Interesting. I did my tailwheel transition in Citabrias (at Palo Alto and then Livermore). Neither of the instructors I worked with would have signed off my tailwheel endorsement without proficiency in wheel landings. There is definitely a knack to them, and at first I found them intensely frustrating. It's vital to "stick" the aircraft at EXACTLY the right moment, within a small fraction of a second. Too soon doesn't bear thinking about. Too late, and the tail drops under gravity, AoA increases, and you're off flying again. You have maybe a tenth of a second to get it right. It helps to ease in the tiniest amount of back stick just before the wheels touch, slowing down the vertical speed to almost zero. It sounds hard - and is until you get it wired into your muscle memory, whereupon it becomes reassuringly easy. That said, I did exactly two wheel landings in the Pitts during the 150 hours or so I flew it regularly. Though I know Pitts pilots who swear it is the easiest way.