Perfect Tennis Technique or Games-Based Approach?

Perfect Tennis Technique or Games-Based Approach?

by | Tennis Coaching | 0 comments

I was recently asked about my preferred teaching style: do I strive for the “perfect” technique or do I let my students learn tennis through games (lately there have been more and more tennis coaches who embrace the games-based approach).

The answer is simple: tennis should be fun regardless of the level of performance.

I do like to stress the proper technique at the beginning of the lesson just to start with the right fundamentals, but I want to make sure that at least 60% of my lessons are actually exciting for my students by introducing games and drills that have them work on placement, friendly competition, and strategies. 

In my teaching career, I’ve often paid attention to the faces of my students: when they are put through the repetitive drills of learning the “perfect” technique and when they are presented with the opportunity to play tennis games. 

The difference between the two is enormous; and here is why: 

1. When a coach stresses the technique most of the time, the students might end up “looking great” on the court, but deep down in the back of their minds they will consider tennis boring and repetitive. 

2. The games-based approach gets players thrilled to be on the court and, even though their technique will not be as good in the beginning, the fact that they enjoy playing tennis will make them do this longer and not only that… they’ll encourage their friends to get involved into it because people want to share things they love.

I’m not advocating that technique should be eliminated from the tennis practice – just not over-emphasized.

My suggestion would be that a player/student should practice their technical elements at the beginning of the lesson (let’s say for about 15 – 20 minutes) but then they should be exposed to applying the learned fundamentals into a fun-related tennis activity.

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Cosmin Miholca

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.

How to “Enforce” Proper Tennis Technique

How to “Enforce” Proper Tennis Technique

by | Tennis Coaching | 0 comments

I was recently asked: “How can I get my students to stick with the technique I teach them and not poke at the ball once they begin playing games?”

This is a very good question because I remember doing this as a kid only for the sake of winning a match. In my attempt to not miss I would just “push” the balls over the net.

The upside was that I was winning matches playing this way… in the beginning.

The downside? Well, this kind of play does not lead to real progress in the long term.

Poking the ball will annoy your opponents first but they will soon figure you out and make you work hard for the points.

The players should understand that developing relaxed and full swings will benefit their tennis in the long run.

A player who cares for their proper development knows that in the beginning, it’s not about winning. They are patient to develop a comfortable technique that allows them to swing at the ball with power and less effort.

Many people want to sacrifice the process of properly developing a solid technique for the sake of winning a few matches.

As a coach, you must not allow players to become “sloppy” when playing; especially after a lesson where you put so much effort into teaching them the proper technique.

With my students, every time I see them not following the technique we studied, I stop and ask them to do shadow strokes (swing with the correct technique, without a ball). I do this with them until they know that not sticking with the proper strokes will interrupt their fun games. (:

If you follow this method, you’ll see that the players will develop a better awareness of how they swing and the proper tennis technique.

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Cosmin Miholca

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.

How to Avoid Choking… When Serving

How to Avoid Choking… When Serving

by | Tennis Coaching, Tennis Training | 0 comments

One of my fellow coaches recently shared a story with me.

He told me how he is teaching a young man, whose serve is great during his lessons when there is no receiver at the other end. During the tennis matches though, when there is the pressure of having somebody return the serve, his student often chokes (misses a lot).
He wanted to know what he could do to help him…

My advice (which I’m hoping you will find useful too) was the following:

  • His student is probably too concerned with what the opponent’s reply will be. He’s anxious about the return and therefore he cannot relax when serving. Therefore, he must be taught to focus (when serving) on things like breathing, spin, and visualization (seeing the ball go to a certain spot inside the service box, etc.) – this would help him take his mind off of his opponent.
  • He should also have somebody return his serve (e.g. his coach, or practice partner) most of the time he practices it. Of course, his coach will have to stay next to him and correct the serve technique most of the time, but they should change it up sometimes. For example, the student can hit 20 serves with the coach next to him, then 20 serves with the coach returning the serves – in that case, the student should be doing it until the coach/practice partner returns 20 balls; and so on. My overall point is that every time someone works on their serve, they should do some pressure practice of it too.

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Cosmin Miholca

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.

Outcome-Oriented Tennis Practice

Outcome-Oriented Tennis Practice

by | Tennis Coaching, Tennis Training | 0 comments

“Whatever you do, don’t say anything to me about my serve. If I think about it, I’m in trouble.” Andy Roddick said this when he first met Patrick McEnroe, his Davis Cup coach.

In a tennis world where the emphasis is on the technical aspect, there is one area that very few tennis players dare to adopt – and it pays off big time for their game. That is… letting things happen naturally. 

What I’m about to tell you is directed to your tennis improvement by getting you out of the normal and popular tennis culture. 

As a tennis player and coach, I have been experiencing many frustrations and successes in my own lessons with all kinds of players. 

