You're playing a sport, and suddenly time stops.
You can see the arc of the ball like it was a dotted line.
Time starts again, but very slowly.
You can predict your opponents moves to the millimeter. You can see it.
And then time comes back like an elastic band and everything turns out exactly how you saw it in your head.
Post about your time in the zone. How it felt. How often it's happened. What happened. Sort of thing.
I was on the highway to the dangerzone once.
Was one hell of a ride.
In 2004 I entered my first Boomerang World Cup. At the end of the first of the individual events, I‘d set an Australian record and was 8th best in the world.
Been downhill ever since then.
(The event was rarely contested in Australia at the time; we‘re not that bad! Two years later a Queenslander 30 years older than me, with a borrowed boomerang in stupid winds, broke that record and became World Accuracy Champion. But he‘s a legend, and I‘m a spud.)
I was in 4th grade, playing football and just saw the ball and time seemed to slow and was able to run through a pack and then kick an absolute mongrel of a torp through the big sticks. Thus peaked my afl career, and how my team got half its score!
Disclaimer, I sucked, my team won once.
Grade 6 Cricket.
It had been the first summer where we played cricket in our street and driveways, pretty much every day over the summer break.
I’d actually gotten quite good playing against the tennis ball, and the sticky taped ball.
Anyhow, when I made my way to the bitumen, I had no formline to speak of, and was probably considered to be an easy wicket.
I proceeded to build an innings with ease, amassing 30 odd runs in quick time.
I was picking up the pitch of the ball as soon as it was leaving the bowlers hand.
It seemed almost every delivery was a half volley.
If memory serves me correct, the lofted off drive was my shot of choice.
Anyhow, 30 something inevitably turned into the nervous 90’s.
Finally, with lunchtime coming to a close, the Principal calling for a halt in play over the PA system, the non striker set out for a suicide run with me stranded on 99.
In my haste, I left my crease and ran as fast as I could to make the ground.
I was run out by at least 5 metres, and I’ve never reached those heights of performance since, sadly.
In my haste, I left my crease and ran as fast as I could to make the ground.
This is the most important thing though. You had a crack. Imagine you stayed in your crease on 99 not out, and then spent the rest of your life wondering if you could have made that run.
I used to be an off spinner in my cricket days, but occasionally I'd don the long run up and trot out some very luke warm medium pacers.
This one day - out of nowhere - I discovered a short lived ability to swing the ball more than Terry Alderman on a cloudy day at Edgbaston. Like insane amounts of late swing, exactly where I wanted it to. I had one over where I beat the bat 6 times. I was just unplayable. I only took 3 wickets, but watching the ball do swing from one side of the pitch to the other, and making the batsman look like total spanners, was far more fun than getting them out. And no, the ball wasn't tampered, nobody else could even get the ball to move at all that day.
It never happened again.
You're playing a sport, and suddenly time stops.
You can see the arc of the ball like it was a dotted line.
Time starts again, but very slowly.
You can predict your opponents moves to the millimeter. You can see it.
And then time comes back like an elastic band and everything turns out exactly how you saw it in your head.
Post about your time in the zone. How it felt. How often it's happened. What happened. Sort of thing.
I play ultimate frisbee and am off to my third world club championships next week. I spend most of my time in the zone. Physics is my btch.
Been in 'The Zone' a few times, its great when you go into it while running as all the pain and agony goes away and you just run.
The most enjoyable for me is when your driving or riding motorcycles and you hit every apex, every braking point perfectly, you become one with the machine its simply brilliant, the most memorable for me was at Broadford race track on the trusty RS250, I entered "The Zone' early and spent the whole session riding around the outside of guys on 600's and 1000's, I just couldnt make a mistake, every corner was perfect, knees scrapping round turn 1 and the last corner before the front straight, every braking point was spot on, time just slowed and I could put the bike anywhere on the circuit and just make the corners.........BEST DAY EVA!!!!!!
My best "zone" moment would have to be a senior golf pennant game I played.
I was 18 and it was only my second ever senior pennant match and I was still full of nerves. We traveled up to Gisborne, from Rowville, for the match. We normally have a caddy help us around but because we caught a bus as a team there wasn't enough spare spots. Just before I teed of one of our elder supporters put up his hand to pull my sticks along. On the first tee I said to him, " I'll try and make this quick so you don't walk to far".
