Former World Champion rower, Nathan Twaddle speaks to Balance is Better on athlete flow and being in the zone to perform.
âYou know from the sensation,â says Nathan Twaddle*. âYou can hear the change as the boat cuts through the water, you can feel it through your feet as you drive and in the momentum as you swing through the stroke and you just know itâs all coming together. Itâs extraordinary, when you feel it. It gives you goose bumps.â
Nathan is talking about what athletes should focus on. âWhen youâre in the boat, before the start of a pinnacle event, of course you want to win: thatâs why youâre there, itâs why you got into sport in the first place: because you had this unrealistic belief that you have what it takes. And youâve visualized standing on the podium, receiving the medal. But you have to put that out of your mind. 80% of what you think about should be how youâre going to row.â
They call it the âflow experienceâ, or âbeing in the zoneâ⌠that sensation people have when they are so totally absorbed in something they are very good at, that things seem to be happening without conscious thought. Itâs the sweet spot, they say, between skill and challenge, between control and excitement. âWhen it happens,â says Nathan, âthatâs when you know the boat is going as fast as it can. Itâs the reward for listening to your coach. And youâll either win, or you wonât, but you know youâve done the best youâre capable of doing.â
âWinning or losing,â says Nathan, âis a moment in time. You feel the joy, or the discomfort, but more important is what did you learn? If you want a long career in sport, itâs about picking a different measure and understanding you can never stop learning. It seems counter-intuitive, not to focus on winning, but winning is an outcome of consistently putting together a great performance.â
Read more:
Find out how to support athletes with finding their flow in Creating Positive Sports Environments by Lara Mossman
