In search of the 'zone'

At the 1988 Monaco Grand Prix, the late great Ayrton Senna out-qualified his team-mate and rival Alain Prost by nearly second and a half, a scarcely believable margin. It was one of those performances that left a lasting impression.

“I was already on pole and I was going faster and faster. I suddenly realised that I was no longer driving the car consciously. I was kind of driving it by instinct. The whole circuit for me was a tunnel. I was way over the limit but still able to find even more. Then, suddenly, something just kicked me. I kind of woke up and I realized that I was in a different atmosphere than you normally are. Immediately my reaction was to back off, slow down. It frightened me because I realised I was well beyond my conscious understanding,” the legendary Brazilian would say of that performance.

Few could have put what it feels to be in the flow state - a place of optimum performance - more eloquently.

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The reality is that this was not a unique experience. In fact, almost all athletes have experienced it at one time or the other. It's so common that it goes by a myriad terms - in the zone, on a roll, momentum... It's not limited to just athletes either. Perhaps that’s why everyone intuitively understands what it means when they hear it.

Somdev Devvarman, who reached a career-high of 62 in the singles of the ATP Rankings, has experienced it many times.

"All of us have felt it. It's that feeling, seeing things a bit more clearly, when outside noise drowns out. It's just that what athletes do is more visible," he says.

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Think of all the times you lost yourself in an activity. When riding became a serene experience, when music washed over you or when the letters jumped out as you flew through the pages of a book to paint a picture.

Cathartic an experience as it may be, perhaps athletes, thanks to a lifetime of training, are perhaps more in tune for it. It’s also more recognisable because it happens in front of the world.

"It's such an unconscious state," says Somdev. "Things are happening but you can't take credit for the decisions being made. It's dropping the ego, letting it go to the point where you don't matter. You accept the mistakes, the good things, all of it. Somehow the steps are right and you ride that wave. It's a humbling experience."

"Your subconscious mind is trained because of the preparation," VVS Laxman, one of India's greatest ever batting exponents, explains. "That's why we practice. So in the zone you don't hear anything - crowd or opposition - not thinking about outcome, the past or future. Just the entire focus and concentration on the ball, watching wrist position and cues and just reacting. Your reflexes are quicker, because you're a little slower when thinking with a conscious mind."

Dr Bhrett Mccabe, a sports psychologist who works with athletes on PGA Tours and University of Alabama Athletic department, explains what helps athletes ascend to the flow state.

"It's a real place where the focus is external - on the purpose, target. There are no expectations, the athlete is completely present in the challenge right in front of them,” he says.

“We know from great players, they tend to have the same trends - willingness to make sacrifices to achieve what they want, letting go of the fear of failure, can drown out distractions and are resilient. When athletes get into the optimum state of performance, they know they are vulnerable but are accepting of the outcome. One of the biggest hindrances in performance is the fear of the outcome. People in the flow state get so locked into their process of creating the outcome they desire while accepting that the outcome they fear could occur. It's almost a romantic place to be," he says.

Indian badminton legend Pullela Gopichand also sees the experience very spiritually.

"The intelligence is acting by itself rather than being forced to react,” he says. “There are moments where you feel invincible and it all feels as though you know what is coming. It's not a heavy feeling, just an enjoyable moment with just a faint knowledge rather than a hard memory. You are aware of everything but not burdened by anything," he explains.

What makes it complicated is that being in the moment is easier said than done, especially under the high stakes as a professional athlete. There are pressures - performance, media, finances, future, pride and ego - not to mention the inherent uncertainty of the sport.

According to McCabe, athletes reach the zone only around five percent of the time. That’s why he talks about making the average performance better to ensure ‘the flow performance is the best’. But the lure is always there, athletes always want to go that bit faster, further, harder.

The moment itself is hard to reverse-engineer but athletes have figured out preparation can help. Gopichand was meticulous. He used to ensure he was in a state of ease during the tournaments, like the time he won the All England championship in 2001.

"The routines and preparations are important. For me, MS Subbulakshmi - Bhaja Govindam, Vishnu Sahasranamam. They had to keep ringing in my ears. I had to do my meditation in the morning, do my yoginidras in a certain way and get to the stadium at a certain time. When you do those things in the right manner, you can get into that state more often," he says.

And this changes for each individual.

"Everyone finds their own thing," Gopi continues "For me, calmness would bring the other side because by nature I was aggressive. So for someone who is relaxed - like a Sai Praneeth or (Kidambi) Srikanth - you need to fire them up. I feel it as a coach too, talking and words flow. Those key inputs in a pressure situation and motivational talks you give to the players are the best. It's a balance you need to find and prepare for. It’s not happening when you want it on an important day.”

McCabe agrees.

“We’re all individuals with unique processes, experiences and background - like a psychological fingerprint. Some people compete with a chip on their shoulder, some love to see competition as like a dynamic experience and making their experience better. We have to learn our own way,” he says.

Some have also managed to find triggers - to reset and maintain focus to help their chance to get into the zone.

"The drive to the stadium was the most important for me. It's where I would visualise the game. Maybe what I visualised was not right for the game, but it put me in a positive mindset. Then If I get that first save, that used to enhance me into the zone a lot of times," says Adrian D'Souza, former hockey international goalkeeper.

Laxman went even further in his search.

"When I was dropped from the India squad in 2000, I went to learn neuro-linguistic programming (NLP). One of the things is how to develop a routine where there is a lot of positive affirmation. At the end of the over I tap the crease 4-5 times. It became a trigger, reminding myself to focus," reveals Laxman.

And when they find it, being a fickle friend, the state does not last long.

"If you think about it, no one ever says they are in the zone when in the zone. It’s always after the fact. When you realise that you are in it (the zone), at that moment it's gone," explains McCabe.

The outcome of any game is uncertain, the process inherently complicated, ugly and challenging. The challenge is there to be accepted.

"What I found is that, the tougher the situation there was more chances of me getting into this mindset,” says Laxman.

Perhaps that explains why his best performances came against the mighty Australians. Like the 281 he scored in Kolkata, batting the entire day with a bad back to puncture the Aussie morale.

"After my 281 (innings), I was not mentally tired. Because I was in the zone. It's like sleeping. There are days when you have to force yourself to sleep and days when it just happens. Batting is also like that. So when you play long innings invariably you are mentally drained but in the zone, you are fresh. Physically you are tired, because you lost fluid and things, but mentally I felt I can bat for another day," he says.

Somdev too feels strongly about it.

“You can't equate the success of (being in the flow state) on the result,” he says. “Your ego might be more gratified by winning, the world might think it's better but the experience is very personal. Nothing is more or less important, the feeling of winning is similar, as a professional or a 14-year-old. What is meaningful to you is relative. Happiness is happiness.”

In the end, it’s that happiness that everyone is looking for. The passion and thrill it invokes, in its purest form. A moment that remains a lasting memory, a constant yearning. It’s transient, complex and chasing it is often counterproductive. Then again, so is life.