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.
Tennis is a fun sport and great for meeting people.
In the beginning, players discover the game, then fall in love with the idea of hitting the ball over the net, exercising, winning points, and competing.
But after a while, we all want to take it to the next level: better technique, more consistency, more power, win matches and tournaments…
I have this friend who, after playing tennis for 3 years, has made a lot of progress. He can rally with an advanced player but when it comes to playing actual matches, you can obviously see his struggles. So what does it take for my friend and any player, whose level has been stalling, to move up in ranking? Below, I’ll highlight a few differences between the average and top players:
1. Top players create opportunities. While average players wait for things to happen, the top players are proactive in controlling the point and looking for opportunities to win. They have a good knowledge of tactics and strategies that they can implement according to their opponent’s style of play.
2. Top players are mentally tough. Average players let everyone know when they miss a shot: they get angry and loud as if the “gods of tennis” are against them. Top players stay calm and in control of their behavior on the court; they understand that showing negative emotions fuels their opponent’s confidence, so they avoid that.
3. Top players are aware of their strengths and weaknesses. One of the aspects that I’ve constantly seen from average players is their lack of patience to develop their game from the ground up. They want to compete but do not take the time to develop a solid foundation. Top players constantly assess their strengths and weaknesses and build their game around that. They understand that any technical flaw must be corrected…and they do it. Average players tend to ignore their weaknesses and rely on one or two strokes they feel comfortable with.
4. Top players practice to improve. Most of the average players just want to play matches. Their satisfaction lies in winning matches even if that means competing against less gifted players. Top players want to practice their tactics, consistency, and strategic placement more than they want to play actual matches. You can see top players spending a lot of time working on one single shot until they get it right.
5. Top players prepare for their matches. Proper food before, during, and after a match is one of the aspects top players are aware of in order to perform at their best. They pay attention to a proper warm-up before the match, stretching, and recovery exercises after it.
6. Top players respect their opponents. Once a player reaches a certain level of excellence, they will develop compassion for their fellow tennis players knowing the dedication and effort that it takes to perform at high levels. That’s why the top players have respect for their opponents, compassion for the ones who lose matches, and share the excitement of their wins with the ones who helped them get there.
Knowing the above qualities of top players, would you say you are among them? If not, would you be willing to work towards achieving that level?
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 proper ball distance appears to be an ardent subject that tennis coaches want to know when teaching beginning players.
Some young players (beginners) indeed have difficulty achieving optimal contact withthe ball – getting either too close or too far from it. Therefore, coaches try to find solutions to help their players hit the ball more naturally and in balance.
Unfortunately, there is no quick or easy solution to this and, if you ask me, I consider this will get fixed naturally through repetition. The only way a beginning player realizes to “feel” the optimal contact point and space to the ball is through lots of practice. Eventually, the player will develop the proper timing, hand-eye coordination, and footwork to position the body and racquet most comfortably and naturally.
But if you really want to speed up the process, I dare to suggest a couple of drills that you and your student can do to get a clear understanding of where the contact with the ball should be and improve the timing to achieve that:
1. Have your student (or partner) position in an open stance (feet parallel to the net) or square stance (feet sideways to the net) and racquet held at a “contact point” position: racquet face towards the net, proper grip, arm slightly bent. By the way, this can be applied when practicing either forehand or backhand groundstrokes. From the “contact point” position, hand-feed a few balls toward the player’s racquet. After the ball bounce, the player should push the ball and swing from that point on, and follow through. Practice contact and follow-through without a backswing. This drill will teach the player where the contact with the ball should be (spacing and body position). Eventually, they will register that. With proper timing and footwork developed through repetition, this will become a habit.
2. Repeat the previous drill with a slight adjustment: instead of tossing balls for your student, you will rally with them this time. Your student will begin every stroke from the contact point position (no backswing) while pushing and following through after each contact. Again, this will teach the player proper spacing to the ball. One important tip is to rally with your student from the service line or just behind it in order to avoid a bigger swing and take the racquet back. You can even use foam or any light junior tennis balls to keep things simple in the beginning.
Try these two drills and let me know if your student develops and gets a better feel for spacing to the ball.
One more tip: do not over-emphasize other technical aspects such as footwork or body position. To get the contact and timing right, allow the student to focus only on the ball; let the other elements happen naturally… for now.
Additional Note: For players who want to learn the above technique by themselves, I recommend either using a ball machine or asking a tennis partner to feed (by hand) some balls to them.
