A lob goes up, you get underneath it, hit a solid overhead, and admire your work for half a second.
Then the ball comes back.
That last part is what ordinary overhead practice tends to leave out. Players spend plenty of time learning how to put away a lob, but not every overhead ends the rally. Sometimes an opponent blocks it back. Sometimes they scramble and throw up another lob. Sometimes your overhead is good enough to create pressure but not good enough to end the point.
And now you have another problem: Where are you?
The Lob-and-Cover Drill practices the overhead as part of a sequence rather than as a finishing shot. One player supplies the lobs while the other has to get into position, hit the overhead, recover after the swing, and be ready for whatever comes next.
The overhead still matters. But in this drill, the shot is not finished until you are ready for the next ball.
Why This Drill Matters
Overheads can create a strange practice habit because they are often drilled as isolated shots. A partner tosses up a lob, you hit it, retrieve the ball, and start again.
That helps with overhead mechanics. It does not necessarily prepare you for what happens in a rally.
In doubles, a lob can force you away from the kitchen line, turn your body, and make you cover a significant amount of court. After the overhead, you may still be several feet from where you started. Your partner may have shifted to cover the space you vacated, and your opponents are trying to survive long enough to turn defense into offense.
If you assume the overhead will end the point, it is easy to finish the swing and mentally stop playing.
This drill removes that assumption. Every overhead is followed by another ball. You have to hit, recover your balance, read what happened, and reposition for the next shot.
Setting Up the Drill
This is a two-player drill. The hitter begins near the kitchen line while the feeder is on the opposite side of the net with several balls.
The feeder can toss the first few lobs by hand to make placement predictable. As the drill progresses, the feeder can hit the lobs with a paddle so the trajectory becomes more realistic.
The hitter starts in a normal ready position. When the lob goes up, turn and move back to get behind the ball rather than backpedaling for several steps while staring overhead. Set your feet when possible, hit the overhead, and immediately recover into a ready position.
The feeder then sends a second ball.
That second feed is what makes this the Lob-and-Cover Drill rather than an overhead drill.
It might be another lob. It might be a controlled ball into open court. It might be a softer ball that allows you to move forward again.
The hitter has to deal with it.
The Basic Sequence
Start with a simple three-ball pattern.
The feeder sends a lob. The hitter retreats, gets positioned, and hits the overhead. The feeder then sends a controlled second ball somewhere the hitter can reasonably reach. After that shot, the feeder sends one final ball based on the hitter’s new position.
Then stop and reset.
At first, the feeder should make the sequence cooperative. You are trying to teach recovery, not see whether you can strand your partner on the opposite side of the court.
As the hitter becomes more comfortable, the second and third feeds can become less predictable.
Now the drill begins to ask the real question: after hitting the overhead, can you get yourself ready to play pickleball again?
Getting to the Lob Safely
Before worrying about what happens after the overhead, you have to reach the lob in a position where you can actually hit it.
The instinct for many players is to backpedal directly toward the baseline. That can leave you off balance and can increase your risk of stumbling or falling.
Instead, turn your body and move back using a drop step and running or crossover steps as appropriate. Keep tracking the ball, but get your body moving in a direction that allows you to cover ground safely.
Ideally, you want to get behind the ball enough that contact is out in front rather than directly above or behind your head.
If the lob is too good and you cannot reach it safely for an overhead, do not force the shot. In a game, letting the ball bounce and playing it after the bounce may be the better choice. The drill should reinforce good movement, not reward desperate backward reaching.
The Overhead Is Only Ball One
Once players reach the lob, another habit often appears: they try to end the drill with the overhead.
That usually means swinging harder than necessary.
You certainly want to hit an offensive ball when the opportunity is there, but placement and balance matter. An overhead hit while falling backward may be harder than one hit under control, yet leave you much less prepared if it comes back.
For this drill, judge the overhead by two things:
- Was it a quality offensive shot?
- Were you balanced enough to recover after it?
If the first answer is yes and the second is no, you have not completed the job.
Recover Before You Rush Forward
After the overhead, many players immediately charge toward the kitchen because that is where they have been taught they want to be.
Eventually, yes.
Immediately, not necessarily.
Your next position should depend on the overhead you just hit and the response your opponent can make.
