• At age 9: “Okay, it’s time for y’all to come inside and clean-up for dinner.”
• At age 12: “I know y’all go to the park to play football after school, but I need you home by 5 to do homework and get ready for dinner.”
• At age 13: “I told you that you could go play ghosts in the graveyard at the park. Not that you could come home at 2am!”
• At age 14: “Where the hell have you been all day?”

My childhood, like yours, was a constant succession of games and competitions. Summers were littered with sports camps and free time was spent organizing friends to play other games.

When I got to high-school activities grew more focused and serious. I began training hard. The majority of sports play was reserved for practice and structured competition, although summers and off-seasons still featured a good bit of less formal play just for its own sake. By my senior year, I was as good an athlete as ever. The year was filled with competitive highlights and ego-trips. And then it was over.

Competition-minded adults have always finished high-school or college athletics only to find themselves in a no man’s land where the passion’s that dominated their life are now completely unavailable.

Team sport is reserved only for professionals. They are left to either coach or re-orient themselves into an individual sport like biking, running, Crossfit, or martial arts. While these are phenomenal pursuits they lack the social dependency that many adults desperately need.

A Better Model

Canada’s Sport for Life Initiative has created a brilliant, developmentally appropriate framework they call the Long Term Athletic Development (LTAD) model. Their mission was to create the most possible Canadian Olympians while also driving up the quality of the nation’s lifetime health. It turns out these goals are extremely compatible.

By contrast, American norms have drastically reduced the pool of talent as youth sports participation plummets every year in response to insane costs and obsessive cultures.

The Aspen Institute’s Sports & Society Program reports that “only 36.9 percent of children ages 6-12 played team sports on a regular basis in 2016 – down from 38.6 in 2015 and 44.5 in 2008.”

The excesses of youth sports are driving families away from these transformative childhood experiences and replacing them with screen time and passive entertainment. The few remaining are more subject to norms driven by extremists whose only mission in life is to guarantee their child a college scholarship. Despite fewer American youth athletes, overuse injuries have skyrocketed, a consequence of only ever playing structured sport and the overuse typical of premature specialization.

The LTAD model looks at developmental science to clarify age-appropriate sports attitudes. By clearly warning off early specialization and over-structure, they’ve fostered an atmosphere where youth play many sports, building a full, balanced athletic tool kit. While American youth are experiencing sport as parent-controlled, hyper-focused drudgery, Canadian youth sport has thrived as children learn the joys of team sport. Structure and physical training are added progressively at scientifically supported, age-appropriate intervals and doses.

Generally, the LTAD stages are as follows:

• Active Start: Up to age 6. Basic movement skills are prioritized. The youth gains a love for movement, learning, and life by exploration, free play, and hardly structured movement exposure.
• FUNdamentals: Ages 6-8 in girls and 6-9 in boys. A variety of structured sports should be introduced with a focus on fun and exposure.
• Learn to Train: Ages 8-11 in girls and 9-12 in boys. Youth should acquire a wide spectrum of sports skills by more structured play in a variety of sports.
• Train to Train: Ages 11-15 in girls and 12-16 in boys. Now youth can begin to focus on a basic aerobic base, strength, and more developed sports skill. Multiple sports should still be played, but they can be approached with a more competitive mindset even while the emphasis remains on process over outcome.
• Train to Compete: Ages 15-22 in girls and 16-22 in boys. This is where training and competition peak. Greater volumes, intensities, and level of focus are demanded for those choosing a competitive path, where others can choose to enter the Active for Life stage early.
• Active for Life: Anyone can enter this stage at any point if team sport grows disinteresting. Competitive sports athletes will enter this stage after their competitive careers. The basic direction here is to use the base provided and stay active for life.

What About the Adults?

Any efforts to right America’s destructive youth sports culture would do well to study the Canadian model. Still, like most perceptions of sport and fitness, after the “competitive stage” (this ends after high-school and college for most people), Canada drops the ball.

It seems collective humanity is getting stuck by this archetype where team sport must end before adulthood unless you are a professional. The role of the body for adults is only conceived of as watching team sport, coaching team sport, and, if time/desire permits, training their body for its own sake, with no prospect of ever having to perform again.

