How to 'Flow' in Freediving?

[Adrian]

As I assumed, always great responds and thoughts! Thanks

I'm somehow pushed into myself and feeling almost like my body is doing all the work and I'm just a passenger who rides along. Watching and thinking, not doing anything fysicly. Everything just workes out perfect, despite the fact that it feels like I'm not nearly doing anything myself.

This is witnessing

 

[Adrian]

Living without flow? Isn't this what we do 99% of the time? No need to go into wars, suffering, corruption, etc. etc...

 

[lambe]

Living without flow? Isn't this what we do 99% of the time? No need to go into wars, suffering, corruption, etc. etc...

Yes we do live 99% of the time without flow. What I meant was to not experience it at all during training/competition etc. Training without feeling anywhere near "flowing" makes it so much harder to focus and staying positive imo.

I was just trying to get more questions out there to be answered and maybe get people to look at the subject from different aspects or angles.

 

[Adrian]

Thanks, I understand now. It's a quantum difference in experience - not only training, but any activity without flow. One of my friends who was on a rowing team said during his best moments he could even percieve the weight of a drop of water as it slid across the oar. Having that subtlety in perception I'm sure boosts one's capacity to the point that everything around you can be factored in to achieve maximum performance, using your full potential. Performance is not brute force, and there's nothing like freediving to bring out these finer points of awareness since it's one of the only sports where doing less is the key to achieving more.

 

[Kars]

Adrian, since you're a Transcedental Meditation teacher, how much does it relate to the athlete's Flow experience?

I've received an introduction workshop in Chi gong, and I think it's also designed to reach the state of Flow. It's for me a very good exercise because I'm weak in balancing myself and not that good in gross movements. Certainly in beginning it's a struggle not to loose balance, and get the movement fluid, rhytmic, relaxed, and finally letting loose of the directing.

I think for freediving having a good balance and weight setup really helps a lot in letting go rational control. Also flexibility is important to maintain a hydrodynamic streamline while not needing to control it. It appears the easier the movement is, the easier it's to fall into flow.

 

[Adrian]

Kars,
I'll let others (real athletes ) tell of their experiences - here are some links and quotes:

Getting in the ?zone?- College football and Transcendental Meditation
“You’ve got to get into that ‘zone’—that place where you are super-clear and focused with no distractions in your mind,” says Nick. “You have to think super-fast so you can instantly sense how best to react.”

British chess champion: Equipped for life at the top
Mr. Rowson claims that he would never dream of playing a serious game of chess without meditating beforehand. “Twenty minutes later I feel calm, centered and ready to compete – but, more importantly, the technique allows me to ‘just play’ and enjoy the game without worrying about the result.”

Women's college squash team trains with Transcendental Meditation
Nour Bahgat from Egypt was the #1 Women’s U.S. collegiate player in 2009. She says that the Transcendental Meditation technique helps her get into ‘the zone’. “Being in the zone is very important for an athlete because that’s the point where you can perform at your best level,” she says.

 

[Kattie]

Yes, I'm sure and certainly hopefull that one day, sooner than later these kinds
of thoughts, principles and practices will be included in freediving courses.
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To some extent, they are already. This is what the NT Style of freediving, which is quite popular in the UK, is all about. While terminology varies, the essence is all there.

I have to admit however that I beleive a lot of this cannot be "teached" in a traditional sense, it has to be experienced. My journey towards the flow was made of reflections and discussions about how I felt during dives.

You can beleive in this but practicing it is somehow hard because it means changing your focus from depth and distance to feelings and enjoyment...
I changed my way of diving after being exposed to the NT style but it was not easy to change my mindset. You cannot flow if you look at your computer during a dive or if you think about how much further you have to go to make a PB...

 

[pingshui]

I want to share my experience from the past couple month, since I started freediving.

First of all, I am very competitive in nature, so this was my approach to freediving as well. Wanting everything at once, doing soooo many tables and also improving quickly during the first three month. I made 4:40 static and 97dnf. And then I came to a point where I just did not want to train anymore, I was exhausted.
So I stopped training for 2 weeks, read a lot on this forum about relaxation, got Fredericos book on breathing techniques and started a different approach. I did no more max attempts for 4 month and concentrated on my feelings. One month ago I started yoga and really enjoyed the relaxation that came with it, although it was quite hard in the beginning. Today I did my first max dry static after over 4 month without any forced practice. My contractions came really late, we very mild and I was very clear in my head and extremely concious of my body. Maybe it was some kind of flow experience, maybe not. But the result was over 5:20, which really amazed me.

I draw one conclusion out of this: You can't force anything in freediving and concentrating on feelings, the signs your body gives (even if it means stopping training for some weeks) and relaxation is the way to go. The real flow experience will definitly be my next goal!

 

[noa]

Hello Kattie,
I've never heard of NT style freediving. Would you be so kind as to share some info or a link ? Thanks a lot...
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[Simos]

Hi Noa - as it's a bit early on a Sunday morning here in the UK and not sure if Kattie is up yet or what time she'll see your question.. here's the link, check it out in the meantime: NoTanx Freedive Club and Apnea School | notanx
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[noa]

Thanks a lot Simos. Greetings from hot and sunny koh Tao Thailand.
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[Simos]

For once it's sunny here in the UK Noa but I'm still jealous
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[Kars]

Today did some more training and experimentation.
I tested the adjusted swim style, less power, rhythmic and continuous I noticed it was much more relaxing and in balance and thus it was much easier to forget about the technicalities and just fall into flow. I also noted that right after either the leg or arm stroke the sensation and or imagination of falling greatly helped to let go. At one occasion I was surprised to be at the other side of the 25m pool, nearly bumping my head. A nice sign of me loosing track of time and delayed consciousness (delayed notice of the T). For sure not lack in O2, being the first 25m lane. The swimming is a kind of slow though, 30 sec / 25m. (Not wearing any speed enhancers, suit etc) I like the rolling forward feeling at the end of a swim stroke. The same goes for monofinning and even static.