One thing that’s certain is that all players are different and you cannot teach the same technical aspect to everyone. I have to pay very much attention to what works for each of my students individually.

For example, in teaching my two daughters, Cezara (8 years old) and Bianca (6 years old)…

Cezara, on the serve, prefers the pinpoint stance (when during the toss the back foot joins up with the front foot) whereas Bianca likes the more traditional platform stance (when both feet are not moving during the toss and stand fairly close to each other). 

Cezara’s dominant elbow must elevate during the forehand ground-stroke preparation to avoid opening her racquet too much during contact; Bianca has a natural way of controlling the racquet face at contact without having to focus on the set-up. And so forth…

But my ultimate point for this letter is that players should be allowed to forget about all the technical overload and focus on the outcome. 

When serving, the outcome could be just getting the ball in (for beginning players), sending the ball with lots of slice or topspin, or placing it powerfully in the corner of the service box. 

As Andy Roddick did when he was a junior – he got fed up with all the technique that was imposed on him when serving and then one day he just threw the ball up and hit it as hard as he naturally felt. And it worked great. 
Just imagine if someone would have tried to change his serve technique!
Or if some coach would have told Nadal to not hit his forehands with that looping finish! (he was so fortunate to have such an open-minded coach like his uncle Toni)

You can only imagine what damage you can do when you want to impose one kind of technique on every single player that you coach. 

We should always be paying attention to what works for each player. 

As a tennis player, you should listen to your body and how it reacts to every stroke you execute…

In my teachings, I get the best results when I give my kids tasks that are goal-oriented. Examples:
– hit 40 serves in
– send 25 forehands cross-court
– rally 50 balls over the net with your partner
– etc.

When goal-oriented tasks are given, the mind and body work together to accomplish them successfully.

Next time you go to practice, forget about the technique. Instead, focus on what you want to accomplish: is it more slice on your serve? is it more power on your backhand? more penetrating volleys?

Then here’s what you need to do: 
– before you start hitting the balls visualize (or tell yourself) what you want: more power, more spin or to get it in
– let your body loose and the racquet do its work
– clear your mind of any technical thoughts and keep in there only the outcome you aim for (more power, spin, placement, etc.)

When you practice without the technical details cluttering your mind you will see better things happening.

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Cosmin Miholca

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.

Try Serving With a Backhand Grip. Here’s Why…

Try Serving With a Backhand Grip. Here’s Why…

by | Tennis Coaching, Tennis Training | 8 comments

Most teaching resources tell you to serve with a continental grip but if you want to add more spin to your serves try moving your hand on the grip slightly to the left (if you are a right-handed player)…

This type of grip (also called Eastern backhand) will allow you to hit better kick serves. Of course, you will have some trouble with the flat serve and you might lose some pace, but you will gain the necessary spin to improve your serve consistency.

Many players choose to hold the racquet with a continental grip on the first serve (for power) and then switch to the backhand grip for their second serve.

Note: A continental grip is holding the racquet (bottom towards you, tip points away) so that it feels like you could hammer a nail with the edge of your racquet. Your hand is on top of the bevel 1 of your racquet (the side that extends the racquet edge).

Personally, I prefer to use an Eastern backhand grip (pictured above) on both my first and second serves. On the power serves, I let my hand be loose and on top of bevels 8-1 for more penetrating contact through the ball; but on the second attempt, my hand is more toward bevels 7-8, which helps me with brushing over and/or the side of the ball for extra spin.

I recently watched an instructional tennis course with Patrick Rafter where he mentioned he used to kick serve on both – first and second. Obviously, as a serve-and-volley player as he was, this kind of serve was necessary. For many players though, when they apply this tactic (heavy spin on both serves), their first serve consistency is greater and as a result, they don’t have to go through the pressure of hitting second serves too often.

This Eastern backhand grip approach on the serve will give you peace of mind that your consistency will be greater. Your opponents will have to worry about controlling your heavy spin and, mentally, you will be more relaxed knowing you don’t have to deal with too many second serves.

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Cosmin Miholca

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.

A Fatherly Advice

A Fatherly Advice

by | Tennis Coaching, Tennis Training | 2 comments

I’d like to address one of the things that have happened to me (I’d say, often) and I am sure you could relate to this as well…

You watch a tennis match between two players and think that they are playing great: long rallies, a nice variety of shots, etc. You can’t help but get the feeling that those guys are so much better than you. Then one day you meet one of them in a tournament match… And you beat them! That makes you wonder: “What has happened? I was certain that this guy was much better than me based on how they looked playing against somebody else.”

One thing is for sure: only because somebody plays very well against a certain opponent does not mean they will play well against you too!
We are all different and our style of play can either help or impede our opponents.

We often tend to underestimate our own potential and therefore we think others are better players when, in fact, they are not.