The LTAD model breaks down at the train to compete stage. After a lifetime enjoying sports, society broadly decides that athletes should begin devoting enormous energy to a select few pursuits, or they can choose to stay “active for life,” whatever that means.

A 16-year-old young man is left deciding whether he wants to invest 20+ hours per week playing soccer or to start doing pilates? It is A or B. Hypercompetitive or just don’t die. If the varsity years of high-school athletics don’t present this ultimatum, then college almost certainly does.

Furthermore, even if they want to remain competing in this train to compete stage of life, they may not have the option. Team sport increasingly becomes available only to the very talented and those willing to pay exorbitantly for select sports leagues.

At some point, generally between 16 to 22, regardless of whether you choose to be hypercompetitive or not, society seems to agree that the invaluable team-sport experience that virtually defined your early years should now be unavailable. For some reason that is reserved for children and professionals.

Adult sports options become solitary and, often, less sport than an extension of training. While I have a deep respect for martial-arts, powerlifting, and marathoners, and I think these sports are necessary, they lack the element of mutual dependency and collective mission that make team sport such a transcendent experience.

Culturally, we stop conceiving of team play for its own sake as a priority and this leads to declining physical, mental, and emotional health. What outlet could better address these adult needs than if humanity started to respect that these were needs for all people, not just kids?

Particularly in this age of automation, team sports play should be considered a necessity for people of all ages. Clearly, you usually wouldn’t want to have 55-year-olds playing 25-year-olds in soccer.

But, hell, if I’m 55 that is my goal. People would come in all shapes, sizes, genders, and levels that, depending on the sport, might require more or less stratification. Injuries might occasionally occur, outrage and litigation culture may have a hissy fit, but collective humanity would improve drastically.

I respect that the LTAD wants adults to be self-sufficient and autonomous in guiding their adult physical development. I agree that a well-developed model should promote freedom and individual responsibility. Still, we have failed to conceive of a more fulfilling and human-enriching vision.

The best approach to the final stage of our athletic development model should be a return to earlier stages where there is a great variety of sports and a focus on process over outcome. This more than anything else would provide communities a gateway into valuing health.

Today, even if avenues for adult team sport did exist, the adults who engage are typically labeled big kids. They are seen as the irresponsible who refuse to grow up. Adults are supposed to work at a desk all day and then battle traffic to get home so they can rush the kids across three towns for their ultra, triple-dog super elite 5th-grade travel ball practice. They aren’t supposed to still be playing themselves.

There are very few outlets and even less social normalization for adult sports leagues. Sure, you can play beer-league softball, but what about health-oriented communities where it is normal and encouraged for adults to engage in regular team sport?

Particularly as technology grows to create an atmosphere insufficient for meeting our human needs, team sport must become a staple for all ages, or communities will slip further into obesity, depression and the host of epidemics currently sweeping the developed world. Modern healthcare costs are unsustainably high and no one feels these costs more than employers dealing with their population’s lethargy and absenteeism.

Next time, I’ll explore why employers seem especially well-suited to address these growing concerns and how easily it would be for a new model of adult health to take root at foresighted companies. While private sector gyms would certainly benefit from this perspective, the adult organization seems an especially potent environment to combat the modern health crisis.

This Week’s Mission

The eventual fate of our children is to become adults. We have to restore and model a passionate adult experience if we want them to achieve that. Decide on a skill you want to learn and begin practicing.

Childhood is a never-ending succession of sucking at new pursuits until they become skills. For some reason, we adults grow averse to this essential process. Decide to learn bodyweight gymnastics, juggling, Wim Hof method, tennis, harmonica, Spanish, or any other skill. This may seem to contradict my message today, but I assure you the two work hand in hand.

Read the first part of this article here Step Into The Arena Part I: Shape Fitness To Meet Modern Needs.

The post Step Into the Arena Part II: You Need a Team appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

The flow state. Some people think it’s a myth, an urban legend, a rumor that top athletes and performers spread to throw others off of their trail. But for those that have experienced this phenomenon, it is something that is all too real, all too powerful, and all too game-changing.

You could think of the flow state as a naturally occurring drug that makes you faster, stronger, smarter, and increases your reflexes and acumen. This mental state is scientifically documented, and achievable by anyone who puts their mind to it. But it takes work. Hard work. It takes dedication, sometimes years of it. And it takes “pushing the limits” to an entirely new level.

