Lob Recovery Under Fire
Why this drill
When the lob goes over you in a real point, nobody warned you. This drill hides real lobs inside a live dink rally so the drop-step, turn, and chase happen at game speed — and the recovery ball after them has to actually save the point.
Setup
Both players at the non-volley-zone line, half court. Clear runback space behind the defender — this drill needs an empty court behind you, never a wall or a bag.
The drill
Cooperative dink rally; the designated lobber throws a genuine lob whenever they choose, without a tell. The defender turns — drop-step toward their paddle side, never backpedaling — runs the ball down, and answers with a deep lob or a reset, and the point plays out from there. Five lobs per turn, then swap. Score the defender: 2 for a recovery ball that lands deep enough to reset the point, 1 for any ball back in play. Backpedaling scores zero even if the shot lands — that habit ends careers and this is where it gets fixed.
One thought to take on court
Turn and run — the ball over your head is a footrace, and backpedaling loses it and hurts you.