Advice for Tennis Coaches Who Teach Group Classes

Advice for Tennis Coaches Who Teach Group Classes

by | Tennis Coaching | 0 comments

In my years of teaching tennis in Southern California, the mornings were dedicated to teaching mostly groups of adult players and occasionally some homeschooled children.

The adult group classes were mostly formed of players looking for a good workout, fun, and learning how to play and win in tennis.

Years after I moved from California, I still get emails from my former students who tell me how much they miss my classes. That’s because I always considered the following…

1. Players like to have fun alongside friends or people they connect with.
In this regard, I tried to pair them up based on their personality and kept the atmosphere of the class a cheerful one by introducing fun games, occasional jokes, and constant encouragement.

2. Players like to get a good workout.
If they all look sweaty and out of breath at the end of the class, I know they will feel good about themselves for the rest of the day. A good workout means a better mood for the day ahead.

3. Players want to learn something new every time.
Players should be reminded of the proper stroke mechanics, strategies, and footwork. Try to bring a new piece of tennis information every time your students come to your class. They will appreciate you and the value they get out of your lessons.

Gain access to a comprehensive collection of tennis drills and lesson plans. Enroll now and have everything you need at your fingertips!

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.

My Daughter Learned a Valuable MENTAL Tennis Lesson

My Daughter Learned a Valuable MENTAL Tennis Lesson

by | Tennis Coaching, Tennis Training | 0 comments

It’s Saturday morning… I’m with my younger daughter (9 years of age) who has her last tennis practice before the next day’s tournament.

As it ends, I ask Bianca to play a practice match against her older sister, Cezara.

Bianca, who lately has been dominating the “battle of the sisters” is up 9-6 (tie-break to 10 points). Matchpoint, right?

But that’s when she makes the mental mistake that only inexperienced players allow to happen:

“Daddy, if we get to 9-9, are we going to play by two points?”

I take a deep breath, forcing myself to control my frustration. I know what is about to happen:

Her opponent (Cezara) comes back to even the score at 9-9 and eventually wins the match: 13-11.

So what is this about?

When Bianca was ahead 9-6, her mind should have been focused on winning the next point and closing the match. Instead, she thought about 9-9. Whatever her mind was preoccupied with… happened.

This was her lesson which I hope she understood:

Whatever our mind focuses on, happens!

Whether we visualize good or bad things, that’s what we get. It’s a universal law that applies to everything in life, including tennis.

Spend quality time with your child while teaching them a valuable sport. Enroll today in My Daddy / My Coach program!

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 Long Has She Been Playing Tennis?”

“How Long Has She Been Playing Tennis?”

by | Tennis Coaching, Tennis Training | 0 comments

At a recent tournament, my daughter’s opponent’s mother approached me to enquire about her tennis experience.

After a brief introduction, she asked me the question that I honestly dislike answering:
“How long has your daughter been playing tennis?”

The reason I dread this question is that I consider it to be irrelevant…

Take, for example, two kids who both have been playing tennis for 2 years. One of them practices almost every day while the other one does only once a week.
That makes it obvious that the one who practices more often is the better player, even though they both have been playing tennis for… 2 years.

As a tennis player or tennis parent, you probably have encountered people who asked you this same question – how do you feel about answering it?

I make sure that when somebody asks me this, I’ll tell them the story I just described above. (:

And by the way, in my opinion, the right question to ask is: “How passionate is your son/daughter about tennis?”

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.

The FIRST Things I Teach Beginner Tennis Students

The FIRST Things I Teach Beginner Tennis Students

by | Tennis Coaching | 0 comments

When teaching tennis to a new and beginning student, I have always emphasized a combination of fun and technique.

When a new student books me for a lesson, in the first 5-10 minutes I try to find out about them: why they want to learn tennis, what they know about it, and if they have ever tried tennis before.

For example, someone might want to learn so that they can play with their family. Or they consider tennis a good way to stay in shape. Or they are just being brought in by their parents. Whatever the reason, it is good to ask them – you’ll find some interesting answers for why people pick up a tennis racquet.

After you familiarize yourself with your new student, it is good to let them know a “very” little bit about yourself – do not bore them too much about your life. Just keep it to simply letting them know your name, and how long you’ve enjoyed playing and teaching tennis, and enthusiastically letting them know how glad you are to have the opportunity to teach tennis.

To keep this article short, I’d suggest that in the first lesson you should introduce your students to the following:

1. Court dimensions and names of the lines – it is important for new players to learn the names of the lines (e.g. baseline, singles side lines, service line, etc.) so that when you ask them to practice from a certain spot on the court, they should know their way about the court.