The Scientific Phenomenon of Flow

Steven Kotler defines flow as “the term used by researchers for optimal states of consciousness, those peak moments of total absorption where self vanishes, time flies, and all aspects of performance go through the roof.” Flow is a scientific phenomenon in which the brain operates at a higher level in all aspects.

Whether during a physical or mental task, flow is accessible to anyone and everyone. The feeling is almost indescribable, and because there has been very little awareness spread about this phenomenon, many people may have experienced flow without even realizing it.

The effects of the flow state may vary slightly from person to person, and from task to task. If a physical task is being undertaken, then the flow state may seem as if the mind and body are truly connected. Many runners who have experienced the “runner’s high” were actually experiencing flow. But if a mental task is being undertaken, such as computer work or writing, the flow state may feel as if the mind is connected to the screen or the paper. The body becomes nothing more than background noise and the mind takes over everything else.

How can you activate the flow state? The answer is complex because everyone will enter their own flow state in a unique way. However, by utilizing the following three methods, you can force your body and mind into overdrive, and accomplish feats you could never have imagined. But these methods require that you are physically and mentally challenged with complexities and hardships first.

Flow From External Circumstances

Counterintuitive though it may seem, the flow state can actually be forced upon you. Take for example my experience in the Naval Special Warfare Preparatory School. Physical training exercises were a near-everyday occurrence, and I actually began to feel comfortable giving it all I had in whatever test of endurance was on schedule for the day. I knew what to expect and what was expected of me, so it was simple for my mind to shut off and let my body do the work. These are not optimal conditions for flow, but they did work.

Then one day I badly injured both of my knees during a workout on the beach. Suddenly, I was thrust into a state of complexity, where routine physical training was no longer routine. It was a strange and challenging world for me. I could no longer perform in the way I had become accustomed. During rehabilitation, I spiraled into a deep and dark depression. As self-pity took over my mind, I began self-medicating with alcohol, isolating myself from friends and co-workers. I thought that I would never again reach that peak of performance that I had worked so hard to attain. I had officially hit rock bottom.

But it was in that instant, at that rock bottom, that the flow state was triggered. It was literally forced upon me, and I needed to make a choice: I could either be the cause or the effect in my life. I chose to be the cause of everything that happens in my life, take the lessons learned from it, and create the actions to achieve my desired outcome. As I drug myself out of that hole, I began to experience flow in my rehabilitation sessions. Flow allowed me to rehabilitate faster and more aggressively than I had thought possible. Soon, I was back on my feet, in both a literal and figurative sense.

I owe the rest of my life to finding that state of flow, as my Twelve Labors Project was born from that state. According to Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, one of the leading researchers of the flow state:

“When a challenge is bigger than one’s level of skill, one becomes anxious and stressed. On the other hand, when the level of skill exceeds the size of the challenge, one becomes bored and distracted. Since the experience of this [flow] state is just in the middle, the balance is essential.”

In my experience above, the routine physical events were the equivalent of my skills exceeding the challenge. My rehabilitation was equivalent to the challenge exceeding my skills. Only when I realized that I had it in me to overcome the challenge of rehabilitation was the balance struck, and the flow state engaged. If you want to find the flow state, you need to find that balance as well, in whatever you are doing in life. Find a challenge that is just barely out of reach, but don’t settle on one that you know you can accomplish with ease.

Flow From a Mentor

Another trigger for flow can be found in a person that is close to you. Parents, teachers, coaches, and mentors are people that, although it may not be explicit in their job description, are there to help you reach the flow state. The reason for this is simple. These people have the ability and authority to push you to your limit.

When left to their own devices, most people are going to choose what is most comfortable, or the path of least resistance, and therefore the least challenging goal to attain. But when those same people are pushed by someone they respect to achieve all they can, there is an incentive to not let that mentor down, and so that person digs deep; sometimes deep enough to trigger flow.

I was once fortunate enough to be taken under the wing of a mentor, Rob Stella. Rob is a retired Navy SEAL. After 24 years of service, he became one of the founding partners at Acumen Performance Group (APG), where he and his team help clients “develop the mental toughness, leadership and team building skills needed to thrive in demanding environments.” Rob has always been there for me, but his presence was not always greeted with a smile because he was constantly pushing me to my limits. I knew that when I was working out with Rob, I was in for complete and utter physical exhaustion.

