Learn the padel lob (globo): how to play it high and deep over the net players, win the net back and avoid the typical lob mistakes.
The globo is the lob in padel: you play the ball in a high arc over the two net players so that they can no longer reach it comfortably and you move forward to the net yourself. It is the most important defensive shot you can learn – and also the shot with which you switch from defence to attack.
The honest answer to "is the lob worth it?": yes, very much. In an analysis of 1324 actions from the 2018 World Padel Tour women's finals, the lob was the most effective shot for moving from the defensive to the offensive position – even when the point did not end directly [1]. And whoever stands at the net wins more often: in an analysis of 2756 rallies, wins were closely tied to time at the net [2].
How long does it take? The principle clicks in one session. Hitting depth reliably is more a matter of weeks of regular play (rule of thumb).
From the ready position, open the racket face slightly upward. The contact point is low, around knee height, in front of the body. For a ball near the back wall, adjust with a shorter backswing.
Milestone: before the shot you point at the target with the racket without twisting your hand.
Bend your knees and take the racket from low to high. The ball should climb steeply and come down behind the net players. The power comes from the legs. There are variants such as the defensive lob (high and long) and the topspin lob (flatter with forward spin) – start with the defensive one.
Milestone: the ball climbs clearly above the net players' outstretched racket tip (rule of thumb).
The target zone is the back third of the opponents' court. For lob returns, the authors of an analysis of 18 tournament matches (Valencia, 2012) suggested good depth regardless of direction [3] – that is the authors' conclusion, not a measured result, and transferable to your lob only by analogy. A ball that falls short gets punished with a smash.
Milestone: 7 of 10 lobs land in the back third.
After the lob you immediately take two or three steps toward the net and reach the ready position. The lob is not a pause but a change of position. Among pros, women played about three out of four returns as lobs in certain situations (for example returns to the server's partner or at the golden point) [4] – so the lob is a standard weapon already on the return.
Milestone: in 8 of 10 cases you stand at the net within 3 seconds.
This guide explains and motivates; it does not replace supervised training.
Do not play the lob only when you are in trouble. Use it deliberately when both opponents are at the net and you have time. That is the step from "emergency exit" to "weapon" – and it spares you back-wall stress because the opponents have to run backward.
Practice note (no study): a lob usually fails because it stays short or starts too flat. Practise it first against a target at the back wall: when you get five balls in a row behind the service line, increase the height. Also play the lob deliberately when your opponent looks weak at the net – only that teaches you to hit it under pressure. Then take two or three steps forward immediately: the lob only counts once you have regained the position.
You open the racket face slightly, meet the ball low in front of the body and swing from low to high. The ball should climb steeply over the net players and land in the back third of the court. Then you go straight to the net.
When both opponents are at the net and you are under pressure at the back or want to win the net position back. Among professional women (2018 World Padel Tour finals), the lob was the most effective shot for moving from defence to the attacking position in one analysis [1].
High enough that net players cannot intercept it, and deep enough that it lands at the back and pulls away from the back wall. There is no proven number of metres for depth – use the rule of thumb "behind the middle of the court".
The globo goes high over the net players. The chiquita is a soft ball from the back of the court to the feet of the net players, meant to force a weak volley [7]. Both serve to win the net position – but by different routes.
Padel Volley (Volea): Short, Compact and Controlled at the Net