Getting into Flow: How the Flow State Helps Athletes Perform
A few weeks ago I was a guest on the ‘Age grouper for life podcast’ - the ultimate source for living the triathlon lifestyle, where USAT certified coaches Collin Cook and Elliot Kawa-oka discuss the most optimal training techniques to get athletes you where they want to be mentally and physically. An interesting takeaway from the discussion we had on mental skills training was when Collin could not pass up the opportunity to bust Elliot's chaps for leaving him hanging when he tried to high five him as they crossed the line on a lap during the 2014 Ironman Canada. Elliot responded by simply saying……”I was in the zone man.” He was so ‘locked in’ so focused that he did not even realize his good friend was trying to exchange pleasantries with him while he was running by. This mental state is called ‘Flow’, also known colloquially as being ‘in the zone’ or ‘on a roll’. It is the mental state of operation in which a person performing an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity. In essence, it’s characterized by a complete absorption in [...]
