I was reading about flow again the other day in preparation for the upcoming crew season and thought about the Italian phrase above. It translates roughly to: learn the art then put it aside.Having had relatively few (in other words two) quantifiable flow moments in sport myself - after a lifetime as an athlete - I find this a fascinating subject. Because those two moments stand out still as the most fun I've had while competing, I start out every season hoping that the athletes I coach will find themselves living a few seconds where everything comes together and they lose themselves in what they are doing. Or maybe fully experience what they are doing is a better way of putting it. The problem is that to be in that "zone", you really must be doing and not thinking (or at least not thinking about exactly how to do what you are doing). And, of course how you get to that point is the hard part because it takes a LOT of practice to have learned your art well enough to set it aside.
I do think I've figured out my biggest problem though. Once I get to the point where the skill or sport is ingrained enough for me to be reasonably successful and possibly approach a flow moment my mind wanders. As in: What shall I cook for dinner? Should I wallpaper or paint the hallway? Why on earth would anybody buy those platform shoes I saw in Allure? You get my drift....
Pretty sure I was there for one of the flow moments--at the Textile Regatta, yes?--but: do describe.
ReplyDeleteFor me, it comes down to--finally, finally--feeling rather than thinking about what I'm doing. With regard to rowing specifically, feeling the water rather than thinking about making sure the blade is locked in before I begin the drive.
Yes, you were there, although my moment was the Regatta in Lilies (those three strokes after Weld where we knew we would overtake the boat in front of us and knew we had just become scullers). Did you have one at a TRR too?
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