2. Racquet introduction – explain to your student the different parts of the racquet: head, neck, and handle. If you want, you can show them the basic grips without getting into much detail.

3. Introduce some hand-eye coordination drills to test their physical skills.

4. Begin by demonstrating and teaching the basic forehand groundstroke technique followed by drills and fun games that put into practice the skills they learn.

These are the main points that a student should learn in the first lesson. Make sure to keep it fun and try as much as possible to connect with the students by listening to them and allowing them to ask you questions during the lesson.

If your student is a child, encourage them all the time and praise their effort. At the end of the class, have a little prize for them (e.g. small candy, stickers, etc.). Kids love that and will continue coming to your lessons when you show that you care.

If your student is an adult, again, listening to their needs and allowing them to ask questions is important. Adults, more than kids, are interested in detailed techniques and… a good workout. Do drills that make them “break a sweat” from time to time. They should leave your classes smiling. (:

Have fun on the court and write to me if you have any questions, below.

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 Taught my 8-Year-Old These Two Tennis Tactics Against Pushers

I Taught my 8-Year-Old These Two Tennis Tactics Against Pushers

by | Tennis Coaching, Tennis Training | 1 comment

Seeing that most kids that my daughters played against were very steady from the baseline (real human walls), we decided that we had to come up with a good tactic against them. And indeed we DID!

These combinations of shots won at least two matches (easily) during my daughters’ latest tournament:

Two days before we took off for the tournament I set up the ball machine and had my daughters practice their drop shots.
Once they got a good feel for the short balls, we proceeded to discuss what they’d do from there on…

Considering that “pushers” are very comfortable playing at the baseline, once, at the net, they might try to either back away from it (towards the baseline) or stay up where their volleys would not be solid enough.
Right after the drop shot, my daughters had to be inside the baseline and get ready for an eventual short ball return or a deep one.

Tactic 1:
If their opponents would back up and away from the net following the drop shot return, my daughters were going to take the next ball early and hit it to their feet or easily pass them considering their fragile balance while backing up.

Tactic 2:
If the opponents were going to stay up at the net, I instructed my daughters to hit the first ball in the direction of their opponents and try to pass them on the second attempt.
By hitting to them first, the opposing player might be taken by surprise, expecting a pass. On the second attempt, while the opponents try to defend themselves, a passing shot would be easier to execute.

The first tactic was more efficient since most of the pushers did not feel comfortable staying at the net and tried to move back to baseline.

At least two matches were won by my daughters (each) applying these tactics!
Try them and let me know if they worked for you too.

For more tactics and strategies that work check out this program.

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.

Champions… Are They Made Or Born?

Champions… Are They Made Or Born?

by | Tennis Coaching, Tennis Training | 0 comments

No matter what kind of competition I’ve ever signed up for I always felt the pressure of being extreme before the event started. Controlling the fear of failure has always been so hard to handle. Even when I told myself that it was just a game, it still hurt to lose a match…

Because of my own experience, I try to lessen the pressure on my kids in everything they do. Instead of mentioning the win or winning, I’ve been giving them a speech that emphasizes hard work, passion, and love for what they do.

Before their matches begin, I tell them to go out there and have fun or give their best. They know that I’d be happy to see them fight for every point even if they don’t win the “battle”.

Now, those of you who have been following the My Daddy / My Coach video series (where I have recorded the lessons with my own daughters from their very beginnings until the competitive level) know that I have two daughters: Cezara (who is now 10 years old) and Bianca (9 years old). For the last 2 years, they have been enrolled in the tough European under-10 competitions. They’ve had some success and… sometimes have not.

I got to know my kids so much more just by preparing and watching them compete:

One of the major things I learned is that you cannot make champions. THEY ARE BORN!

For many years I thought that anyone can produce champions if the environment is created accordingly.

Take for example my older daughter, Cezara: she loves to read, likes quiet times, loves animals, and is very sensitive to seeing anything suffer (whether it is a plant, animal, or human).
And she gets very nervous before her tennis competition: she gets stomach sick, stuffy nose, etc. She inherited my emotions ten times over… (:
That’s why I decided not to enroll her in any competitions from now on; unless she really wants to.

On the other hand, Bianca is outgoing, happy, and very vocal (but not with strangers). Loves to sing, hates to read, and is very creative in everything she does.
Bianca loves competitions but does not like to practice (typical for the talented ones). I only have to mention that there is a tournament nearby and she jumps for joy and begs me to sign her up…

I found that a major characteristic of a “gifted player” is to welcome pressure and competition.

Talent comes next.

Then comes the hard work and… vision.

Therefore, when comparing the personalities of my two daughters, one can only notice that no matter what you try to achieve with your students (or children) there has to be a particular foundation which they are… born with.