 

[mishu1984]

all the fquality fish that ive shot over the years have been in "flow". the grouper seems to be slower when he darts for cover. i dont know how to describe it but its almost as im observing the scene and in slow motion. after the shot, once the shaft leaves the barrel everything goes back to normal speed.

i dont know maybe its because ive always been spearing while freediving, ie i freedive to spearfish, that its relatively easy to get into flow provided its an ok session. the one thing that really ruins it for me is mask fogging and leakage. im anal about certain details, kinda borderline OCD, about how i like my weight-belt to sit on my hips, where the buckle should be, yada yada yada there is a lot of things so i make sure i get it all sorted out in the first 3-5 dives. i also use these as a warm-up, progressivly increasing bottom time.

Ive realized that once im at flow, the impatience that we spearos generally have while breathing up is reduced. i feel the freshness of the air better. the transition between no-flow to flow is graduall for me, but once im there i know it because i stop bitting down on my snorkle (bad habit).

being that im hunting i tend to be borderline alet-relaxed. yes i know they can be contradicting. i have found, and this observation i make in retrospect, that if i manage not to pull the trigger in the warm-up dives, but isntead stalk a few smaller skittish reef specimens and at the end pull the trigger in my imagination and visualize the fish splatering about then i get into flow much faster.

also being well rested and properly hydrated helps.

 

[Kars]

Thank you Mishu1984!

Very interesting post. What do you mean with "alet-relaxed"?

Allow me to try to analyse your way into flow.
- increase comfort of testing and knowing everything works and is in place.
- do some simulation dives, visualising, remembering successful dives.

As of my recommendation, try to play around with your inhaling speed. I suspect this causes a focus and vibration in the airways that may help to tune one's brain to the "flow" frequency. Having your eyes closed - or nearly - helps too.

Also as you perform the warm-up dives, you go from high frequency land mode, to slower water flow mode. I think if you already on land move and do your stuff slow and smooth and relax then the transition into water-flow mode will be even faster. No race to the water.

Love, Courage and Water,

Kars

 

[mishu1984]

Kars,

Most of the guys i spear with rush into the water. its almost as if its a race. i take my time on the boat to get ready.
I went for a night dive last night. i can say that the determining factor is a good light. water temp helps too. last night the water was at 38C. i could have brewed a cup of tea.

Il try to slow things down even more when i get a chance. Im hoping to dive a rig next week. Lets see what one more week of apnea walks and tables can help with flow.

 

[Canetoad Films]

I think I agree with many of you but I am not sure. I have always thought that one gets his goals when he 100% does what he is doing when he is doing it. So rather than thinking of a "nice place" when one is freediving to distract from the pain of lactic acid in the muscles or the urge to breath... rather than that, one recognises what he is handling and 100% commits himself to work though the barrier. Not by achieving some beautiful frame of mind but by dominating the body and various conditions, by bringing to the fore confidence gained by intense and successful training prior to the event and using your own expectations to achieve the next level.

For me, comfort and pleasure is for my spearfishing or recreational freediving (eg. diving with dolphins or whales or in amazing terrain)

Canetoad Films

 

[Kars]

Hi Canetoad Films,

I think I have to respectfully disagree on some of your words.
But let's first go into the things I agree with.

I agree with your 100% commitment, but I would like to expend that to mean one is focussed on the immediate, the present moment, on what he is doing now.
So even when the body hurts one remains focussed on the task at hand, the rhythm of the movement, heart-rate, etc.

Now, I have to disagree with the dualistic view of mind and body, where the body needs to be dominated, tamed etc. I think it's this forceful approach prevents relaxation, creates stress and cost a lot of O2. When diving with to much force and too little rest, one may loose the positive association with water = relaxation, one may face a 'static burnout' - a mental block. So instead of aiming for going through barriers a forceful approach actually builds up barriers.

I started this thread with the intention to improve understanding, increase enjoyment and numeric improvements. In the spirit of Bruce Lee who said "Be like water my friend" - I rather, like water, find a easier way and flow around the dam (barrier). Undermining and dissolving the massive build structure in the end.

Love, Courage and Water,

Kars

 

[vali]

i like to fall into the depths with my eyes closed and a minimum of mouvements [those regarding equalisations]
i love the sensations of the water around my body...like a gentle massage
there is a piece of space-time, after the positive buoiancy, when i let myself flow motionless; if good thaughts came into my mind, then is good, and the urge to breeth is not so big anymore....
last sunday i was awaken from the flow by a serious thermocline, at 15m [about 10 degrees celsius diferrence]
as i was surprised by the shock, i got down another 4 meters ) [also in free flow]

 

[Kars]

Vali, with "Flow" I mean purely the mental state of mind.
Free falling, the glide, is dropping down into the water, describing a physical process.

Nice to hear your experiences, indeed when one is in flow the urge to breath seems soft and feels unimportant. Unexpected cold water indeed screws up the light flow focus. And once one looses the relaxation it's next to impossible to find it back. Doing a little hang or go very slow may be helpful to relocate some relaxation, but in case of cold water I did not have much success with such strong distraction. Expecting the cold and brazing for it can help, though it takes away from the relaxation.

Love, Courage and Water,

Kars