Lob, Switch, Cover
Why this drill
A good lob beats one player but not a team that talks. Deliberate lobs, forced switches, and loud calls turn the scramble into a rehearsed play — the difference between chaos and choreography when the ball goes over your partner's head.
Setup
Full court, doubles positions, all four at the kitchen line. One team is the lobbing team for each block.
The drill
Rally opens with dinks; the lobbing team throws up a deliberate lob over either opponent whenever they like. The lobbed-over player's partner calls it — "switch!" or "yours!" — loudly and early. On "switch," the partner crosses to track the lob down while the lobbed player fills the vacated side; on "yours," the lobbed player drop-steps and takes it. Play every point out. Eight lobs per block, then teams swap roles. Score the defending team: a point survived after a lob is a win regardless of who ultimately takes the rally.
One thought to take on court
Call it before the ball peaks — a late "switch" is just two players watching the same lob land.