Racquetball Lob Serve Types
There are many different ways to hit a lob serve including changing how hard you hit them, the angle in which you hit them, and their height. Each type of lob serve has its own variations that can be added as you advance as a player and as an effective server. Basic High Lob Serve The high lob serve has been around since the inception of racquetball in the mid 20th century. It is very easy to learn and is useful against certain players. However, at higher levels of play this serve is rarely used any more because it allows your opponent a lot of time to move into position to hit it early. It is still very important to learn this basic serve because there are many advanced serves that have similar ball height and speed and use similar mechanics.
To hit a high lob serve bounce the ball so that it comes up between your waist and shoulder and into your hitting zone. Many players swing from low to high when they hit the high lob serve, propelling the ball up and away from them.
For right-handers who want to hit a high lob serve to the back left corner of the court (the backhand side to right-handed opponents) the contact point should be slightly forward in your hitting zone. This will prevent the racquet from being square at impact which would result in a serve directly into the front wall that bounced directly back at you.
For right-handers who want to hit a high lob serve to the back right corner of the court (the forehand side to right-handed opponents) the contact point should be slight back in your hitting zone (more toward your back foot). Your racquet should also be angled upward in order to propel the ball high up in the air toward the front wall.
Once the ball leaves your racquet during the high lob serve it should hit anywhere from ¾ of the way up the front wall and higher while ascending. If it hits the front wall while descending it probably won’t make it past the short line to be a valid serve. It takes a little practice to do this and a small understanding of geometry.
Be sure to follow all the way through with your stroke to ensure consistency. The racquet should not stop moving as soon as it strikes the ball. It is much harder to control speed this way. Think of a golfer finishing his swing even though the ball has already left his club.
Once the ball ricochets off the front wall, a good high lob serve will take its first bounce on or around the dotted line. The ball will then bounce high in the air. The second bounce should be directly into the corner. Imagine there is a garbage can in the corner and it’s your job to hit lob serves that land in the garbage can on their second bounce.
Regular Half Lob Serve The regular half lob serve in racquetball is nearly identical in every aspect to the basic high lob serve. The difference is how high the ball hits on the front wall and how hard you have to strike it.
The regular half lob serve should hit the front wall anywhere from half-way up or even less (there are many variations that can be useful to learn). The first bounce should be on or around the dotted line and the second bounce will go directly into the corner.
You may find that you will have to hit the half lob with a little less power than the high lob as there is less gravity involved.
Here's a video example of how to use the regular half lob to force a weak return.
High Lob Nick A high lob nick is a lob serve that hits the front wall about ¾ of the way up or higher, rebounds back and hits the deep side wall (anywhere from 4 to 10 feet from the back wall), then takes it first bounce into the floor shortly after hitting the side wall. The ball then bounces at an angle toward the back middle of the court, but takes its second bounce before hitting the back wall.
The order of contact is important: from your racquet to the front wall, deep side wall, floor (first bounce), floor (second bounce).
Here's a video example of the high lob nick:
Half Lob Nick The half lob nick is identical to the high lob nick except that you hit it half-way up or less on the front wall.
Lob Z-Serve The lob z-serve is a serve that hits the front wall very close to the corner, then hits the side wall, travels back across the service zone, takes its first bounce on or around the dotted line, hits the side wall fairly deep in the court, then takes its second bounce before hitting the back wall.
The lob z-serve is generally hit from either the far right or far left of the service box, although advanced players can hit them from other locations as well.
For right-handed players who want to hit a lob z-serve to the right side of the court (your right-handed opponent’s forehand), stand in the right side of the service box. Set yourself up as though you were going to hit a basic high or half lob serve. The only difference is that you are going to bounce the ball much closer to the front wall (toward the front of your stance) so that when you contact the ball your racquet is angled toward the front left corner. This will ensure that the ball will travel at the proper angle off your racquet and toward the corner. Remember to follow through.
The lob z-serve can be hit either high or low.