Get in the "Zone" Part IV

 Part 4 of a 7 part series on helping athletes and coaches get focused, achieve flow and "get in the zone".

Play for someone who you love

Making the commitment to play for a cause beyond yourself  will inject inspiration, drive and determination into your performance.  

Athletes often dedicate performances to loved ones, admired individuals who have recently died, and sometimes for charities and other worthwhile organizations.

The effect on athletes who use this strategy is often miraculous. They appear as if possessed by a force greater than themselves, helping them to attain a zone-like performance.

Answering the following question before competitive performances may help you to enter the zone before performances.

How would you play if you wanted to express your love to someone close to you?

By directing your attention and focus to how you would play if you were dedicating your performance to someone special, the mind fills will positive thoughts and actions to increase the likelihood of playing at your best.

The power of process

Athletes are often distracted by performance outcomes. In professional sport winning is more important than anything else.

However its important to remember that consuming yourself with the outcome of winning does not tell you how to win. It is therefore essential that your focus is directed towards the processes that creates the winning result.

Outcomes are just a by-product of the quality of the processes that you have followed. If the quality of the process is poor, this will be reflected in the outcome.

Work out the key processes that form the backbone of performing well. For example, in basketball, some of the key processes may include maintaining an athletic stance, shooting hands/feet ready, timing cuts perfectly, etc.

The key processes depend very much on the sport that you are playing. Sometimes it is useful to sit down with your coach to identify these key processes.

During a performance if you direct all your focal powers towards these processes, you increase your chances of producing a strong performance.