Help your child develop essential tennis skills while having fun. Join My Daddy / My Coach and watch your child’s game improve!

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 Long Has She Been Playing Tennis?”

Into the Final for the First Time

by | Tennis Coaching | 2 comments

When my older daughter turned 10, I knew it was going to be tough to split between the green and orange level tournaments – my younger one was still determined to win an orange tournament before joining her sister in the full-court / green level competitions.

During the indoor season, we unsuccessfully tried to participate in several tournaments – the distance impeded the fact that my two daughters had to play on different days due to their separate levels.

When spring came and the outdoor season kicked in, we finally managed to book our spot in a tournament that would host both levels (green and orange) on the same day and just a few hours apart. Which meant less wait between matches and less travel for all.

My older daughter, Cezara, was first to play beginning at 12:30pm. Even though a day before she caught a bad cold she decided to take part in her first green-level competition anyway.
I could see in her movement and body language that Cezara was far from being fit enough to concentrate and compete… Nonetheless, she played all 6 matches (round-robin, first to 7-point tie-break) winning two and losing four. A good performance considering the health issues she had to deal with and her first time competing on a full court and against tougher opponents.

At 3pm, the time came for orange-level matches. My younger daughter, Bianca (8 years and a half), blended among the players during the warm-up. She was the last in line and visibly the shyest one.
Nothing could tell that she would end up within a couple of hours getting everybody’s attention and admiration…

They were divided into two groups of 6 players who were going to play in a round-robin format (every player against each other in a game with a 7-point tie-break). The top 4 players from each group would go on to the quarter-finals: first player vs. the fourth from the opposite group, second vs. third player, and so forth.

Bianca had won 4 out of her 5 group matches and went on to be the top player in her group.

Before the quarter-final began, I went to the fence and told her that she would be playing elimination matches from now on meaning she should erase from her memory whatever happened before and focus only on how to win the next matches. I suggested to Bianca to not be satisfied with the past performance (a big mental trap) and to keep her mind busy in the “now-and-next” mode.

(Some of the pieces of advice I gave my daughters before the tournament were the following:
– during the warmup, they should keep their feet moving to get the blood flowing and resist hitting the ball hard;
– make mental notes of their opponents’ possible weak shots – e.g. backhand, serve spin, etc.
– use more slice serves because some kids are not familiar with handling spin serves;
– mentally they should keep their focus by always knowing the score and visualizing winning the next point.)

To my satisfaction, I saw that Bianca followed most of the advice I gave her in regard to the warm-up and strategies.

She won the quarter-final in a heavily contested line calls and long rallies match. The umpire made some mistakes on both sides. Eventually, Bianca prevailed 7-3.

Again, I went to the fence (while she was resting and waiting for the next match) to help her stay focused on the present and what was coming ahead. She told me that this is how far she had gotten in previous tournaments – 4th place was the highest achievement.
After giving her a few tips on staying loose and focused, I left her on the bench, alone.

To our surprise, her semi-final match was going to be against, what we considered, the best player in the tournament. This girl, who traveled from out of the country to participate in this tournament, had a beautiful technique (great backhand, nice slice serve) and looked very confident.
We still don’t know how this happened, but Bianca marched to victory and sent her opponent to play for the 3rd and 4th places…
All I could say is that Bianca kept her focus from the beginning to the end, played steady shots, and ran for every single ball. That, in the end, paid off.

Our delight was immense: not only for her victory against one of the best players she’d ever played but also for the fact that for the first time she’d be in the final and so close to winning a tournament.

The final match put her against a player who lacked the technical elements but who was very persistent and smart in hitting a lot of balls in.
After a good start when Bianca was leading 3-0, she found herself contemplating the win and very certain of first place in the tournament. This is the mental trap that is hard to get out of the head afterward…

Bianca found herself slowly beaten and denied the first place.

Even so, by playing with confidence, focus, and persistence, my daughter made us all proud to see her getting a medal and recognition for her achievement.

We, after all, celebrated with a pizza and some of our close relatives waiting for us at home to congratulate both sisters. 🙂

Conclusion:
Even though every tournament that we go to means a lot of pressure for both parents and kids, in the end, the fact that we dare to get out of our comfort zone is what matters.
Experiences, bad or good, are what make life worth living and sharing.
It is not the winning or losing in tournaments that matters; it is the fact that we meet new people, get good exercise, and make a difference in the world by giving a good example of hard work and respect for others.

Spend quality time with your child while teaching them a valuable sport. Enroll today in My Daddy / My Coach program!

Cosmin Miholca

Cosmin Miholca

Certified Tennis Teaching Professional

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