Athletes of all ages and skill levels can play their best by finding their own personal optimal arousal zone, or more widely known to athlete — “the zone.” Often we hear elite-level athletes talk about being in the zone, a place where they no longer heard the crowd and all their anxiety was replaced with healthy confidence. The result of being in the zone is almost always optimal athletic performance, making it very desirable for athletes to learn as much as they can about the zone.
Psychologists call the zone being in flow, a place where intrinsic motivation is high, focus is refined, and the task at-hand is challenging. In these instances we “lock in,” and dismiss factors that are irrelevant (like the crowd), and channel all our thoughts and energies toward the only thing that matters — making the next play. Interestingly, flow can also be achieved in countless other areas of life beyond sports, including studying, playing music, cooking, or creating art.
In most cases the first time an athlete gets in the zone it was likely by pure chance or coincidence, meaning they didn’t do anything special to make it happen. Of course, experiencing the zone is very exciting as it is often where our best performances occur, prompting us to chase the answer to the magic question:
How do I get in the zone?
To get in the zone you must first know your optimal arousal level, a theoretical place in the middle of a continuum between being too pumped up (over-aroused) and too flat (under-aroused). When we are too pumped up our body actually works against us by being tight and tense, and our breathing becomes shallow. In fact, it’s very difficult to make precise, fine motor movements when we are too pumped up, making it a counter-productive mindset for competition. Similarly, being too loose (or flat) is also not a good thing, as in these instances our focus becomes too wide and our senses dulled, experiences that don’t help us win games.
The key is to learn as much as you can the first time you accidentally fall into the zone, and document all the things you thought or did prior to the experience occurring. For example, if just before a great game you listened to music and completed a deep breathing routine, it’s likely those things help propel you to playing in the zone that day (meaning you’ll want to do that again in the future). Some athletes will need to work on arousal-reducing techniques to help with the zone, while others may need to use arousal inducing techniques to pump up some — this means there is no one way to get in the zone, but instead that you find your own unique path there by paying attention to personal cues.
Arousal Reducing Strategies (relaxing under pressure)
If you are overly aroused or nervous (high anxiety) before games and practices your body will react by increased heart rate, shallow breathing, and tense, tight muscles. In order to reduce anxiety and get into the zone, you must learn techniques that will help you relax — listed below are a few that can help:
- Deep belly breathing: Deep belly breathing is different than routine breathing into your chest. Try by taking 2-3 deep, cleansing belly breaths to immediately help calm yourself before games/matches if you are overly anxious. By using belly breathing as opposed to traditional chest breathing you will bring more oxygen into the body, which in turn will more quickly relax your muscles when you are overly anxious.
- Muscle relaxation: Muscle relaxation is a quick way to systematically go through your body by “tensing and relaxing” one muscle group at a time. Start with your feet and tighten them for 3-5 seconds and then relax. Do this again and then do your calves next. Work your way through your entire body one muscle group at a time. This technique can be used in conjunction with your pre-match/game stretching and is also useful on night before a match/game when you are overly anxious.
- Self-talk: What you say to yourself has a great impact on your performance. Ironically, telling yourself to not lose can actually lead to losing. For example, if someone told you “don’t look behind you,” what would you do? The key is to always state goals in the positive, like “make this next shot.”
- Cue words: A cue word can be something as simple as one word (i.e., “state,” “win”) or a string of words (i.e., “ready, set, go”). Cue words help with improving focus and concentration and lower anxiety. If you use cue words, be sure to stick them in places where you will be reminded of them (i.e., locker, journal, shoes, etc.)
- Imagery: Imagery is the creating or recreating of an image in our mind. Imagery can be used anytime (i.e., the night before a game/match, moments before a practice, between periods of a game/match). Be sure to include all the senses, not just visual. Try to make the experience as real as possible in your mind so that when the game/match really happens you will have already been there before (this strengthens neural connections in the brain, providing for more automatic “muscle-memory” movements).
- Music: Some athletes use music to calm down and improve focus. If music helps you, create a 2-3 minute audio file that you can listen to as part of your pre-match/practice routine. The music you choose to use should be music that relaxes you in some way, if in fact you are overly anxious and need to calm down before practices and games.
Arousal Inducing Strategies (Pumping UP)
Just as some athletes need to calm down, others need to pump up. In fact, on some days even an anxious athlete will need to pump up (i.e., a practice that you are finding boring). You can use the same strategies described above to help “pump up” on days you feel flat. For example, you can purposely breath rapidly to increase your heart rate, use imagery to see action images in your mind, or listen to fast paced music.
Final thoughts
It is important to note that getting in the zone is not something magical, nor is there a specific formula you can follow that will get you in the zone. In order to get in the zone it requires patience, discipline, and the willingness to work to know yourself and your unique learning style and related behaviors. Once you gain the knowledge of the things that help you play comfortably and with confidence, it is important to develop your own approach that helps you “lock in” and play your best.
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