This is a mystical arena that an athlete slips into. None can claim that they have a key to unlock and enter this magical mental state which the greatest athletes have referred to as the zone. Michael Phelps has experienced it,so has Roger Federer and Michael Schumacher. Perhaps,Diego Maradona,while dribbling past half-a-dozen English players on way to scoring the goal of the century in the 1986 World Cup was in this transcendental state,which allows perfect synchronization of body and mind and results in superhuman and sometimes once-in-a-lifetime performance. Nadia Comaneci may have experienced something similar on way to becoming the first gymnast to be awarded the Perfect 10 score at the 1976 Montreal Olympics. Athletes are yet to put a finger on what makes them enter a zone though they stick to rituals,habits which give them a better chance of entering that elusive space in the mind that makes them feel invincible. While in competition,a middle or long distance runner can find new depths of energy if the hard miles have been done during training. A forehand can be hit with greater precision when a tennis player practices with single-minded determination. A boxer can add power to the hay-maker by improving technique or beefing-up. Yet there is no sure-shot method for athletes to find that elusive mental state that makes them attain perfection. It is easier for a golfer to successfully tweak his swing than walk onto a course and tap a mental switch to enter the zone. Even the mentally strong athletes have their share of anxiety and worries the biggest hindrance when it comes to peak performance. World No.3 womens singles badminton player Saina Nehwal is usually focussed when she walks on to a court,more so when she is playing in front of a home crowd. She takes a look around the stadium and smiles at the crowd in an effort to quell the tension. Once the first point is in play,Saina is more comfortable and relaxed. In an effort to enter the zone,Saina blanks out everyone from her mind in the run-up to a match. During the last half-an-hour I dont talk to anyone except coaches. I warm-up in the practice area with the same focus of a match. I stop talking to my parents also ahead of a game, Saina said.Distractions,even if they come in the form of friends can upset the mental rhythm of an athlete. Nehwal is not known to make too many new friends and her inner circle has stayed more or less the same over the last few years.It helps in keeping unnecessary thoughts out of mind, Saina added. A lot depends on the kind of thoughts the mind screens,Bhishmaraj Bam,the sports psychologist who is working with Indias Commonwealth Games shooting squad said. The zone is a state when everything falls into place. Athletes can work towards increasing their chances of being in the zone when it matters most but many factors,including confidence,skill,pressure,muscle memory and hunger to win,must combine in the right way for a champion to be in the zone, Bam said. Worry of a recurring injury,lack of match practice,fear of failure,unrealistic goals can come in the way of athletes holding back instead of expressing themselves. According to Bam,a broken heart has also been responsible for sportspersons losing the ability to hit their personal zone. There was this champion who fell in love. He proposed to the girl but she refused. His world fell apart. This guy believed that a broken heart couldnt come in the way of him being at his peak. But even without him realising it,his heartbreak resulted in his game deteriorating, the sports psychologist said. Beijing Olympics gold-winning shooter Abhinav Bindras single-minded focus doesnt come without a good mental work out. Yoga and meditation bring me into the zone. I do this before competition and also after competition. It works for me. Shooting is a very mental sport. The mind needs to be clear, Bindra said. Commonwealth Games medal-winning boxer Akhil Kumar is not the kind who needs peace and quiet to enter the zone. A fortnight before the big event; I do things which I like. Whenever,I am not training,I watch action movies. It can be a session during which I watch up to three or four movies in one go. Watching raw action can make me aggressive and calm at the same time. Even video games work for me, Akhil said. But getting into that state of trance that triggers perfect play might not be as easy as Akhil makes it sound. Bam,who has worked with former India skipper Rahul Dravid,said: The mind needs to be calm,distraction-free and sharp. Experienced athletes usually find it easier to enter the zone even after a slump but the younger ones can easily fall by the wayside if they are not mentally strong enough to overcome a bad patch, Bam said.