After a particular night of raucous partying, I knew that the following morning I had to “pay the man.” As punishment for inevitably showing up late to work, I was told to do a 14-mile timed run in boots. I was on an empty stomach and, needless to say, the physical screening test which consists of a timed 500m swim, max push ups, pull ups, sit ups and a 1.5mi timed run that preceded the consequential 14-miler didn’t go very well, either.

If that wasn’t difficult enough, Rob then organized a 3-hour workout on the beach. Just as the beach session got started, I felt my limit was reached. I could physically do no more. It wasn’t for lack of trying. My body began to cramp and seize in places that I didn’t know I had. I really wanted to prove to myself, Rob, and the other guys around me that I could have fun and still perform. It was Rob’s words in that moment that revived me in a sense and triggered one of the most glorious flow states of my life. Rob said,

“I know you’re having a rough day, but if you quit here, you’ll be a quitter the rest of your life. In life, there’s only results and excuses. Get rid of the excuses, and all you’re left with is the results. Might not be the results you want, but if you take ownership of it, then you have the power to create the outcome you want. So, you need to make a choice right here and right now. I’m not your Mommy and I can’t choose for you.”

I didn’t want to be a quitter or to disappoint Rob or my team, and I certainly didn’t want anyone to confuse Rob as my mother. The flow state was engaged, and I overcame what remains to this day one of the most exhausting workouts of my life.

I still hear Rob’s words whenever I am feeling at my worst, and the memory of the outcome of his words is enough to recreate that inner strength. The flow state can be accessed by many different triggers, but each trigger is unique to each person. If you wish to trigger flow, try utilizing a mentor or a coach, or anyone that can help push you above and beyond your perceived limits.

The Independent Flow State

While the above examples rely on outside forces to engage the flow state, the third trigger is completely internal. It relies only on the person working towards flow. If mastered, this approach can allow nearly unlimited access to the enhanced mental state. Triggering flow by yourself requires intense training, immense focus, and just a tiny amount of luck. By learning how your mind and body interact with each other, and using that information to your advantage, you can ultimately learn how and when to invoke flow.

But it is not as simple as flipping a switch. In fact, triggering flow for yourself may be the most difficult method; but that difficulty and complexity is a necessity for entering the flow state.

My Twelve Labors Project pits me against some of the most challenging tasks known to the human body and mind. Whether it be 24 hours of nonstop pull ups, rope climbing the equivalent of Mt. Everest, pulling a truck across Death Valley, or running 20 miles for 100 straight days, some would argue that I have achieved much more than most people, at least on the physical spectrum. But regardless of the feat and regardless of the labor, there is one thing that got me through each and every task: flow state.

There comes a moment during each one of these tasks where my mind recognizes that the pain, the agony, and the suffering cannot possibly reach a higher point. While the pain may be blinding, it is at this point that my mind takes over, in a sort of purgatory between hell and nirvana. And it is at this moment that the pain subsides, the suffering vanishes, and the agony diminishes. Somehow, my body and mind connect more than they ever have, and I am able to clearly visualize what it is I must achieve. That visualization, a completely mental concept, becomes a physical manifestation.

My senses become hyperreal, yet somehow, simultaneously nonexistent. It is as if I am in a dream, where my mind takes over any and all concepts of physicality. It is at this point that the flow state has been triggered, completely by my own volition. Once this mental state has been triggered, everything but the task at hand is tuned out; my own breathing, my surroundings, my thoughts, the pain in my limbs, all dissipate into the ether. When people say “live in the moment,” this is the most literal sense of that saying.

Flow can be accessed by yourself, regardless of the activity. You don’t have to be doing a day’s worth of pull ups to access flow. You simply need to be doing something you enjoy, but which is challenging enough to require you put forth your full effort, and doing something that requires an intense amount of focus, perhaps more than you’re normally used to giving. You could be sitting at your desk working on a difficult math problem, you could be running in a straight line, or you could even be cooking a difficult three-course meal. The circumstances do not matter, which is what makes flow such a unique concept in and of itself. As long as you are working towards a goal that you absolutely need to accomplish, and as long as that goal presents a veritable amount of challenge, you can trigger flow state without any outside help.

