Monday, February 6, 2012
Feelings of Flow
In class today we discussed the sense of flow. For me, when playing lacrosse, I experience this sensation because it is something I have dedicated several years of my life to. I have been playing lacrosse since I was in sixth grade, and played up until my senior year of high school. Throughout practice, we engage in various kinds of drills in which we are practicing for the sole purpose of improving our abilities in lacrosse. Flow is described as the mental state where a person is fully engaged and focused on a certain activity. Psychologists have also added that when in a current state of flow, it is as if nothing else in the world matters. I am able to experience flow when I play lacrosse because I have engaged in various types of deliberate practice. During lacrosse season, my entire team is given specific workout instructions and explicit drills in which we are to complete. These drills are designated by both our coach and our trainer, ensuring we are training to be the best we can. Even during off-season we are also participating in deliberate practice. We each meet with the trainer several times a week and have a detailed workout plan that we must adhere to in order to keep us in shape. Before every game, especially those that determine our rankings, I tense up with fear and nerves. However, once I am placed in the game and focused on winning, it is as if nothing else matters, and the plays that I do seem to come naturally, without thinking. Because I am fully involved in the game, and I seem to be playing without thought, I believe I experience flow each time I play lacrosse.
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I think it's hilarious that you wrote a post about lacrosse in reference to flow. I played lacrosse in high school as well, and I'm sure you understand how flow relates to lacrosse in more than one way. Flow obviously relates to getting into the motion and rhythm of the game, but in lacrosse its so much more. Lacrosse, for some reason, puts a lot of focus on style and "swag", otherwise known as flow. If a player looks good on the field, he is said to have flow. I find it funny how lacrosse has perverted the meaning of flow to make it mean good style. To be successful in lacrosse, you know flow, in both senses of the word.
ReplyDeleteJonathan Miller - The Playas
I never played Lacrosse, but this article reminded me of may experiences I have had while playing basketball growing up. You described how individual workouts and deliberate practice led to your team having flow and I understand that feeling. Many of us on my High School basketball team played together for years and by the time we were seniors we had such a good team chemistry or flow that we knew exactly where each other would be on the court. We knew what to expect from each individual on the court and it led to a lot of success.
ReplyDeleteBrennan Ouellette- Team Fame