If you hit a strong overhead that forces a weak defensive reply, you may have an opportunity to move forward aggressively. If your overhead was less effective and your opponent is balanced with another lob available, racing forward can make you cover the same ground all over again.
The first priority after contact is regaining balance.
Then read.
Then move.
The drill becomes especially useful when the feeder alternates between another lob and a shorter reply. Now you cannot automatically choose forward or backward before seeing the next ball.
The Hidden Lesson: An Overhead Creates a New Court
A lob changes everyone’s position.
That is easy to miss when you are focused entirely on getting to the ball.
You may have started at the kitchen and finished the overhead near the transition zone or baseline. In doubles, your partner may have shifted to cover the court while you chased the lob. Your opponents may also have moved while defending your overhead.
The court you return to is not necessarily the court you left.
That is why recovery cannot simply mean “run back to my original spot.”
You have to look at the new situation.
Where is the ball?
Where would your partner be in a doubles point?
Where are the opponents?
Which part of the court is now vulnerable?
The Lob-and-Cover Drill begins as an overhead exercise, but the deeper skill is learning to reorganize yourself after the point has been disrupted.
Common Mistakes
The first mistake is backpedaling too far. A step or two may happen naturally, but continuing to run backward while looking overhead can compromise both balance and safety. Turn and move.
Another mistake is swinging for a winner on every overhead. If the extra effort pulls you off balance, you are making the second ball unnecessarily difficult.
Players also tend to recover automatically. Some sprint straight back toward the kitchen after every overhead. Others stay deep because they are expecting another lob. Neither is a read. Let the quality of your shot and the feeder’s next ball determine your movement.
The feeder can ruin the drill, too. If every follow-up is an impossible passing shot, the hitter is not practicing recovery; they are just chasing balls. Feeds should become challenging gradually and remain realistic for the hitter’s level.
Finally, do not stop after contact. One of the habits this drill is designed to eliminate is the little pause that happens after a player thinks they have hit a winner. Finish the overhead and immediately return to a ready position.
Beginner Variation
Begin with hand-tossed lobs and a predictable second ball.
The feeder tosses a lob, the hitter moves back and hits the overhead, and the feeder sends the next ball toward the middle of the court. Complete the second shot and reset.
At this level, focus on safe movement, balanced contact, and recovering the paddle after the overhead.
Once that sequence feels comfortable, add a third ball.
Intermediate Variation
The feeder hits the lob with a paddle and has two choices after the overhead: another lob or a controlled shorter ball.
The hitter does not know which is coming.
Now recovery becomes a decision. If another lob goes up, turn and cover it. If the feeder sends a shorter ball, move forward under control and play it.
Run each repetition for three to five shots before resetting.
Advanced Variation
Make the entire sequence live after the first overhead.
The feeder initiates with the lob. Once the hitter plays the overhead, both players can use the court normally. The feeder may defend, lob again, block short, or redirect the ball.
The hitter’s goal is to maintain offensive pressure without assuming any particular shot will end the rally.
For doubles players, alternate which side of the court the lob originates from and mentally account for where a partner would need to shift. If you practice with four players occasionally, this same drill can later be expanded to include actual partner coverage.
A Simple 15-Minute Session
Spend the first three minutes on movement alone. Have your partner toss manageable lobs and concentrate on turning, getting behind the ball, and making balanced overhead contact.
For the next four minutes, add a predictable follow-up ball. The repetition counts only when you hit the overhead and recover well enough to handle the second shot under control.
Spend another four minutes with the feeder randomly choosing between a second lob and a shorter ball. Do not guess. Recover, read, and react.
Use the final four minutes for live sequences after the overhead.
Pay attention to where your repetitions break down. If you are constantly late to the first lob, work on your initial turn and movement. If the overhead itself is inconsistent, your positioning or contact may need more attention. If you hit good overheads but repeatedly lose the next ball, you have found the problem this drill was designed to expose.
Final Thought
A great overhead can end a rally.
But you cannot play as though every overhead will.
The Lob-and-Cover Drill teaches the habit that ordinary overhead repetitions often miss: hit the shot, regain your balance, find the court again, and prepare for another ball.
Sometimes the next ball will be another lob. Sometimes you will finally get to move forward. Sometimes your opponent will somehow return the overhead you were certain was a winner.
That is pickleball.
The overhead may put you in control of the point.
Being ready for the next ball helps you keep it.