The post Find Your Flow State to Access Peak Performance appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Artists and athletes in this state are said to be in the zone. Others call it flow. Flow is commonly associated with athletics, artistry, or even spirituality. But in the book The Rise of Superman, Steven Kotler describes flow as an optimal state of consciousness that is available to anyone, not just artists, athletes, shamans, and monks.

Despite being widely touted and sought after, this peak state of performance can seem undefined or inaccessible to many. When you talk about the zone with non-athletes or novice exercisers, some might look at you with incredulous eyes as if you are speaking a foreign language.

Those who don’t meditate may look upon those who do as simply people who are sitting still for 20 minutes thinking about nothing. But regardless of your own opinion or experience of such a state, there’s no denying the existence of flow. While some of us have experienced it, almost all of us have seen it. Ironically, the place you are most likely to find it is the place you’d least expect to see it—in life’s most extreme circumstances.

What Is Flow?

Perhaps one the most astounding aspects of flow is where it seems to be most pronounced: in the extreme margins of human experience, namely in physically dangerous situations. There are countless examples of the manifestation of flow state; the surfer riding effortlessly in a 30-foot wave, the downhill skier gracefully carving her way down the mountain at 80mph, or the martial artist who seems to be performing a relaxed dance while fighting for his life and livelihood. How is any of this remotely possible? All of these examples are ones where the margin of error can be death, yet to the human eye, some participants can seem completely present and almost… relaxed. 

While mysterious and at times elusive, flow is a very real thing. Simply defined, flow is an optimal state of performance distinguished by certain pronounced characteristics. The flow state requires total and complete concentration, and yet at the same time occurs where there is sense of detachment from self. Flow involves creative problem solving in the moment, and often at blistering speeds, or conversely can happen while immersed in complete stillness. Flow is the experience of being in the moment, and is highly correlated with a sense of time dilation.

Flow is essentially a relaxed, yet focused state where your intuition and creativity take over, allowing for peak performance. Physiologically speaking, flow is defined by a predominance of alpha and theta brain waves. In flow, your neocortex is prominent, allowing you to almost ‘predict’ the future with a heightened sense of anticipation. This psychic confidence is what allows athletes to ‘see the field’ and anticipate their opponent’s next move. In terms of neurochemistry, flow is defined by the release of certain chemicals in the brain, including norepinephrine, anandamide, dopamine, endorphins, and serotonin. Interestingly enough, these chemicals are the very same chemicals associated with elicit drug use. Thus the term ‘runner’s high.’

But the high experienced in the zone isn’t just for runners. All human beings, from athletes to artists to businesspeople, have the capacity to experience such situational awareness and heighted state of human potential. This natural high is defined and measurable from a biological perspective, and corroborated by scientific literature in its positive effect. Of course, defining it is one thing; experiencing it is another. Let’s talk about how you can find your flow.

The Elusive Search for Flow

As opposed to when we’re pursuing pleasure, flow only happens when we’re in pursuit of performance. But whether it’s speaking in public, getting physically uncomfortable, or putting yourself out there creatively, fear of performance is about as scary as it gets, for many. This conundrum is the crux of flow’s elusive nature—finding flow inevitably necessitates facing fear and getting uncomfortable. This involves overriding two of the brains hardwired circuits: the primitive ‘fight or flight’ reaction (sympathetic response) and overriding the innate human desire for comfort. Doing so can follow one of two opposite paths:

Up the Ante

Find an activity that involves risk, demands physical focus, and necessitates facing your fears. The problem with traditional exercise is that it can be everything but focused. Loud music blares, screens distract you with statistics, and the end goal is often extrinsically motivated, rather than intrinsic. With bigger biceps, burning excess calories, and toned abs as the objective, the zone will be hard to come by. But in facing the fear of attempting complex and dynamic tasks, or even potentially dangerous physical activities, flow is more accessible.

Fortunately, such outlets (in particular action and adventure sports) are more readily available these days. While some professional sports are changing rules in an effort to get safer, more people than ever are risking their necks in sports like extreme skiing, big wave surfing, and rock climbing. Such sports have undergone unprecedented growth in the past 30 years, pushing the bounds of impossibility further and faster than ever before. Such activities demand complete focus and being at one with your environment.

