Do you want to play the lob shot perfectly in a badminton match? Well, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we’ll go through the basics of this shot and the technique behind it.
The lob shot is an easy to learn but very effective shot in badminton. It’s very simple for beginners to learn compared to the other shots in badminton, such as smash, drop, etc. The problem with beginners is that they often do not execute the shot correctly.
Let’s have a closer look at this shot and understand how to execute it correctly in a badminton match.
What Is A Lob Shot?
Normally, the lob shot in badminton would be played using an underarm action from the forecourt area. The goal of hitting this shot is to lob (lift) the shuttle over your opponent to land as close to the baseline as possible.
If the shuttle is lobbed towards the middle area of the court, then that would make it very easy for the opponent to attack and get an easy point. Beginners often tend to make this mistake a lot. So, it’s important to hit the shuttle to the baseline so that the opponent will find it difficult to attack you.
It would take some practice for you to hit the lob shot consistently towards your target area. So, try to practice hitting this shot and make it perfect.
How To Execute A Lob Shot Correctly?
You can play the lob shot either with forehand or backhand. Let’s see how you can execute the shot in the right way.
This shot is played when the opponent hits a shot to the forecourt area. Move your racket forwards with your wrist cocked and take the steps towards the shuttle. Then, take a lunge step with your racket foot towards where the shuttlecock is going to land.
When the shuttle drops, do an underarm swing forwards and strike the shuttlecock upwards while straightening your wrist. Continue the follow-through action and finish it above the non-racket shoulder.
As soon as you finish the shot, move back towards the base position. You can play this shot and high and deep towards the baseline as a defensive strategy. This will give you a lot more time to prepare for the next shot.
Make sure you play with the proper footwork technique. If you think you’re not good with footwork in badminton, check out this article to master the footwork.
Playing it with the right pace and height is really key. The lob shot should be played with only just enough height so that the shuttle goes beyond your opponent’s reach.
Take a look at this YouTube video to understand how to play the lob shot correctly.
Types Of Lob Shot In Badminton
The lob shot can be played in different ways using both forehand and backhand. In general, let’s classify the lob shots into two categories: defensive lob shots and attacking lob shots.
Defensive Lob Shot
The defensive lob shot is a slow and high shot that is played towards the baseline of your opponent’s court.
Most people play this shot more often than the attacking shot just to push the opponent to the backside of the court. Singles players use this shot more often than doubles players.
This shot can be very useful if you want to slow down the game and get ready for the next shot if you’re out of position. This shot isn’t so dangerous if executed correctly.
If you’re a slow player and the opponent is an attacking player, you can use this shot to frustrate the opponent.
But the problem with this shot is that it will give away your attacking position in the rally. The opponent can take the attack back to you. So, try to use the shot suitably.
Attacking Lob Shot
You can use the lob as an attacking option as well. This shot also goes over the opponent’s reach, but the major difference is that this shot is flat and quick.
When you use this shot, try to play it over your opponent’s reach as little as possible. It will push the opponent towards the back area of the court but yet is pressurized by the speed of the shot.
Play this shot to the corners when the opponent is not at all expecting it to catch him/her off guard. This shot will not give away the attack, and your opponent won’t have much time to hit a jump smash.
Still, it is a pretty dangerous shot, especially if your opponent can intercept it mid-court. Also, there is a huge chance of hitting the shot outside the court. Also, it will give you less time to recover for the next shot.
So, try to play this shot only if the game circumstances are favorable.
As you’ve seen, both the defensive lob shot and the attacking lob shot have various pros and cons. It’s up to you to use which kind of shot in your game.
Before you go and try these shots in the game, practice it several times with a friend. Once you master this shot, it will be easy for you to make the right decisions and play the shot correctly.
Final Thoughts
We’ve gone through the fundamentals of the lob shot in badminton. Enough with the theoretical concepts. Now, go to a badminton court and practice the shot several times.
The more you practice anything, the better you’ll become at it. So, spend some time practicing the shot. If you think you’re good at executing this shot, use it while you’re playing the match. With time, you’ll become a master of this shot.
I hope this article was helpful to you in learning some new things about badminton. If so, do share it so that others can also find it.
Thanks for reading. Enjoy the game!
