The Not Next Big Blue ?
Posted By Paul Kotik on 14 January 2007
DB - Near blackout? Sounds familiar. . .
Sky - Mental preparation before the race was crucial. In the hours prior, I followed a specific plan designed to create very deep levels of concentration, described by many as the "flow state" peaking just minutes before the start. In this state, I became able to push myself to a level that would otherwise be impossible. In my everyday state of mind I feared the effects that followed such an effort. But fear, in this case, is contradictory as it only worsens the effects by over stimulating the body heart rate too high, and so on.
DB - Tell me about The Flow. What's it like for you?
Sky - The subjective experience of flow is very interesting. A feeling of deep centeredness accompanies it, and at times radical changes of space and time occur. For example, Michael Jordan has described the rim of the basket growing considerably in size during his best games, and feels an "automatic" unfolding of the game ( More on this here - Ed. )as he becomes interconnected with his teammates. In the film, we modeled one of the scenes after an actual sports psychology session that gives you a behind-doors look into the creation of these mental training programs.
DB - You know that expression "like a fish needs a bicycle" ? So how does a bicyclist turn his attention to freediving?
Sky - When I saw a freediving competition for the first time, I recognized this concept immediately. Although our sports were on opposite ends of the spectrum, achieving something toward the "flow state" was essential to safely reaching peak performance.
It was this experience that made me wonder what it was like for freedivers before, during and after the dive. I wanted to know if the athletes at the peak of their game experienced the same things that I did as a cyclist- in other words, were there common experiences that could link our sports together in some way? I think what I found was in the moment of pure focus, athletes find a moment of clarity that surpasses any other experience in the world.
- Bookmark with :
- what are these?