Risk heightens focus, and flow follows focus. Ultimately, such high stakes coupled with intense focus are the perfect recipe for entering the zone. Flow author and researcher Mihály Csíkszentmihályi describes this result as “being completely involved in an activity for its own sake.”

Seek Extreme Stillness

Clearly, not everyone has the desire or the DNA to be a competitive ski jumper or thrill-seeking skydiver. Risk is risk, and plenty of folks would rather sit out anything that has the potential for injury or harm. Fortunately, there are other ways to find the zone without facing danger.

But less dangerous doesn’t mean easier. As terrifying as base jumping or hang gliding may sound, sitting completely still and fully emptying one’s thoughts for extended periods of time may be equally difficult, for some. It turns out that such stillness, whether through a breath-focused meditative state or restorative yoga, may also trigger a hyper-focused zone-like experience. If jumping off or scaling up something isn’t your jam, finding periods of focused stillness might be.

Find a Master of Flow

The best way to learn any skill is to seek out a mentor and learn from a master. Since it’s established that the zone is a very real thing and is even at times visible to the onlooker, what better way to access the zone than by finding someone who excels in finding flow and following their lead. While the zone isn’t exclusive to artistry, athletics, or spiritual realms, those arenas are still likely the best places to look.

I knew I wanted to start boxing when I saw the intoxicating rhythm on display during my first visit to a boxing gym. Losing myself in that rhythm and finding the zone in boxing came about through repetition over time, but also through the emulation of professors, gurus, and top coaches. The same narrative can be applied to countless modalities, from boxing, to ballet, to adventure racing.

Set Clear Goals

When you hear those words, I’m guessing the one that stands out is ‘goals.’ Unfortunately, as important as that word is culturally, it’s the wrong word to emphasize when it comes to finding flow. The problem with the word ‘goal’ is that it tends to have a future connotation, as in ‘when I lose 30 pounds,’ or ‘when I win the race.’

Living in the future means living in the then or there, but by setting clear goals that focus you on the immediate present, you heighten your ability to perform and sense of flow. Learning to be in the here and now means breaking down goals into tiny, bite-size pieces, or ‘chunking.’ Chunking simply means clearly defining the next immediate step. By breaking tasks into chunks, you’ll live in the here and now, instead of the there or then.

Hack the Zone

Because flow requires facing fear and the willingness to step outside ourselves, it may prove to remain elusive for some. That said, there are other ways in which we might achieve this optimal state without requiring such daunting effort. Floating, or sensory deprivation, has been shown in studies to produce parasympathetic response and a flow-like sensation.

Surprisingly, online gaming has also been shown to produce a similar flow state in some participants. The idea isn’t that floating in an Epsom salt bath or becoming a gamer is analogous with being a pro surfer, but flow state is flow state. Whether you organically hit your flow, or you hack into it, the chemical response is the same. The bottom line is that the more you experience flow state, the more accessible it can become.

Flow is Found on the Other Side of Fear

Flow is not some new-age concept found in only in the movies and comic books. Flow is very real. But it’s easy to lose sight of flow, and get sidetracked in our pursuit of fitness, wellness, and sport. Instead of pursuing flow or purpose, our quests can simply become a means to an end, to win a competition or build a better body.

While such goals are admirable, real meaning isn’t found in an end point, but in blissful moments of oneness. Flow is that oneness, and the key that unlocks flow is mostly found on the other side of fear. In the quest to achieve flow, perhaps the ultimate question isn’t ‘how do I find it,’ but ‘what am I afraid of?’

The post The Elusive Flow: Finding Ultimate Human Performance appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

An actor, interestingly enough, studies many of the same concepts as a martial artist. After all, they are both artists. Both learn to feel their feet on the floor, to connect with their breath, and to move with efficiency of ease without any tension. The goal is never a wasted moment or a shallow breath, or acting without intention or purpose.

