How to Concentrate and Achieve FOCUS

photo credit:Lucky B

Everybody knows that you will be far more successful in whatever you do, if you really put your mind to it. The problem for most tennis players is that they do not realise how absolutely critical focusing on the ball is.

The above pictures are perfect examples for you to learn from. WOW, look at Roger Federer’s mental focus, his mind is certainly on the task. One of the greatest player’s of all time is relaxed and watching the ball as it hits his racquet (pictured below) and as it heads off his racquet (pictured above).

One of the main causes of all errors is not visually tracking the ball well enough. The good news is that everybody can learn to improve their concentration by using this mental skills training process. No doubt, it requires an increased mental effort but it makes all of the difference in the world to your game.

This concentration skill training process has 2 components that must be executed.

Step 1: FOCUS

Try to really focus on the ball by:

Looking for the seam of the ball;
Looking for the label printed on the ball;
Looking to see the spin of the ball; and
Making the ball stand out from all of the back ground details.

Step 2: THE CYCLE

Try to use step 1 to visually track the ball throughout the entire cycle. In simple terms, 1 cycle is the whole time during which the players hit 1 shot each in a singles match.

The cycle when your opponent is serving to you is:

Once the ball leaves the server’s hand;
As it goes upwards, reaches it’s peak height and then drops back down to be struck;
As soon as the ball heads off the server’s racquet and all of the way towards you;
As it clears the net, begins to descend, the bounce and as it comes up to you;
All the way into your racquet; and
From your racquet all of the way back to the server’s racquet.

As soon as the ball strikes your opponent’s racquet then the 1 cycle is complete and the 2nd cycle commences and so on. It is critical to repeat the same process for each and every cycle.

Do not stress if you cannot see the specific details of the ball. As long as you are making your best effort to try to focus on the 4 parts in step 1, then your level of concentration will improve immediately.

The key is to strive to focus on each cycle so much that you achieve these effects:

You feel like the ball appears bigger;
You feel like you have more time to play your shots;
You feel like the ball is moving slower than it seemed to be before.

If absolutely anything interferes with or breaks your concentration, make sure you redirect your full attention back to the above mental skills training process.

Improve the mental skill of concentration by using Steps 1 & 2 and you will definitely have the OnCourt Advantage.