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.

Outplaying Opponents: Lessons from a Match Against My Top Student

Outplaying Opponents: Lessons from a Match Against My Top Student

by | Tennis Training | 2 comments

I was inspired to write this article after a match I recently played against one of my top students.

What happened during that match?

Even though my student is much younger than I am (he is 17), I found myself overpowered by the strength of his strokes and his quickness. This usually makes me proud to see in my students, but in that particular situation, I had to save my pride by trying not to lose to him.😁

One thing I had to do to stay “alive” in that match was to be creative and step out of my comfort zone. To achieve that, I had to mix up my shots much more often than I usually do. I had to plan every stroke ahead (meaning, I had to think of at least two tactical shots before the point began) and react much quicker…

So what is the lesson you can learn from my experience?

  • If a player wants to achieve top performance in tennis, they must strive for consistency and stroke dependability first. This consistency must be applied to at least two shots on each side (forehand, backhand, or serve). Because if one fails, you must be able to rely on the other.
    How can a stroke fail you? In my case, against this particular student, he would crush my kick serve 90% of the time (putting it away), so I had to use my slice on the second serve most of the time to keep him from winning the point off my second serve. By having two dependable serves (kick and slice), I could switch between them when one failed me.
  • As a player, you must learn to think ahead during the point. Avoid just hitting the ball in play and waiting to see what happens. Instead, you must make things happen. If your opponent, let’s say, is slow, then hit the ball often to the open court to make them hit it on the run (off-balance). If they like to come up to the net, you can visualize a two-shot combination: one shot short at their feet, followed by an attacking shot (assuming the low ball at their feet will produce a slow return), etc. Think of at least two shots that will put you ahead in the point!
  • A good player must be quick. If you are not, then you can train to become quicker. When I say quick, I do not mean fast. For example, I was never a fast runner, but I was quick on the tennis court. How can you be quick on the tennis court? Apart from doing footwork and specific drills, you must train your eyes to read your opponent’s body language. Pay attention to the way their body is facing before the shot or the grip they’re using to strike the ball. Also, learn proper court coverage so you know ahead of time (before your opponent strikes the ball) what their options are based on their location on the court.

Consider these new tips when assessing your game, and identify what you lack and what you need to improve.

Above all, work on stroke variety in your practice sessions. Is your slice backhand a weak shot? Then go ahead and practice it. You never know when you will face someone who struggles against slices. Is your slice serve a weak shot? Well… you know what to do. And so on. Practice what you are not very good at because being able to change your game and mix up your shots will pay off in many tennis matches.

Having fun playing comes from being confident that you can rely on your strokes when needed.

Practice all your shots, not just the ones you like.

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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.

You vs Talent

You vs Talent

by | Tennis Training | 0 comments

A couple of months ago I finished reading Nadal’s book, Rafa, and there was one statement he made that I have been thinking about ever since… He said that his sister and the rest of the family consider him as being far from coordinated and a terrible driver. Nadal, himself, admits that the only reason we see him move so well on the court is because he has been spending so much time doing these movements that they just became natural and easy.

This brings me to a subject I have always found fascinating – tennis talent. 

Is there really talent that some people are born with?

or

Is talent a skill that we develop through meticulous repetition?

As I was growing up, I thought my brother had a talent for sports: he was faster and more coordinated than me. My father wanted to prove me wrong and showed me that hard work can triumph over talent. As a result, I overcame my brother’s talent in the last tournament we played when we met in the final: I won due to the extra hours my father and I put in just to prove this theory. 

Years later, I had the fortune to read two great books, Bounce (by Matthew Syed) and The Talent Code: Greatness Isn’t Born. It’s Grown. Here’s How (by Daniel Coyle), which explains in detail and with concrete examples that talent is not something we are born with; instead it is something that we develop through thousands of hours of specific repetition. 

That opened my eyes to the fact that all these geniuses we admire, in fact, were not born with talent. All of them have been very early practitioners in the field they eventually excelled in.

Take Nadal for example; he began tennis at the age of three under the supervision of his uncle Toni.
Mozart (in music), another genius, was actually introduced to music by his father (an experienced music teacher and composer) at a very early age of one.
Tiger Woods, introduced to golf by his father before the age of two, is another example of what we call genius.

All these people and many others that we look up to have excelled in their field not because they were “gifted” but because they have started their career at very early ages.

Researchers came up with a statistic that in order to achieve excellence in anything you must do two things:
1. begin practicing at a very early age,
2. spend over 10,000 hours / 10 years of specific practice in order to master it.

I personally agree with this research but as a parent of two girls I cannot help but notice that there are differences that people are born with: my younger daughter seems to be catching up with many things a lot easier as long as they are physical activities while my older daughter loves and excels in mental tasks: reading, math, etc.

I agree that we are born with a certain conformation in which our nervous system functions, but ultimately the talent is the result of one main process: specific repetition.

That being said, I believe that repetition can take us places that we don’t even see ourselves capable of.

Just like one of my fellow teaching pros once said to his student: “Ok, Mary, this is how you hit a one-handed backhand. From now on, all you have to do is repeat this 3,000 times and you’ll have a great backhand!”

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 Attack the Second Serve in Tennis

How to Attack the Second Serve in Tennis

by | Tennis Training | 1 comment

Returning a tennis serve is one of the most challenging aspects of the sport. A returner needs to be prepared to react quickly, analyze their opponent’s serve, and make the right decision in a split second. It is important to note that first and second serves should be treated differently. While the first serve can be challenging to return, it is just a matter of getting the ball in play. However, returning the second serve requires more thought and strategy.

