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How I Learned the One-Handed Backhand (And You Can Too!)

by Cosmin {WebTennis24} | Tennis Tips Blog | 2 comments

The following is a personal story of when I decided to switch from a two-handed to a one-handed backhand.

But first, I want to take you back to the time I started to play tennis (at the age of 12)…

I was a skinny boy with weak wrists and forearms.

I barely had any control of my forehand, but my two-handed backhand was the main shot that I could rely on even when playing against older and more powerful players.

For many years, I had trusted the backhand more than any other tennis shot.

Later on, with the help of my father, who was willing to feed balls to me from the basket, I began to develop the forehand in order to catch up with my strong two-handed backhand.

My father would feed hundreds of balls every day to my forehand until I started feeling equally confident on both sides.

But then…

Years later, when I became a tennis coach, I realized that I needed to hold a few tennis balls in my non-dominant hand as I was rallying with my students, and so I decided to…

…”teach” myself the one-handed backhand… with which I fell in love from the first day.

It was not hard because I followed a series of progression drills that really helped me to understand the point of contact, the body balance (which is different than that of the two-handed backhand), and, of course, through a lot of repetition, I developed the timing necessary to hit the ball early.

The progression drills that I followed to learn the one-handed backhand are the same I use now to teach many students all the tennis strokes.

And I put them all inside the WebTennis24 program which you can have full access to:

ULTIMATE TRAINING FOR TENNIS PLAYERS – learn and master the one-handed and two-handed backhand groundstrokes, and more

Tennis is easy if you break it down into small tasks and put in the time to practice them.

Have fun learning or teaching this sport!

Cosmin Miholca

Certified Tennis Coach

Check out my work at WebTennis24 where I share with you my best video tennis lessons, drills and tips for players, coaches and tennis parents.

I Play THIS Tennis Game Once a Week (Friendly Competition)

by Cosmin {WebTennis24} | Tennis Tips Blog | 0 comments

I want to share something with you…

A solution to playing competitive tennis and enjoying your time on the court…

You see, I know this junior player whom I coach once in a while (don’t have time for full-time coaching these days). She is a 17-year-old who LOVES tennis.

That’s why I agreed to play and practice with her once a week.

But, as much as she would like to play matches and see whether she can beat me or not, I came up with a game that suits us both: she gets to play competitively against me, and I get a good workout and practice my strokes.

It goes as follows:

We play a tennis game that continues until we decide to put a stop to it.

There is no score.

I serve for two points, she serves for two, alternating. We play every point out, but do not count it.

In this way, we play competitively, but do not keep track of the score.

No egos involved, no frustrations when missing a shot…

We just have a good time playing tennis, enjoying every point, learning from mistakes, and improving our tactics based on the decisions we make.

You can try this too. With your tennis partner(s).

It is a good way to play competitive tennis without the pressure of winning or losing. You will practice your strokes technique, get a good workout, and work on your match tactics in a relaxed way.

Try it and let me know how it goes in the comments below.

Cosmin Miholca

Certified Tennis Coach

Check out my work at WebTennis24 where I share with you my best video tennis lessons, drills and tips for players, coaches and tennis parents.

Why I Decided to Teach My Daughters Tennis

by Cosmin {WebTennis24} | Tennis Tips Blog | 0 comments

Do you consider that every tennis coach has a duty to introduce their children to tennis? Even if only to teach them the basics so they can enjoy it later with their friends?

These were questions I was asking myself as my baby daughters were turning 4 and 5 years old.

Many days and nights had I thought about it: what if they didn’t like tennis? Is there a social expectation from a tennis coach to have his children pick up the sport he likes so much?

I was young and did not have answers to those questions…

One of the biggest thoughts that I could not shake off was the one that eventually made me decide to take this step and introduce my daughters to tennis:

“Would I forgive myself after 20-30 years if I did not teach them to play tennis?”

No, I would not.

And this is how I got my daughters started with this sport.