The following pieces of advice address mostly to coaches but players can also find some applicable uses: As a tennis coach at WebTennis24, I often get emails in which players or coaches ask for my opinion on certain subjects. One of them was how to make a good impression as a coach in front of your new students. In this regard, I made a video that will show you the first 10-15 minutes of what you can do with a new tennis student (beginner or even intermediate). In this video, you’ll find my “magic” formula on how to interact with new students and how to make them feel welcome and excited to learn tennis. It has worked great for me throughout my over 15 years of teaching tennis, and it will guarantee to help you too. Besides that… in preparation for the upcoming lesson (or a match if you are a tennis player) it is good to develop some “rituals” that prepare you mentally for what comes. I used to get quite nervous especially when meeting new students and/or their parents. So don’t worry: you are not the only one getting nervous; a lot of coaches are too… the students also. If it helps, you can only imagine that your students are more nervous to meet you than you are to meet them. Or, if you are a player before a tennis match, your opponent might be more nervous to play against you than you are. Here are some of the “rituals” that I do on the way to my lessons in order to ensure that I am properly prepared and my students will find a true professional in me as their coach: 1. In the car, as I drive to the tennis court, I practice some breathing exercises: take a slow deep breath in – hold it for 4 seconds – release slowly; do this about 5 – 7 times.
2. Say positive things to yourself such as: “I can’t wait to meet my students”, “I love what I do”, “This is going to be fun!”, etc.
3. Get on the tennis court at least 10 minutes before your students arrive; prepare all your teaching gear and be ready early.
4. As soon as you see your students coming towards the court, put a smile on your face and walk to them looking happy to see/meet them. Stretch your hand out and introduce yourself first, then ask for their names (memorize it).
5. As you can see in the video I mentioned above, it is important to ask your students questions, and find out about them; that would make them feel welcome and important.
6. If you get nervous, smile; smiling is a great way to help you relax; also, ask your student questions during the lesson: “What do you feel about what I just taught you? Does it make sense? Does it feel natural?” etc.
7. And last… actually this should have been first: make sure you have lesson plans ready (a general plan of drills and things you want to teach before you get on the court). I sometimes carry little pieces of paper with notes that I find important to say or do during the lessons. This helps me to know that I do not leave things out and takes some of the pressure off considering that I don’t have to remember everything. I hope all these tips are of help to you. Write in the comments box below and let me know your thoughts.
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.
Every so often, my students surprise me with some rather simple yet challenging tennis questions that I keep thinking of even after I consider I gave them the best answer…
One such question is: “Should I play singles or doubles?” Most of the players who ask this are beginners or intermediate level in search of their tennis identity: “Am I a singles or doubles player?”
My answer is usually as follows:
“If you don’t mind running, then singles is for you. But if you enjoy team sports and having an easy-going partner to work with, doubles is for you. The two are different in the sense that in singles you have more court to cover and you’ll have to be quite consistent with your groundstrokes, while in doubles it is more about playing at the net, feeling comfortable with volleys, and strategic placement of your shots. In my opinion, the game of doubles is more complex and exciting than singles. Even if a player enjoys the one-on-one competition, they could benefit a lot from playing some doubles matches from time to time. If you ask me… I like the singles matches. Even though I enjoy a doubles match from time to time, the fact that playing singles means I am responsible for every shot and the effort I put in is mine 100% gives me the assurance that the match is totally up to me and the way I perform on that day.”
Either way… enjoy your tennis!
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.
This is part three of “If I could write about 1 thing to make your tennis better, what would it be?” (see part 1and part 2)
76. “Best backhand return from the deuce court to avoid the net man poaching.” (in doubles) – Hitting inside-out backhands from the deuce side to avoid the net player is a tough task indeed. Have you tried to hit the backhands hard at the net player? If you do that, they might not want to poach, knowing that the ball will come in their direction next time. Just make sure you let your net partner know that you’ll hit the backhand return at the net player so that they get ready to react to the opposing net player’s reply. If you have a weak backhand, you could consider lobbing your return of serve. Overall, communicating with your partner in regard to your return intention is key in doubles so that they also know what to expect.
77. “If I had to ‘make a wish’ it would be for court geometry and the building of points.” – We have a great section at WebTennis24 where the court geometry in singles and doubles is covered.
78. “How to play the net position in doubles.” – According to your level of performance, there are certain positioning tactics and roles you should assume when playing at the net. See the Tennis Tactics for Singles and Doubles for in-depth lessons and tips for playing at the net in doubles.
