Smart Vocabulary and Flow

Smart vocabulary isn't what you think. It's Marquette Men's Basketball Coach Shaka Smart's lingo making a difference for their program. Today's message promotes having a winning vocabulary and being immersed in the psychology of "flow." 

Successful programs have their own language beyond the usual volleyball lexicon of attacks, kills, roofs, and tools.

The Marquette Wire shares some of Smart's.

Here's an example: 

Lost In The Fight:

• Definition: Unconsciously doing everything you can to achieve a goal you are working towards, blocking out anything else.
• Quote: “When we get lost in a fight, what I mean by that is we let go of all the other stuff that can creep into the mind, the doubts, anxieties, worries, all the stuff on social media,” Smart said.

There's a psychological concept at the core: "Flow." In a flow state, a participant has full immersion in the process, blocking out distractions with total engagement. 

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi is the "father of flow." At the peak of your athletic power, you 'lock in' on the game and the crowd, noise, fatigue, and even pain fade away.  

The 8 Characteristics of Flow

"Csikszentmihalyi describes eight characteristics of flow:

1. Complete concentration on the task;
2. Clarity of goals and reward in mind and immediate feedback;
3. Transformation of time (speeding up/slowing down);
4. The experience is intrinsically rewarding;
5. Effortlessness and ease;
6. There is a balance between challenge and skills;
7. Actions and awareness are merged, losing self-conscious rumination;
8. There is a feeling of control over the task."

Lagniappe. Also in the Marquette Wire is this Smart Advice:

Win Anyway:

• Definition: Finding a way to come out with the victory, regardless of what happens in the game or who you’re facing on any given day. 

Teams that "win anyway" earn signature wins over equal or superior opponents. Have a mindset to do "whatever it takes." 

Lagniappe. "Automate your technique." Your attack footwork, your defensive setup arise from thousands of repetitions.

 

Lagniappe 2. Watching other teams practice (basketball) helped me as a coach. There's organization, efficiency (high tempo, more players involved) and application to refine skills and strategy. Readers know more about VB coaching than I.