← Grumpy Pickleballer/ Who Gets the Lob

🥒 Who Gets the Lob

Generally speaking, the player on the opposite side calls it and gets it, and the player who got lobbed switches. The same idea applies to getting pulled wide.

If you see empty court on your side, so does your opponent.

The lob

  1. Generally speaking, the player on the opposite side calls it and gets it.They're usually already behind the ball's path and can run to it facing forward. The player who got lobbed would often have to backpedal, which is how people fall.
  2. The player who got lobbed usually switches.Slide across and cover the side your partner just left. Now you're both where you need to be for the next ball.
  3. Say it, early and loud.“Mine!” from the one going back. “Switch!” from the one sliding over. Whatever words your crew uses, use them before the ball bounces.
A lob goes over Y. P, on the opposite side, calls it and crosses behind to get it, while Y switches to P's side. NET KITCHEN BASELINE LOB Y P P: “Mine!” Y: “Switch!”

A typical lob: P calls it and crosses behind; Y switches to P's side.

Same idea, different shot: getting pulled wide

A sharp angle drags one player out past the sideline, and suddenly the other half of your side is wide open. The other team sees it before you do. Usually, the partner still in the court slides toward the middle and says so, and the player who got pulled wide gets back as fast as they can.

Y gets pulled wide past the sideline. P slides toward the middle, leaving the right side empty. NET KITCHEN BASELINE EMPTY COURT Y P P: “I got middle!”

A typical pull wide: P slides from the dotted spot toward the middle; the empty court is the other team's target.

The rule of thumb

It's a rule of thumb, not a law. Empty court is a signal, and both teams can see it. When you see it on your side, communicate and move: “I got your side,” “switch,” whatever works. The words matter less than saying something.

“Well, you know, there are exceptions.” I can already hear it from the coaches at the court, and they're right. If the lob is short enough to hit as an overhead without backpedaling, the player it went over can take it. If your partner can't get there in time, the call changes. And if you and your partner have agreed on something different, do that. The point is to decide out loud, not to follow a rule off a cliff.

The calls themselves get their own page: Talk to Your Partner.

The other approach. A certain scout recommends lobbing everything, ideally into the sun. His full playbook is available, against my advice.
Described for doubles. Every crew has its own calls; what matters is that you have some. Not affiliated with doyouevendinkbro.com. I've spoken to him about it, but he insists we're partners. We have never been seen in the same room.