Get in the "Zone" Part II

Part II of a 7 part series.

 

As a junior in high school, I was fortunate to experience one basketball game when I was "in the zone". I remember it very clearly- I scored off a lay-up off of the opening tip. Throughout the rest of the game I felt like I couldn't miss a shot; all my movement and basketball mechanics seemed perfectly in sync and I could perform optimally with very little conscious thought. The game seemed slow; I felt like everyone else was operating in slow motion and I was one-step ahead of them. I finished that game with 42 points on 60% shooting and attribute the performance to the technique of focusing before the game by reciting several key words that were important to me (endurance, excellence, strength, commitment) and visualizing a successful game for myself and team.

 

Intuition

Intuition is an ability that involves feeling how events will unfold. In order to enter a zone-like state it is important to begin to trust and act on your instinctive feelings. However there is a huge gulf between intuitive knowing and intuitive acting. How many times during a performance have you said to yourself ‘I knew that was going to happen’ and not acted on this foresight?

Top athletes who enter zone-like states regularly do so because they are prepared to let go, and act on their impulses without fear.

'Intuitive knowing' and acting is especially important for fast paced sports that demand the co-operation of the mind and body.

A powerful way to develop and strengthen your intuition is to regularly train as if you are performing in the biggest match of your life. This strengthens your sense of focus and discipline that is required to perform well at the highest level of sport. By practicing with such intensity and commitment the brain is trained to work automatically under greater levels of pressure, allowing your intuition and instinct to take control.

State

The biggest predictor of behavior is state. If you feel good then this positive state will be reflected in the quality of your performance. Spend a few minutes before every performance getting yourself into a resourceful state to dramatically increase your chances of performing well. Emotional rehearsal is one way to do this.

Emotional rehearsal uses the power of imagination to create a positive emotional state. By mentally recreating positive personal experiences, productive states are produced encouraging the deliverance of zone-like performances.

Some athletes create internal pictures of their loved ones; some imagine the end product of feeling good after a strong performance, while others often reminisce about some of their best times in sport.

The subject material that is mentally rehearsed is irrelevant as long as it creates positive feelings.

Be aware, the  more intense your internal experience are, the stronger the impact will be on your subsequent behavior.