Hi Everyone! Welcome to the Park! My name is Tommie Ray. It's really nice of you to stop by !

I want to talk about concentration in tennis. I know personally that this is one of my biggest problems. It seemed like that last two or three times I went out on the courts I was just a little off. I wasn't really hitting the ball cleanly so I decided that I needed to really make a decision to concentrate on tennis when I was on the courts. So the last time I played a little game with myself just to see how well I've been concentrating. You might say I had to bring my awareness level up and make a conscious decision to really concentrate and low and behold it worked! My game was much better. I blocked out all of the everyday hassles for that hour or hour and a half and just got down to hitting that little fuzzy ball.

I know how easy it is to just get out there and go through the motions and thats okay if your just there to hit around but I'm talking about playing and being competitive and playing your best.

I've found that a good drill while your warming up is to really watch the ball. Just focus totally on the ball when it hits your racket and where it hits on the opponent's court. This seems to get me into a total tennis frame of mind.

So I guess what I'm trying to encourage you to do is when you get on the courts, let the world pass you by and relax. Concentrate and have fun. Make this your time to exercise your mind and body which is why I love the game of tennis. It's a total work out. So good luck on your matches and don't forget tennis is a game and have fun playing it.

Tommie Ray

If you have any questions or comments please email me :-)