There is more to this story, but I have to keep it short –

My daughters began with group classes so they could see other kids enjoying tennis, and only after they got a taste of this sport, they asked me to be their coach.

It was not easy because my daughters have strong personalities. And they “knew better than me” how to hit the ball and would not accept anybody telling them how to do it.

Even though their father was a tennis coach…
They knew tennis better than I. 🙂

Teaching your kids is not an easy task, but it would give a parent great satisfaction seeing them grow in the sport, become competitive, and learn to work hard to develop their skills… not to mention the hours you spend with them on the court is just… priceless.

So yes, I did manage to teach my two daughters to play tennis and we did this process together for 9 years.

Best part?

Occasionally, my wife would record some of their lessons.

If you want to see how I did it, and learn the techniques, the games, and the ways I interacted with my daughters on the tennis court, you can watch the whole 9-year process in this WebTennis24 section called My Daddy / My Coach.

Was it easy, or was it hard?

It does not matter.

The time I spent with them on the court during all those years is just precious.

If you are teaching your children or intend to do it soon, I am here for you.

I’ve done it, so I know what you will be going through.

Cosmin Miholca

Certified Tennis Coach

Check out my work at WebTennis24 where I share with you my best video tennis lessons, drills and tips for players, coaches and tennis parents.

Do NOT Copy the Pros!!

by Cosmin {WebTennis24} | Tennis Tips Blog | 0 comments

It was 2003… the year I earned my tennis teaching certificate.

Despite my playing experience and theoretical understanding of teaching tennis, there were still so many gaps in my knowledge about how to actually coach people.

My students were all unique individuals – each with their strengths, weaknesses, and personalities.

As a young coach, it took me a while to learn that I had to adapt to every single student I encountered.

Once I became a certified tennis coach, I assumed that the methodology I learned from this esteemed tennis teaching organization would provide me with a “one-size-fits-all” formula that would suit every student who entered my tennis court.

I was wrong!!

Only when I learned that people are unique and they each had to be approached according to their personality, did I begin improving as a tennis coach.

Tennis is not a one-size-fits-all sport.

You were born with certain personality traits which are reflected in the way you strike the ball, the way you move, and the way you make decisions on the court.

A skilled coach can help you discover the basics of how to play tennis in a way that complements your own unique playing style.

Don’t try to be like the pros!

Be yourself and play tennis in your own way…

The way that feels right to you.

Cosmin Miholca

Certified Tennis Coach

Check out my work at WebTennis24 where I share with you my best video tennis lessons, drills and tips for players, coaches and tennis parents.

Serve Problem – This Is How I Fixed It…

by Cosmin {WebTennis24} | Tennis Tips Blog, Uncategorized | 0 comments

Here’s how I fixed the serve problem of one of my students.

This particular lady used to take lessons with me a couple of years ago.
She called me on a Wednesday afternoon saying that she was lacking consistency and did not know what was the problem with her serve.

We met the next morning after my usual 8:30-9:30 am class, and after she warmed up, I made a few steps away and looked at her while she was delivering most of her serves long, just a foot beyond the service line. Over and over…

I soon noticed the problem:
She was releasing the ball very early and then lowering the tossing arm right away.
This caused a loss in balance and low contact with the ball.

So here’s what I did to fix her serve consistency within a few minutes…

I asked her to continue serving focusing on one thing only: keeping the tossing arm up and extended towards the sky after releasing the ball until she sees it coming down.
She got her balance back and made contact a lot higher.
The result: more power and… more serves landing inside the service box.

There are a few technical elements that players need to be aware of in order to deliver the serve with consistency and power. These elements can make a big difference in someone’s game.

If you want more information about tennis technique, or drills for consistency and accuracy, as well as tactics and strategies for winning against different tennis opponents, you’ll find all this in the Tennis Mastery course.

If you are a tennis coach or a parent of a child who wants to learn how to play tennis, you should definitely check out the My Daddy / My Coach and the 10 Lesson Plans / How to Teach Tennis program.