The late, great Arthur Ashe, American World No. 1 tennis-player and winner of three Grand Slam titles is reportedly one of the first athletes to have used the term “in the zone” to describe his experience during play.
Here are some of the essential things I’ve learned about this highly coveted yet elusive state, from a lifetime of training and coaching Eastern performance practices.
- The mind and body must work in unison to achieve perfect motion.
- A quiet mind allows the body to move with fluidity, power and effortlessness and also enhances the performance of accurate and precise motion, especially when under pressure.
- A state of ‘relaxed concentration’ allows the mind to set the intent for the motion, to which the body then responds.
- The meditative state and ‘the zone’ are synonymous; the former trains the mind to achieve stillness, the latter is the experience of stillness while in motion.
- The ability to perform under pressure is best achieved by quietening the internal dialogue and controlling the body-chemistry; thus, activating the ‘Relaxation-Response’ and preventing the breakdown of technique.
- Awareness of breathing is the simplest and most direct path to reaching and retaining ‘the zone’ of relaxed concentration and can also quickly re-establish a neutral state.
- An equipoised mind, balanced between effort and relaxation, allows the chain-reaction of muscles in a complex movement, to activate in the correct sequence.
- Over-thinking the technical aspects of motion disrupts the signals sent to the motor-system, and results in clumsy, ineffective movement and poor outcomes.
What are your experiences with flow/the zone and how does it show up in your sport? I’d love to hear from you and help you build a daily practice to experience more of these moments of stillness in motion.