79. “I would like to see what the pros “see and think” during an exchange. Example: I hit a hard ball to the forehand corner of my opponent and I start to come in. Often I would at where my ball is landing and then see my opponents coming in my field of vision just in time to hit the ball on the run. Last summer I was passed down the line like that and I realized that had no clue about what was coming. If I had watched my opponent earlier, I would have seen that he was running parallel to the line and not coming in slightly in a diagonal. Running at full speed like that the probability of hitting a good crosscourt was low (at my level at least, 3.5-4.0). I am sure that there is a lot of time when I’m not watching what and where I should be watching. I try to watch the racquet of my opponent too, to see pass or lob, hard shot or drop shot but there must be more to that. What do the pros see?” – I think that you are on your way to achieving a good read for your opponents’ body language and anticipation. The fact that you are asking and paying attention to that, in time you will get better. The pros all started as you are right now – paying attention and analyzing their opponents’ movement and racquet path just before contact, got better the more they played. Pay attention to your court position too; it can cut the angles and put you closer to the next ball.
80. “How to control the distance from the ball and the timing.” – Check the answer no. 66, here.
81. “Doubles strategy” – I would say, everything you need about doubles strategy and tactics can be found in the Doubles Tennis Tactics section where you’ll learn how to play different types of teams, players, how to serve, when to poach, and so much more.
82. “Hitting mid-court volleys (I play a lot of doubles) with pace and depth. Should I hit a swinging volley?” – The swinging volleys are great and I personally like to use them a lot in my doubles matches (and singles too). The key is to time your swing and make contact with the ball chest- or shoulder-high. If the ball drops below net level don’t think about hitting a drive volley…
83. “I play doubles mostly and I believe I have every aspect of the game except being able to volley from mid-court. Hence, my serve and volleys are not that effective unless I get closer to the net such as midway into the service box. This is not always possible given that sometimes the ball comes back at my feet right after I land on the court. What should I do?” – You can do the following: 1) stay back after the serve and advance to the net on the next shot 2) develop a better half-volley (bend the knees and work on your balance)
84. “psychology and strategy” – For strategy, see the answer at no. 81. Some interesting (I hope) articles in regard to how to “see” every tennis stroke were written in the Mental Tennis section at WebTennis24.com. You might find it very interesting.
85. “I would write about drills to improve preparation and reaction time.” – My suggestion is for you to consciously practice (not during a match) the following: as soon as you recognize the ball coming to a certain side (e.g. forehand), turn the shoulders and get the racquet set behind the ball before it bounces on your side of the court. Stay low during the rally so you can have a good balance. In regard to reaction, you can find lots of drills in the Speed & Conditioning section at WebTennis24 Training. Consistent practice creates habits. Do it often in practice and it will become automatic in the match.
86. “My biggest help would be in constructing points. Knowing what shots to hit and when.” – This is a plan I have for the future; stay in touch! (:
87. “In a word, ANTICIPATION.” – Anticipation in tennis has a lot to do with your knowledge of court positioning and body language (based on which you can tell your opponent’s shot selection). With conscious analysis of the two aspects, you’ll be able to anticipate more and more of your opponent’s intentions.
88. “How to be more aggressive. I find myself not taking a chance, especially poaching at the net or hitting the ball as hard as I know I can. I always lay off for the safe shot or just stand at the net, afraid to take a chance for fear of missing the point or upsetting my partner.” – These two aspects (missing a shot and upsetting our partner) are what hold us from playing tennis at full potential. I can tell you that at the end of the match, you’ll feel worse if you hold back than upsetting your partner. After all, if your partner does not understand your effort then you should look out for a different one. It is also important that you can communicate with your partner letting them know that you want to play aggressively and therefore sometimes you might make a mistake. Find a partner that understands and is willing to work with you. It is no use to continue playing for fear of missing or upsetting someone. Tennis is meant to be enjoyed and progress to be made. There is no progress playing in the comfort zone!
89. “Return of serve from backhand side to include returning kick serves.” – It depends on how much kick the server can deliver: how high the ball bounces and how fast. Also, you should specify whether you hit a one-handed or two-handed backhand. You can control the kick serve better with two hands while the one-handed backhand is more difficult. Position yourself further back to gain more time, and wait for the ball to lower and lose some of its speed. Mostly, as with any kind of extra-spin serve, make sure you avoid blocking the ball; instead, try hitting hard through the ball to counteract the force of the spin.
