze at contact: check where your elbow is before you speed up.
Arm too bent
The coach says: “Straighten the arm more. Meet it long.”
On screen: Straighten your arm a lot more through contact.
Drill: Slow shadow swings, pausing at contact: your arm should be almost straight with a soft bend.
Arm locked straight
The coach says: “Keep a little bend in the elbow.”
On screen: Keep a lot more bend in your elbow at contact.
Drill: Slow shadow swings, pausing at contact: keep a soft bend and finish with a wrist snap.
Elbow not leading
The coach says: “Get your elbow up before you swing.”
On screen: Get your elbow up before you swing.
Drill: Without a racket, point your hitting elbow at the sky, hold it a second, then throw your hand up to the top.
A slow swing
The coach says: “Swing through faster. Snap it.”
On screen: Swing through faster.
Drill: Shadow swings with a loose grip and a loud 'whoosh' at the top.
Legs too straight in your stance
The coach says: “Bend your knees”
On screen: Bend your knees.
Drill: Hold a low ready stance for 20 seconds between reps.
Hunched over in your stance
The coach says: “Chest up, don't hunch”
On screen: Chest up, don't hunch.
Drill: Hold the ready stance with your chest proud for 20 seconds.
Drills you can do alone
- Target lobs: place a towel at the baseline of a court or a mark on a wall near the top and lob 20 balls at it.
- High finish: shadow lobs and hold the follow-through, checking the racket finishes above your head and pointing to the target.
How to set up your phone
Prop your phone up 2 to 3 metres away with your whole body in view, at about hip height. For the lob, stand side-on to the camera on your hitting side: how far in front you make contact and how big your backswing is can only be judged from the side. It all runs on your phone and nothing is uploaded.
Frequently asked questions
How high should a tennis lob be?
High enough to clear your opponent's reach with a racket stretched up, and deep enough that it lands near the baseline.
Why do my lobs land short?
Usually too much height with too little forward drive, or not finishing the swing. Swing up and forward.
More tennis practice
Forehand · Backhand · Serve · Volley · Overhead smash · Slice backhand · Drop shot