Pickleball Lob Footwork Safety Tips: Pickleball professional Susannah Barr is helping players stay safe and improve their game by teaching proper footwork to chase down lobs. In her recent footwork drill series, Barr demonstrated how the correct first step and pivot can help players move back quickly and safely to return a lob.
Why Backward Running Is Not Safe
Susannah Barr reminded players that running backward is unsafe and increases the chance of injury. Instead, she showed how using a strong pivot and correct steps allows players to get behind the ball faster.
“The very first step that I want to take is a pivot in the direction of my strong side… this is a quick pivot, it’s a strong pivot… we’re not shuffling… we’re actually stepping to get back to the space line.”-(Susannah Barr)
How to Move Back the Right Way
During her demonstration, Susannah Barr stood at the kitchen line, dinking with her partner Damen. When Damen lobbed the ball, Barr showed how to react with a pivot and turn, using the right leg muscles to push off and sprint back in a controlled way.
She stressed that players must turn their bodies, not shuffle or step backward, to safely and quickly cover the court.
Who Should Chase the Lob?
Susannah Barr explained that in doubles, the player on the left side—if right-handed—should usually handle more lobs.
“If I’m playing on the left side of the court here and I’m a right-handed player, I’m probably going to be responsible for getting 70% of the lobs.”-(Susannah Barr)
The player on the right side (also right-handed) should cover fewer lobs, about 30%. For left-handed players, the roles change. Left-handed players on the right side can pivot to their left and cover more ground easily.
Talking to Your Partner Is Key
Good teamwork matters when running down a lob. Barr pointed out that both players must talk while moving to avoid collisions.
“Communication, right? If we’re both moving back we got to talk… I don’t want to run into my partner. I got to call it. I got to say I’ve got it.”-(Susannah Barr)
After chasing down the lob, she reminded players to recover calmly. The goal is to return the shot smoothly and get back into position at the kitchen line.
Practice Makes Better Footwork
In the drill with Damen, Barr chose not to smash the lob but to let it bounce and focus on clean footwork.
“When I get around it, that’s my pause, that’s my breath, that’s when I calm down to hit a nice shot.”-(Susannah Barr)
They took turns lobbing and running to practice balance, reaction, and recovery.
“That was a good one… the goal really working on that first pivot… quick footwork to get back in a safe manner… and then I like how you got to work your way right back up again”-(Susannah Barr)
Why This Drill Matters
Susannah Barr believes that these footwork drills help players avoid injury and improve performance. Practicing the right steps makes returning lobs easier and allows players to stay in control throughout the point.
“All of these drills and increasing our footwork and improving our footwork are going to help us evolve our game.” -(Susannah Barr)
News in Brief: Pickleball Lob Footwork Safety Tips
Pickleball pro Susannah Barr showed how players can safely return lobs using proper pivot and footwork. She advised against moving backward and emphasized turning toward the strong side. Barr also discussed lob responsibility, partner communication, and the value of staying calm during recovery. Practicing these steps improves safety and game control.
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