Why I Decided to Teach My Daughters Tennis

by | 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

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.

Avoid THIS if You Want to Teach Tennis to Your Child

by | Tennis Tips Blog | 2 comments

teaching kids tennis

When I decided to teach my (then) 4, respectively 5-year-old daughters how to play tennis I was both excited and terrified at the same time.

I had already enough experience playing and teaching tennis for almost 30 years, but putting all my knowledge on the line to help my two daughters fall in love with the sport was a major job for me.

As a tennis coach, you can encounter a lot of pressure when it comes to teaching your own children.

Despite that, after a serious discussion with my wife, we have decided that nobody would ever put more passion into teaching our daughters as much as I would as a parent and tennis coach.

BUT… there was one step that had to be carefully planned:

How to make my kids take me seriously as a coach and change their perception toward me from the “fun daddy” to… “coach daddy”?

Up to that point, I was the daddy who was coming home and they would jump on his back, go for bike rides, go to the beach, read with them, and have fun.

That was all good in the beginning when we began to transfer those fun activities onto the tennis court, but at some point we had to ease into the technical aspects of the tennis strokes and learn that tennis requires some serious moments when repetition and certain focused activities are not as entertaining as the games my daughters were used to playing with me.

Something had to be done. Something that would get my daughters to ask me to teach them how to play tennis and allow me to introduce them to the mechanical aspects of tennis strokes and footwork.

After careful analysis and long discussions with my wife, we both agreed that the best solution to have our daughters be willing to learn tennis from me would be to enroll them into group classes under the guidance of another tennis coach.

Why?​

We figured that by being enrolled in group classes, our two daughters would see other children playing and enjoying tennis.
They will see other children learning, executing the strokes technique, and paying attention to a coach’s instructions.

My daughters, in this way, got introduced to tennis by joining other children of their age and observing how others behave in a tennis class.

That was a turning point! ​

My daughters, soon, decided to allow me to teach them not only the technical aspects, but they wanted to excel by practicing more only to get better and eventually participate in competitions.

Conclusion:​

If you are a tennis parent, don’t try to teach your children yourself… in the beginning!
Allow them to learn by participating and observing other kids of their age, first.
Only after they get introduced to tennis together with other children will they be more open to learning and working hard… just like they saw other kids doing.

If you want to learn a step-by-step method and see how I taught my two daughters to play tennis from the ages of 5, respectively 6, up to junior years, check out the My Daddy / My Coach video series.
You’ll see live and full tennis lessons (each about 45-65 minutes) in which I share all my tennis knowledge in teaching my daughters how to play and fall in love with the sport.

Have fun teaching tennis to your children! 🙂

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 Teach Tennis to VERY Young Children (3-5 Years Old)

by | Tennis Tips Blog, Uncategorized | 0 comments

As a tennis coach, I am often asked how to teach the sport to very young children, specifically those aged 3-5 years old. In this article, I would like to share some tips and techniques that have worked well for me in the past.

Consider the child’s prior experience
First, it is important to consider whether the child has had any prior experience with tennis. If they have, find out whether they have taken private or group lessons. If they are new to the sport, focus on hand-eye coordination exercises and basic techniques.

Introduce games and drills
There are plenty of fun games and drills you can use to keep young children engaged, such as “Throw and Catch,” “Jail Breaker,” “Caterpillar,” and “Potato Race.” Remember, the aim is to keep the lessons fun and active, so try to avoid making them stay in line for too long. Kids of this age group tend to get bored easily, so keep them moving and engaged as much as possible.

Make it fun
In a group setting, when working with children individually, give tasks to the others, such as picking up balls, jumping rope, or bouncing a ball, to keep everybody active. Try to make this fun, too, by turning it into a competition to see who can make the biggest pile of balls on their racket, for example.

Keep the lessons short and intense
For children under 6 years old, I recommend no longer than 45 minutes per lesson, and for 3-4-year-olds, even shorter, around 30 minutes. This ensures they don’t get too tired or exhausted, and they are able to retain what they have learned.

In conclusion, teaching tennis to very young children can be a lot of fun if approached in the right way.

Keep the lessons fun, active, and engaging, and focus on basic techniques and hand-eye coordination exercises. With a little patience and creativity, you will be amazed at how quickly they can pick up the sport!

If you want to learn how to teach tennis to young children consider the following WebTennis24 coaching courses:

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 Taught Me A Lesson… Again

by | Tennis Tips Blog, Uncategorized | 4 comments

tennis lesson with daughters

Usually, Sundays are when we (my two daughters and I) play practice matches. No more drills or technique instructions… just games and fun.

So I told my two daughters (Cezara and Bianca) that I would require them to play against their mother in a game with a 10-point tie-break and the winner would play against me for the “final” (playing against mother would be the semi-final :).

Bianca (my little one, who is 8 and a half) beat her mother easily. She played aggressively and gave my wife no chance.

But it came down to my older daughter, Cezara (who is now 10 years old)… she is very competitive but her nerves and her desire to over-achieve can be her greatest enemies.

Seeing that her younger sister beat her mother easily, she wanted to prove she could do it too. But those thoughts tightened her up and nerves took over.
Therefore, she played slowly (I’d say less than 50% of her power capabilities) and made most of the mistakes.

I could not believe when my wife beat her 10-2… easily. Most of the points were actually lost by Cezara.

When they shook hands at the end of the game, I went to her and this was the first thing I said: “Cezara, you played too slowly!”
She looked at me like I just hit her with a stick.
I could see that that was the last thing she needed to hear: a negative comment when she was already feeling miserable about her loss…

Even though I knew I should not have said it, considering it was a friendly family match, I thought that realistic feedback would help Cezara know why she lost.

But her reaction made me understand, again, that the last thing a player (student) needs to hear when they are upset is a negative comment.

It re-enforced my knowledge in the following regard:

– we should never say negative comments when teaching tennis or any kind of lesson to our children;

– feedback should be given only if asked or permission is granted (especially if it is about a negative action).

As a person who grew up being criticized a lot, I find it hard to keep things always positive. But I know that it can be learned with practice.

We just have to remind ourselves that positive words make a much better difference in someone’s performance and bring us closer to those who need them.
After all, we want our children to feel understood and loved. That can be done with words of love and an honest attitude.

What should I have said to my daughter after she lost a match that she should have easily won?
Maybe nothing… just a hug to show her that she is loved. And a smile.

Should she have asked me why she lost… I could have told her. But usually, players do not want to talk about losses. If they do, we should postpone the discussion until they cool off and some time has passed (maybe the next day).

Be careful when teaching children… What we say and how we react in front of them is always a lesson that can shape our relationships with them. Even their future…

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.