My father once told me this before a match I was nervous about: “Don’t worry about how good he is, let him worry about how good YOU are!”

Now, THAT is one attitude you should step on the court with.

Cosmin Miholca

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 Am a “Pushy” Parent

I Am a “Pushy” Parent

by | Tennis Coaching | 1 comment

The idea to write this article came to me as I was watching a YouTube video of a 9-year-old tennis “prodigy” girl…
This particular video was the last drop in the bucket for me regarding a debate that is kind of taboo for a lot of parents and coaches.
If you are a tennis parent or coach you might want to stick with me and read this article all the way.

For those who don’t know me, I am a tennis coach and I have been teaching tennis since… I was a kid. I have always loved teaching and sharing my knowledge with anyone willing to learn and improve.
But this is not about me. This is about a debate that seems to be a sensitive subject for many. It is about whether parents should PUSH their kids to pursue a certain sport…

It’s a great scenario when your child loves a sport, let’s say tennis, and they are motivated to improve and cannot wait to get on the tennis court.
But there is also a scenario in which you, a parent, love a certain sport, let’s say tennis :), and you see your child has no drive, no desire to practice the sport, even though they have talent and you know that by practicing the sport they will benefit tremendously later on in life.

During my tennis teaching career, I have met and taught countless adults who confessed that they wish their parents would have “pushed” them to stick with tennis when they were kids. They are aware that when they were young they had other hobbies that were more comfortable for them like hanging out with friends, watching TV, playing video games, etc. Those distractions did not account for a more enjoyable life later on.

Now, as a parent myself, I am put in a situation where I have to guide my two daughters (7 and 5 years old) on whether they should pick up tennis or not.
As a tennis coach, I would hate to have any of my daughters 20 years from now ask me why I did not teach them the sport I am so knowledgeable about.
I would hate to know that I have the necessary skills to give my children the gift of a healthy habit (playing tennis) and not do it.

My problem is the following (and I am sure a lot of parents and coaches have this dilemma): my kids are not “crazy” about playing tennis!
My kids would rather just hang around with their friends all day, watch TV, and/or indulge in short-term fun activities like playing online video games… As a parent, I am aware that a few years from now they will find these activities do not provide a healthy lifestyle for them.

So the BIG question is should I, as a parent and a coach, step up and “push” my kids into playing the sport I am very proficient in?

Before I give you MY answer I would like to give YOU some arguments:

– I’ve seen and heard the opinion of many parents stating that kids should be given options and let them choose.
I think it is a very wise decision. But what if… while you give your child the many options, you and your child, actually focus on at least one sport that you are sure your kid will benefit from in the future? Something like running, swimming, basketball, tennis, surfing, ice skating… These are sports that they can practice for the rest of their life. These are sports that will allow them to stay in shape even after the age of 30, 40 or older. What if we “push” our kids to learn a sport they can practice for the rest of their lives?
As much as I think playing American football, soccer, or baseball is great and teaches them discipline, hard work, and team play, these sports are kind of “dead” for them (as far as the possibility of continuing practicing them) after the age of 25…
On the other side, if we just let kids experiment with all the sports hoping that one day they will stick with one, they might end up knowing a little bit of every sport but not be good at any one…

– Think about how you were at the age of 7, 8, or 9… Were you aware of what would be good for you in ten, twenty, thirty years later? No, of course not. Therefore we, as parents, must present the future to our kids and describe the importance of doing sports and activities that could have an impact on them later on.
Even though Johnny loves to play online games, that will not help him be more sociable, driven, and outgoing in the future.

Having said that here are my opinions in regard to providing our children with skills that would help them become successful later on in life:

  • Every kid should be given the opportunity to learn at least one foreign language.
  • Kids should also learn how to dance (how many times have you gone to parties or social gatherings and envied the ones who were able to move gracefully to the music?).
  • Every kid should, at some point, know how to defend themselves – get them into some self-defense classes.
  • Children should be given the opportunity to learn how to play at least one musical instrument (piano, violin, guitar, etc.).
  • Every kid should practice and be good at one sport. Why? Because in order to be good it takes dedication and perseverance. It is easy to begin a sport or anything else and… quit. But if we, as parents, encourage the kids to stick to a sport, they will learn that whatever they do and work hard at will become a habit and great things happen when we persevere.

With this said, I think that I should “push” my kids to learn tennis and have them learn from my knowledge to become as good tennis players as they can be. I am sure that whether they decide to stick with tennis or not, the skills they will learn from practicing and persevering in tennis will help them in life later on.
And I am sure of one thing: my kids will not tell me “Hey Dad, how come you did not teach us tennis?”
As I do this, I want to make sure that my kids learn a foreign language, play the piano (or guitar), take self-defense classes, and take dance lessons too.
Everything else… is up to them.

I would love your opinion on this. Please share this article and contribute with your feedback… Thank you.

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Cosmin Miholca

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.