FLOW: HELPING ATHLETES PLAY IN THE ZONE

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FLOW HELPING ATHLETES PLAY IN THE ZONE

• Damon Burton -- University of Idaho
• Cougar Coaches Brown Bag Seminars

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FLOW BASICS

• Flow is that effortless, automatic performance
  where everything goes perfectly and you play your
  best.
• In ESPN vernacular, Flow is being in the zone!
• Bob Beamans 292 long jump in the 1968 Mexico
  City Olympics was Flow
• The Miracle on Ice when the U.S. Ice Hockey Team
  won the gold medal in Lake Placid was Flow or
  what we sometimes call synergy in team sports.

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FLOW RESEARCH

• Most Flow research conducted by Mihalyi
  Csikszentmihalyi, Hungarian-born professor at
  University of Chicago
• Dr. Cs father was a count in Hungarian nobility
  who gambled away their estate in a high stakes
  poker game when he was 9.
• Dr. C is interested in what makes activities
  intrinsically motivating--activities we do for
  the pure love of the game.

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DR. Cs RESEARCH

• Dr. Cs initial research looked at a wide range
  of performance activities including sport,
  music, dance, rock climbing, sculpting, surgery,
  and painting.
• When asked about their peak experiences where
  they were most intrinsically motivated, subjects
  often talked about how their performance seemed
  to flow.

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THE ESSENCE OF FLOW

• Flow is a highly-sought-after type of intrinsic
  motivation because performance seems to transcend
  mental and physical ability.
• Not only does Flow promote top performance
• enhances enjoyment and
• maximizes intrinsic motivation.

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PERSONAL FLOW EXPERIENCES

• Can you think of a time when you experienced Flow
  as a performer, either individually or as a team?
• Can you think of a time when a performer or team
  you coached were in the zone?
• What do you remember about these Flow experiences?

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CHARACTERISTICS OF FLOW

• challenging activity requiring skill,
• clear goals and feedback,
• merging of action and awareness,
• total concentration on task,
• loss of ego and self-consciousness,
• paradox of control,
• transformation of time, and
• autotelic experience.

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1. CHALLENGING ACTIVITY REQUIRING SKILL

• Activity has to be challenging enough to get the
  performer totally absorbed in the task.
• Walking may not be complex enough.
• Reading a good book or watch a compelling movie
  can prompt Flow.
• Flow occurs when you are evenly matched with your
  opponent.

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2. CLEAR GOALS AND FEEDBACK

• Performers must have clear goals for what they
  are trying to accomplish.
• Winning is the overriding goal of sport, but
  athletes need individual goals as well.
• Flow occurs only when athletes consistently get
  feedback on goal attainment.

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3. MERGING OF ACTION AND AWARENESS

• Performers must get totally into the activity.
• Sometimes it feels as though I not only
  concentrate fully on the activity, but also I
  become the activity
• Flow has a Zen-like flavor
• nothing else matters when were in Flow
• Right brain function

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4. TOTAL CONCENTRATION

• fully focused task-at-hand,
• impervious to distractions,
• into the present the here-and-now
• When Im playing in the zone, Im not distracted
  by school or my upcoming midterms. Im fully
  into the game and the game only.

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5. LOSS OF EGO AND SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS

• ego detached from performance,
• Athletes observe performance, but they dont
  judge themselves or rate how theyre doing.
• no self-criticism just observe and make
  changes,
• How do you respond to a mistake?

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6. PARADOX OF CONTROL

• feeling of total control without actually trying
  to control the situation,
• able to predict what will happen,
• total control over an inherently uncontrollable
  situation (e.g., sport)
• cant make Flow happen, must finesse it.

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7. TRANSFORMATION OF TIME

• Once Flow is over, time seems to have sped
  byhours seem like minutes.
• During Flow, time slows down so you have more
  time to react and make decisions.

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8. AUTOTELIC EXPERIENCE

• auto means the experience is highly automatic
• telic focuses on Flow as the ultimate type of
  intrinsic motivation

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PRACTICAL FLOW QUESION

• Can athletes and coaches create flow, or does it
  just happen?

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HOW TO MAXIMIZE FLOW

• fit the difficulty of the task to athletes skill
  level,
• maintain proper focus,
• forget time,
• relax and wake up, and
• train for Flow.

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1. MATCH GOAL DIFFICULTY TO ATHLETES
CAPABILITIES

• Challenge Versus Skill Balance
• ?
• Goal Flow
• Difficulty
• ?
• Athletes Skill Level

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2. MAINTAIN PROPER FOCUS

• understand the cues you need to focus on to
  perform your best,
• focus on the present not the past or future,
• concentrate on the things you can control not the
  things you cant,
• learn to block out common distractions.

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3. FORGET TIME

• Time acts as a distraction when we start worrying
  about competition ending.
• Mistakes upset us more at the end of competitions
  than the beginning.
• Be aware of time without dwelling on it or
  letting it distract you.

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4. RELAX AND WAKE UP

• The right psych level requires a delicate
  balance of relaxation and energization.
• Athletes need to be physically relaxed and
  mentally calm, but
• Performers also require a high energy level to
  compete their best.

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5. TRAIN FOR FLOW

• Dont leave Flow up to chance.
• If you want to get into Flow frequently and
  remain longer, you must train for Flow.
• set up conditions that maximize the chances of
  experiencing Flow, and
• maintain naturally-occurring Flow as long as
  possible.

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TRAINING FOR FLOW

• Make sure athletes are in optimal physical
  conditioning and have automated key techniques
  and tactics.
• Use mental plans and preperformance routines to
  create, maintain and regain the
  Flow-Frame-of-Mind.
• Develop positive, confident thoughts and
  feelings, and
• In team situations, emphasize trust, shared
  purpose (e.g., goals), communication and
  selflessness among teammates.

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WHAT CAN COACHES DO?

• Set realistic goals for each athlete,
• Keep practices varied and interesting,
• Keep everyone active,
• Avoid constant instruction during practice,
• Avoid evaluation and criticism during
  competition, and
• If flow occurs, leave athletes alone and let flow
  continue as long as possible.

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ADDITIONAL FLOW QUESTIONS

• How often does Flow occur for most athletes and
  teams?
• Is Flow more common in individual or team sports?
• Do male or female athletes experience Flow more
  often?
• Is Flow more likely when play is continuous or
  stops frequently?

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ADDITIONAL FLOW QUESIONS

• What impact do timeouts have on Flow?
• If your team is in Flow, what should you do if
  your opponent calls timeout?
• How do substitutions influence Flow?
• Is it easier to experience Flow when teams
  substitute a lot or a little?
• How does offensive and defensive complexity
  impact Flow?

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