Getting in the Zone: Part 1

06/29/23

“When I get in the zone, I’m unstoppable.” I have heard this phrase in different iterations from most of the athletes I’ve worked with at one time or another. “In the Zone” is a common phrase in sports that I think has lost its luster over time, because of how overused it can be with no real roadmap of how to get there. Not only that, but it’s such a nebulous term that can also make it feel less accessible to many athletes.

In sports when we talk about being “In the Zone” it can seem like an elusive state that comes as quickly as it goes, and we have to make sure to capitalize on it during its short duration. The problem with how we’ve come to understand this state is that it is transient, and doesn’t provide must sense of control over creating this flow state.

Now as a professional, I have a somewhat different relationship with this term. Instead of thinking getting in the zone is mostly generated through happenstance of our external circumstances, I believe we can create the zone that allows us to excel with frequency when we learn to harness the power we have to control our internal state of thinking, feeling, and being.

I’ve stated this before, but one of the biggest hang ups athletes who I work with have is focusing too much on their external vs. internal locus on control. An athlete who pays too much attention to one’s external world in relation to their performance can sound like, “I play my best in “x” stadium”, “I don’t swim as fast in prelims as I do in finals”, “My family won’t be there, and I don’t perform as well when they aren’t there”….the list can go on and on.

As long as an athlete’s success is always tied to what’s happening around them, they will miss the opportunity to learn how to fairly consistently get in the zone and achieve peak performance.

This is where we can help athletes make a fundamental shift from “Being in the Zone” to “Getting in the Zone.” Being in the zone is a lucky state of flow that exists temporarily. Getting in the zone requires intentional effort and focus. Getting in the zone is where we learn how to tap into an internal flow state that becomes the breeding ground for peak performance.

The goal is to help train athletes on the keys to unlocking the zone, so it can be accessed fairly regularly and with some level of consistency. While I will address some key steps athletes can take to getting in the zone in a follow-up blog, first I have to highlight the need to re-work our understanding and relationship with “getting in the zone.”

Before we start rushing into uncovering the “How To’s of Getting in the Zone”, we first must help athletes believe in what’s possible when they hone the internal power available to them. This mindset sets the stage for achieving greatness. This mindset shift looks like an athlete not waiting around hoping to be in the zone, but creating the environment to get in the zone.