Víbora Only on Short Lobs — Never Deep
The Situation
The opponent lobs short — the ball is above shoulder height and well inside the service line.
What To Do
Attack with a víbora. Strike the ball with a bent elbow, racket close to the body at roughly shoulder height — lower than a bandeja's high elbow contact. Use a strong wrist flick with sidespin and backspin combined. Aim for the edge just before the back wall.
Why It Works
Sanyo Gutiérrez, who innovated the shot, describes scratching the ball on the side to generate maximum revolutions. Despite feeling aggressive, the víbora's contact point is actually lower than the bandeja — bent elbow at shoulder height versus the bandeja's high elbow at head height. The víbora combines sidespin with backspin — the sidespin creates the curve through the air while the backspin keeps it low after the bounce. Aiming for the edge just before the back wall makes the ball die on impact, giving opponents almost no time to react. The rule: short lob means víbora, deep lob means bandeja.
Court Positioning
Short lob (inside service line) → player contacts ball at shoulder height with bent elbow → combined sidespin and backspin wrist flick → ball curves toward edge just before back wall → dies on impact, unreachable.
Court View
Bird's-eye view — attacking net position
Skill Level
Bandeja: Shuffle Back, Slice, Return Forward
You are lobbed while at the net. The lob is medium depth — not short enough to attack, not deep enough to let bounce.
Always Lob to the Backhand Overhead Side
You are choosing where to direct your lobs from the back of the court.
Let the Perfect Lob Bounce — Use the Wall
Your opponent lobs perfectly deep and the ball is heading into the back corner.