10 holes later I had absolutely pumped my opponent 9&8. At that point I was 5 under the card and I just couldn't miss. Pity I couldn't keep playing to see how low I could of really shot but once the match is over you can't play on.
I used to be an off spinner in my cricket days, but occasionally I'd don the long run up and trot out some very luke warm medium pacers.
This one day - out of nowhere - I discovered a short lived ability to swing the ball more than Terry Alderman on a cloudy day at Edgbaston. Like insane amounts of late swing, exactly where I wanted it to. I had one over where I beat the bat 6 times. I was just unplayable. I only took 3 wickets, but watching the ball do swing from one side of the pitch to the other, and making the batsman look like total spanners, was far more fun than getting them out. And no, the ball wasn't tampered, nobody else could even get the ball to move at all that day.
It never happened again.
I had a couple of spells like that. 1981-82 Grand Final, I had 2-44 off 21 after the first day, then the second day, just kept beating the batsmen all ends up...bowling 5 balls they played and missed at, then getting them out with crap on the last ball...2 caught at mid-wicket by my brother. Took 4-8 off 6.5 the second day. (Bowling left-arm orthodox over the wicket). We won the granny at 5 down. Went on to 8 down about 90 in front and called it off. I never got a hit.
Then about 10 years later, 2 matches before Christmas, took 5-25 off 18 (the pitch was really turning), and the next match, we were defending only about 150, I fronted up with the worst hangover in history, and took 6-8 off 18.5, and that included a straight-driven 4 past me. First game after Christmas, I had 2-0 off 2 balls and then we got this cagey old left-handed ■■■■■■■ who made about 45, and it all went downhill from there.
I was in the zone a last week when I had a thousand beers whilst watching us smash Collingwood. It just seemed like everything I did was right.
I remember a game of under 16's basketball in the zone. Didn't matter what I did, it just come off. The passes, the blocked shots, the steals and oh my goodness the glorious shooting. Just chucking them in from everywhere, I think by games end I had something like 36 points and our team had scored 42. Never got anything close to it ever again cos I was always a pass first guard and loved defence.
But to go off like that, it just felt awesome all night.
Around ten years ago…
When I was actually fit…
Playing basketball for a crappy division. Was open for a three pointer, took it and made it. Was open again a minute later and made it again. Was open again another minute later and made it again. The other team took a time out. Next possession, they defended a little more, but I took it and made it again. From then on they defended me harder for the rest of the game so I kept passing to other open players.
When in ‘the zone’ you don’t think. You just react. Also, things slow down a bit so you seem to have more time to react to a situation.
Haven’t been in ‘the zone’ since.
Banged in a brace in a preseason match agaisnt sunbury. Was seeing the round ball as big a beach ball.
Banged in a brace in a preseason match agaisnt sunbury. Was seeing the round ball as big a beach ball.
Poofstick?
And that's just for playing soccer.Banged in a brace in a preseason match agaisnt sunbury. Was seeing the round ball as big a beach ball.
Poofstick?
I remember a game of under 16's basketball in the zone. Didn't matter what I did, it just come off. The passes, the blocked shots, the steals and oh my goodness the glorious shooting. Just chucking them in from everywhere, I think by games end I had something like 36 points and our team had scored 42. Never got anything close to it ever again cos I was always a pass first guard and loved defence.
But to go off like that, it just felt awesome all night.
yeah I've had this - I like to call it "my entire life"
I wake up every day and I ■■■■ excellence
I've been in the zone, or a flow state, heaps of times. 90% have been Basketball, some golf, a few playing videogames.
Most recent time I got into a flow state was Basketball a few weeks ago. 7 points down, 2:45 to play, and our Centre just fouled out, leaving us with 4 on the court. I said "I'm getting us the lead here" to myself, so I bought the ball up and shot a 3 from the top of the key. Swish. Never felt like missing.
We got a stop, I walked the ball up, did the same again. Swish.
We got another stop. I thought "Jeez, they have to send a defender out to me this time" but I looked the defender off, he took a 1/2 step back and I drilled the 3rd one. May have had a little strut going on as I ran back, also may have been talking a little smack by this point (opposition team are mates of mine.)
We got the win, thanks to 2 of my teammates hitting their clutch free throws, but it was nice to "touch the hand of Jordan" as a mate of mine used to call it