91. “Is there one part of a swing motion (forehand for instance) that all players do the same if the result is the same?” – Most of the top players have some common elements that allow them to hit the ball with more power and control. One of them is the short back-swing. Prepare the racquet behind the incoming ball and avoid any unnecessary movements. Find the most effective way for you to hit the ball early and relax.
92. “Backhand (two-hand) down the line.” – For sending the ball down the line (regardless of forehand and backhand), wait for the ball to get closer to you (hit it a bit late) and you’ll find yourself directing it down the line with ease. The opposite is true: hitting the ball early allows you to send the ball cross-court.
93. “I would be glad to fasten my backhand stroke (two hands).” – Work on hitting the ball early, keep your hands relaxed on the grip, loosen the tension of your strings… and mostly understand the difference between pulling the racquet versus pushing it through the ball. Pulling it gives you more power than pushing the racquet through.
94. “Maybe a checklist of skills and tactics. Sometimes people don’t work on things simply because they aren’t thinking of them. For example, slicing from the baseline – high, medium, low. And when/why to choose this shot.” – Excellent ideas; great material for the future. Thank you!
95. “I would be grateful if you would address the use of the front leg in creating proper North-South and East-West distance from the ball (if not hitting from an open stance).” – To be honest, I am not that detailed in regard to footwork. I think it should be as natural as possible and not have to think too much while striking the ball. In my opinion, short steps and good balance, are more important than the angle and distance the feet are from the ball. There are many coordination, speed and balance exercises at WebTennis24.com – apply them at least 3 times per week and you’ll see the improvement in this area.
96. “How to stop choking! My son (17 years old) often is up a set and a break, then finds a way to lose the match. He also can be up 40-0 or 40-15 and end up going to deuce or worse. Helping him learn to close out games, sets and matches is something I’d love to hear more about. Thanks!” – I’ve talked about this subject; please check no. 13, on this page.
97. “Regarding your question: as for my daughter it definitely would be footwork. My daughter started training more intensively approx 1.5 years ago when she was already almost 13 y.o. She improves quickly since we started training 5-6h weekly instead 1-2h previously but footwork is the biggest pain point for now. You have many drills in this area but we would use even more. In particular: – drills for tennis movement patterns – to transition from just running on the court to typical tennis movements – drills to start moving towards the ball earlier (anticipate better) – separation of legs movement and swing (or I would say performing them in parallel with the right timing and rhythm). She often starts swinging, then moving and then it is too late – drills to improve the habit to return to the court center.” – Some of the drills you mention are at WebTennis24.com already but I’ll make some notes for future videos also.
98. “How do I handle the high balls? How do I practice to hit on the rise?” – Timing is key in hitting high balls on the rise. You can easily practice them by asking a tennis partner or a local coach to feed you some high balls. Technically, prepare early and try making contact with them chest- or shoulder-level, swinging up and across the body (some call it windshield wiper motion). Imagine you’re rolling the strings over and across the ball. Hit them with confidence. In regard to footwork, try shortening your steps as you get close to the ball. It will help you with timing and balance.
99. “WHETHER YOU ARE A BEGINNER, AN AVERAGE OR AN ADVANCED PLAYER YOU ARE MOST LIKELY TO TENSE YOURSELF IN CRITICAL MATCH SITUATIONS. WHAT WOULD IT BE YOUR BEST ADVICE TO MAINTAIN OURSELVES LOOSE AND PERFORM ACCORDINGLY ( SPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO OUR GRIP AND ARM TENSION) IN THESE BIG POINTS…?” – This too I’ve answered in the previous posts; check the answers here and here.
100. “Cosmin, rec players like myself sometimes go through an entire 3-set match repeating the same mistakes….like not finishing the forehand swing….or forgetting to hit up & out on my serve…. or trying to use my legs more, etc. After years of frustration, I now have a short ” movie script” ( a screenplay) of things I need to do and I watch this movie a minimum of 3 times before I step on the court. This is a specific “visualization” tip, but will only work if the student takes the time to make the script and then be disciplined enough to review it before picking up a racquet!” – I have the feeling that you are focusing too much on the technical part, during a match, when you should be focusing instead on tactics. All the things you have mentioned should be worked on in practice – have a coach or sparring partner feed balls or rally with you while focusing on the technical aspects. After you go through a lot of repetition (in practice), you’ll find them just happening, out of the habits you created, during the match. Do not work on your technical aspects while playing a match.
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.
