The first website listed below discussed the characteristics of "being in the zone," allowing an individual to perform at his/her peak levels. While each individuals topographical behavior on the football field or volleyball court may look similar, each one functionally behaves in a different way before and within that competition. Everyone has different levels of emotion to go alongside their varying degrees of motivation. If an individual is not motivated to peform at their highest level and/or fully committed to compete, obtaining this "magical" state of flow would be nearly impossible. In my mind, while different for everyone, there almost has to be a certain formula of emotions and behaviors which contribute to this state of mind. For this website, there were many target behaviors which could enhance an individuals ability to get in the zone. Focus, confidence, relaxation, effortless/automatic, fun, and control are all behaviors exhibited by athletes when they are in the zone. These behaviors are reinforced when an athlete's performance excels beyond their normal capacities.
The second website listed below is an empirical study of an athlete's ability or behavioral capability to be in the zone. This site listed eight dimensions of various behavioral elements which elicited a flow state. A few of these dimensions are as follows: balance between challenge and skills, clear goals and feedback, self-rewarding experience (reinforcement), etc. Individuals emitting this sense of "magic," are able to rid themselves of disruptive behaviors and limit self-punishment when things aren't going perfect. So as you can tell, emotional and motivational ties are essential. Without a clear path or goal-orientedness, an athlete's ability to achieve this mental zone is severely hindered within this dimension.
Overall, I realized sport psychology utilizes behavior modification in almost every aspect of the application element of the field. Being able to get in the zone or the flow state is a challenge athletes often subconsciously try to obtain. To do this, one must manipulate his/her behaviors such as confidence, relaxation, control, etc. An athlete's ability (and essentially motivation) to control these behaviors and emotions are key to whether or not they will achieve this influential mental state of mind in sport.
How would you describe being "in the zone"? What dimensions or elements would help you define this?
Do you agree with the research and statements made within the articles?
http://www.psywww.com/sports/peak.htm
http://www.athleticinsight.com/Vol1Iss3/Empirical_Zone.htm#ABSTRACT
As an athlete myself, I think that the websites did a great job of describing what it is to be "in the zone." To me, being in the zone can be described as being motivated, confident, and focused on what your goals are at that particular moment. In sports, when you're in the zone, your game is on. No one can get you out of your zone. You know what you want, you know what has to be done, and you're bound and determined to accomplish these things, whether it's for yourself, your teammates or others.
Your actions are done 110%. Everything that you do, you do with drive and motivation. Usually, you have a great game because you are focused, relaxed, and just doing what you know needs to be done in order to reach your goals.
Coming from an athlete, it's a great feeling to be in the zone, and when you're not in the zone, others as well as yourself can see the differences in how you play.
Both of these articles are concerned with being "in the zone" or "Flow". I think its important to point out the difference between peak performance and being in the zone. Without being in the zone, you can't achieve peak performance, but peak performance is dependent on how much you have prepared. Even if you didn't do any training, you could get in the zone and perform your best at that skill level. If this interests you, I would recommend reading the book "Flow" by Mihalyi Csikzentmihalyi. It really doesn't talk about sports as much as incorporating flow experiences into everyday life as a means of increasing happiness and meaning in life. Its mainly about controlling one's consciousness and doing things for the sake of doing them rather than the external consequences, which is pretty much exactly like intrinsic motivation.