Here are three essential aspects to consider while returning a second serve:

1. Psychological:
When an opponent misses their first serve, they become tense as they know that failing to deliver their second serve could result in a lost point. This is an opportunity to take control of the point, so stay focused, and watch for any signs of nervousness.

2. Technical:
Pay attention to your opponent’s serve tendencies. This is crucial to position yourself correctly for the return. Observe whether they hit the second serve hard or soft, what kind of spin they use, and whether they usually aim deep or short into the service box. This information will help you make better decisions on where to position yourself on the court, which wing to use, and whether to attack or defend the return.

3. Tactical:
Analyze your opponent’s serve placement and direction. Do they aim for your weak side? Do they try to keep it deep or just get it in play? This information will help you make more informed decisions during the return.

It is essential to be aggressive with your second serve return, and the best way to achieve this is to take the ball as early as possible and hit it to your opponent’s weak side. This puts pressure on your opponent, especially when they miss their first serve. Use your strong wing to hit the second serve return as often as you can. By doing this, you will take control of the point and put your opponent under pressure.

Remember, practice makes perfect. Try taking notes during the first two receiving games to better understand your opponent’s serve tendencies. By following these three essential steps and remaining focused, you will become a better returner and improve your chances of winning points.

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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.

Why You Should Practice the Wide Serve More Often

Why You Should Practice the Wide Serve More Often

by | Tennis Training | 0 comments

Wide serve… Federer used it beautifully; every smart tennis player uses it often.

Why should you too? Actually, why shouldn’t you too?

We all know that our opponents have a harder time hitting/controlling balls on the run, therefore we should make them run often. When on the run, the player must control balance, change direction quickly and recover as soon as possible.

Serving the ball wide has the following advantages:
1. Getting your opponent off the court – as a result, you will have the open court to attack with the next ball;
2. Making your opponent hustle to cover the open court (hitting the ball on the run).

These two situations give you control of the point. That means you can either hit the ball to the open court or behind the recovering player. Either of these options will make your opponent struggle to get the ball in play. Rarely you will find a player that is comfortable hitting great shots while running full speed.

How do you angle the serve wide (as close as possible to the sideline):

1). From the deuce side, if you are a right-handed player, use slice.
Practice aiming for a cone (or, as I saw Djokovic do at Indian Wells a couple of years ago, use cans of balls placed inside the service court) that you sit about 1 foot inside the singles line and roughly 5 feet inside the service line.
Do this tennis serve practice drill: hit 10 balls and see how many land within 1 foot from the cone (or even hit the cone/can of balls).
Technically, you must visualize that your strings will, at contact, brush the outside of the ball: if you are right-handed, see the racquet brushing the ball toward the right and over 3 o’clock (if the ball would be seen as the face of a clock).

2). From the ad side, if you are right-handed, use the kick serve. As you did with the slice, practice hitting kick serves to a cone placed very close to the right sideline and service line in the opposite ad service box.
Technically, visualize your racquet’s strings brushing the ball up and away on the back of the ball (or from 7 to 1 on the face of a clock).

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.

Tennis Tips: Focus On the Finish

Tennis Tips: Focus On the Finish

by | Tennis Coaching, Tennis Training | 0 comments

The tennis stroke techniques can be divided into three major elements: preparation, contact with the ball, and finish (follow-through).

The last part (the finish) can give you a lot of clues about somebody’s stroke: the spin imparted on the ball, acceleration (power), the tension in the arm, the direction of the ball, etc.
Coaches tell you to finish in a certain way for deeper ball penetration, cleaner contact, or relaxation of the arm through the stroke. But what is the stroke finish all about?

In my teaching lessons, I have noticed that many consistency-related issues can be solved just by fixing the finish on the stroke.
You see, so often coaches or players look at contact or body movement to solve tennis problems, but according to my observations, tennis can be a lot easier if we fix one very simple area of our strokes: the way we finish.

Here are my arguments for this statement:

1. Since contact with the ball is done in such a short period of time, our mind is not capable of controlling the body and racquet during that time (it is our ingrained muscle memory or subconscious mind that takes over the contact). What we can control is the way we finish the stroke: “holding the finish”.
There is a strong connection between the contact and follow-through – if contact is done right, the proper finish follows or vice versa: if we focus on a long, relaxed follow-through (the part we can control) then we’ll have a clean, smooth contact before it happens.

2. A long follow-through shows a relaxed arm done at contact with the ball. A relaxed arm during the swing translates into power and control of the ball.
We all know that we play our best tennis when we are relaxed.
So focusing on a long follow-through on the strokes will help us loosen up through the stroke.

3. When we play a match and feel tense or have “one of those days” when nothing good comes out of our strokes, there is a very easy fix to those: exhale at contact and finish your strokes.
When we are mentally tense (e.g. fear of losing the match, somebody important to us is watching the match, egos, etc.) our body muscles contract too; that makes our stroke swing shorter which, as a result, slows down the racquet head speed and affects the ball depth.

I have noticed remarkable progress in my students’ strokes only when I adjusted their follow-through:
– a kick serve cannot be done without taking into consideration the racquet path on the same side of the body with the dominant arm after contact, or…
– the slice serve to have the hitting face more or less facing the opposite court after the contact adds to the spin effect even after the impact has been made;
– a forehand ground-stroke finish with the hand knuckles close to the non-dominant side’s ear can make the contact a lot smoother and cleaner when teaching young or beginning players.

Take these tips with you next time you go on the tennis court to practice or use them to relax in a tennis match.

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.