There are many technical drills and practices used to find this presence, but ultimately it’s a skill developed through repetition and feel. Like a dancer, a martial artist as well as a true athlete, works to find rhythm by feel and intuition. Ultimately, this is done by having the awareness of being truly present – relaxing the body as well as the mind. You can see it in an elite fighter, you see it in a world-class athlete or dancer, and yes, you also see it in an actor. In Malcolm Gladwell’s book Blink, he asserts that our intuitions almost always tell us the correct answer, but many of us block that intuition. We block intuition through fear, adrenaline, or the desire for a certain outcome. But that intuition is what allows the actor to find truth and the fighter to make adjustments in a fight for his life. We have to learn to trust.

Fair enough, if practice doesn’t necessarily make perfect, and technique isn’t always the key to our success, then what is the answer? Failure is. Failure should be synonymous with growth and opportunity if we are keyed into it and trusting that intuition. In making mistakes we find out what’s truthful and authentic, what sticks and works. My boxing coach John used to have me practice completely random footwork drills. Switching stances, tripping over my feet, throwing punches walking and running backwards, and so on. By learning to punch being off balance (which is not technically correct, of course) I became much sharper in the process. I had to do it incorrectly to get sharper in doing it correctly.

In fitness if one wants to improve their balance one mostly trains by being off balance. Actors are often encouraged to try things in rehearsal like acting much bigger and more dramatic than normal to see how far they can go and where it feels natural. Even actors have that natural built-in human tendency to play it safe and play by life’s rules so to speak. But when we step out of our comfort zones and find that courage and willingness to fail, that is where we find the openings.

I have something I try to communicate in training and coaching, which is to learn and practice until one approaches perfection, and then forget it and try something different. The change is where growth occurs and in the martial arts and boxing this is especially applicable because opponents study our patterns while perfecting their own. Here is the human paradox: finding perfection and yet being willing to change and fail in doing so. Making adjustments on the fly means learning from failure. Being able to adapt when things do not go according to plan. In truth, there is no perfection, only change. In our physical bodies we are all aging, all champions ultimately lose. We cannot all get bigger, faster, and stronger in the long run, but we can all change. In doing so, we can all grow.

We watch and admire great athletes, fighters, and artists because of the stakes. They are putting everything on the line for finding a moment of perfection and in doing so they must be willing to fail. Al Pacino talks about the theater actor being out on the tightrope. With a live audience there is no take two, or do-over. That actor must be willing to find truth in the moment – he or she cannot be thinking about the next line. It’s not truthful if it’s calculated.

In the same sense a fighter cannot be thinking about his technique and what to do in the heat of battle. There’s no time to think, only to be present. When we find that moment of truly being present we will notice that we have come full circle to a technique that approaches perfection. The combination of repetition and failure is what makes great champions and artists alike, and brings peace of mind to those of us who are just fighting the daily battle against ourselves.

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

The post Don’t Sweat the Technique: Finding Flow as an Athlete appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Claremont Graduate University psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi has chronicled this phenomenon, which he calls “flow,” in the book Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. He defines flow as a state in which people “are completely absorbed in an activity, especially an activity which involves their creative abilities. During this ‘optimal experience’ they feel “strong, alert, in effortless control, unselfconscious, and at the peak of their abilities.”¹ Csikszentmihalyi began his study of flow as part of his curiosity about what makes people truly happy. Some hallmarks of the flow state include: losing track of time and external concerns or stimuli, feeling connected to something greater than oneself, and feeling challenged but not overwhelmed in terms of the ability and attention needed to complete a task. Csikszentmihalyi’s research suggests the state applies across cultures and across activities.

According to a study by Young and Pain (1999), the concept of flow is quite relevant to athletic endeavors, and the term is used interchangeably with the term “the zone.” The authors describe flow or the zone as “a state in which an athlete performs to the best of his or her ability. It is a is a magical and…special place where performance is exceptional and consistent, automatic and flowing. An athlete is able to ignore all the pressures and let his or her body deliver the performance that has been learned so well. Competition is fun and exciting.’ (Murphy, 1996, p. 4)”.²

Many readers have probably experienced flow, or something akin to it, during an athletic endeavor. Perhaps it manifests itself as a streak of perfect, “nothing-but-net” shots, or an uncanny ability to be in just the right place at the right time to block a pass, or the absolute certainty that the lift will be successful.

While we can’t enter the flow state at will, we can master the basics of a sport in order to be prepared to experience it when it happens – and to yearn for a long time afterward to return to that state again.

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