The zone, sometimes called flow, is a mental state that leads to peak performance. It comes up in competition skydiving, but it is essential for big-way events and student skydivers.

Peak performance state

In short, the zone is when you are absorbed in a challenging activity that engages your attention fully. Then, as a feeling, you are entirely in the moment, time will slow down, and things seem effortless. Your best performance occurs when you are in the zone.

Not too hard, not too easy

If the activity is too easy or too hard, you will have difficulty reaching this state. It can be tricky to achieve the zone in regular training because it lacks the heightened excitement of a meet. If your skills don’t match the challenge level in competition, anxiety will stop you from finding flow.

Meaningful

An emotional stake in the jump, or a little pressure, helps tremendously. You can get this feeling in training if you work sometimes, but it isn’t possible to have 100% of the time. You can raise the stakes by scrimmaging old draws, posting your jumps, or “going for score.”  I incorporate special scored meet jumps into every training day to increase intensity. Grabbing this edge is why you should compete whenever possible!

Can’t Force It

Optimal performance happens in this state, so can you do it every time?

The bad news is you can’t force yourself to be in the zone. However, you can set the conditions to increase the likelihood. It is like gardening. You can’t make a plant grow, nor can you make yourself jump into flow. You can only give it the conditions it needs to increase the chances of growth. A flower blooms when it blooms.

It is also unrealistic to expect the zone on every jump, even if you do everything right. Fear not; you can still win and perform well without the zone. If you set your conditions well, you will have a good outcome even without the magic feeling.

Assertive but calm

In skydiving, the right attitude for the zone is assertive but calm. The right attitude isn’t outright aggressive, but it is a take-charge kind of attitude. But since this is a decision-making sport, it has a huge component of calm. (Want to work on calm? Head here!)

The Line

In some areas, the right mental state is called “the line.” The line is the optimal arousal state for your jump. “Over the line” is too aggressive or excited. “Under the line” is under-focused or not engaged. These terms are a valuable way to express your emotional state when working towards your best.

Observe and repeat

An excellent tool for figuring out what puts you in the optimal state is to start observing how you feel and what you are thinking during great training jumps (or competition dives if you can get them). When you have a good jump, try to recollect and describe the events before and during the jump. Then, work to set yourself up for it again. Again, it won’t guarantee that you’ll end up in the zone, but it will increase the likelihood.

If you want to perform your best under stress, you want to end up in the zone. You can’t force yourself there, but you can increase the likelihood. Seek meaningful challenges within your skill range, be aware of your arousal level, and be assertive yet calm. When you find the flow, enjoy it!

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