[tinyballer]

Hey how do athletes get into the zone. It seems like it is impossible to get to but athletes like tiger woods, michael jordan, dan marino and alber pujols seem to be able to do it. How do they get into that place where no one seems to be able to stop them then fall right back out after a few mistakes.

[brian59]

Wow, you're an athelete as well? I find it somewhat curious that you chose the term "in the zone" for your inquiry.

Did you know that there was a diet called "the Zone" that was extremely popular about 5 or 6 years ago? It advocated eating carbs and protein in a ration of about 4 to 3 as a means of enhancing athletic performance. To my reflection, that makes a whole lot more sense than rubbing a steroidal cream on your muscles and then lieing about it to a grand jury, but I digress...

Again I think its a function of neurological health, and maybe just maybe taking dominion over your moods. I think Tiger missed the cut at the US Open, due to the dispair he felt over the passing of his dad. Given even a month or six weeks to get himself focused again, he returned to his supernatural self again.

Pujols has been injured of late and I think it takes a little time to come back to form.

Jordan, as great as he was, may have been even better had he kept some of his compulsive habits in check. He is a compulsive gambler, as am I.

I like what you had to say about "mistakes". They are an essential part of our learning process...what seems a mistake is often that what brings us to a new frontier.

[laurent1234]

i think the real hard thing to do is to put on the work and dedication that Woods or Jordan put, keep their motivation level so high for so long, even before success came.

Once you have done all the hard work and the day of the competition comes, win or loose you feel confident that you have done what you had to do (qualitatively and quantitatively) to perform the best you can. This kind of confidence ( and not the: " i am the best" kind of confidence) is what makes the difference.

[wilfre]

I'm not sure but i think that remembering past-times where you were in the zone, and trying to remember vividly helps. There are Nlp techniques that do that.

[dbiker14]

warm up!, music get yourself pumped to get your body in a state where you are fully aware ping pong listenin to some intensifying music with a sweat band ( accesories make a diff they make u feel better)

[shinyknight]

At the highest level,where tension,intensity is so high,emotions running wild,though it can't be seen,it is strangling you,tightening its grip on you...but if you stay in the moment...everything will be fine.

Success is mostly made up of mental.Strong mind-Wins.

No1a.don't think about afterwards...how are you going to celebrate...
No1b.don't let the results bother you,just relax.
No1c.A ship in a calm sea is better than one out in a stormy sea.
Clear your mind.Nothing is better than anything.

No 2 Vision,have you ever seen professional golfers practise puffs?The idea is that when you are doing it for real it feels natural which then allows you to excel.So,in your head,have it all planned out.

No 3 Confidence.(Not too much nor too little)

[CodeRed]

I am a college athlete so I can tell you a decent answer I think. Oh, and by the way, "in the zone" is exactly how it should be described. Positive visualizations combined with confidence and a couple of successes will usually put you "in a zone." For that period of time, you feel and act untouchable, and therefore usually perform at that level, although temporarily.
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[farisee]

Exactly. I would think confidence and mostly staying relaxed.

There is the story of Joe Montana in the Superbowl, down with only a few minutes in the game. The 49's just got the ball deep in their territory and the offense gets on the field. In the huddle everyone is nervous and unsure. Their leader, Joe, camly walks into the huddle and points to the fans. He says, "hey, isn't that John Candy?" And then something to the point of being humbled that a famous person would come watch them play. They scored & won!

Maybe he could just put himself in the backyard playing like when he was a kid.
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[coolsurfer]

Athlete running the race in his mind first before the event will be more successful, this is subliminal effect.

[Brownee]

Fresh Friesian cow milk on the farm is 4:3:3, so you don't need to buy the processed stuff in the shops which has had the ratio altered. The farm milk is better and cheaper than what you could buy off the Zone sales people. I often drink 3-4 litres of milk a day, and bone scans show my bones are very strong.

I often go into a trance state (in the zone) when out running for several hours. I am aware of the first 20 mins and the last few miles, but in the middle part of the run, I am obviously running automatically as I think of other things.

I do "nightmare training", which means my training sessions are far harder than any race I run in. So on race day, I am trained for all possible scenarios, and I feel my confidence that no surprises can be sprung. I look forward to the race, knowing I am well prepared, and done many over-distance runs.

I make a film in my mind of the race I will be running, and play it most days while out training. It feels so real to me after a few weeks.

On race day I just set in motion the film in my mind, and it unfolds minute by minute (as outer reality = affect) because I "invented race day" (cause) in my inner mind.

I tend to make my dreams achievable, but at the same time they are beyond my comfort zone.

Most elite athletes are well-trained by race day, but the person who wins is the one who has well-rested legs that feel very light and supple, and the post-race nutrition has been right. Getting the taper right sets up an unstoppable desire to win".

Doubts are Magic Wand Instructions to your subconscious mind to switch off some energy, to ensure that the more confident person will beat you.

True confidence backed by excellent training, will release all the energy required to perform at your very best.

Top runners tend to keep to themselves on race day, so as to not be distracted from their race plan. They use the quiet time to get into a winning mindset they practiced in the many weeks prior to this special race.

[mental]

When I wrestle I get "in the zone" by doing my before game ritual which I will happily share.

I have my Ipod bursting loud positive music in my ear phones on the bench. Then when I stand, I take them off and just think about attacking the opponent while I warm up. Then I go into my stance and take a few shots and then I crouch down and look at the floor. I get a few deep breathes in before I get onto the mat.
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[mental]

Ohh, to add to this, I learn to make sure that I remember it is a game that people have fun doing. Sure it is hard, but I do what I do because I love it.
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[mjstopgun]

There are a lot of ways that athletes get in the zone.
You need to practice - a lot. You need to make the game so familiar to you that its hardly a unique experience to be competing.
As to how to get over mistakes, you just need to compete a lot. Every time you compete, you'll make a mistake, but if you've practiced enough then eventually you'll be able to keep playing despite messing up.

[chaz]

Didn't anyone mention "Practise Makes Perfect."
Please don't say "Nobody's Perfect."
By the way, it's all about hard work, will power and mindset.
If you really want to attain, then nothing should stand on your way.
I believe those people have high determination.
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