To feel completely at one with what you are doing, to know you are strong and able to control your destiny at least for the moment, and to gain a sense of pleasure independent of results is to experience flow. The flow state has many names – optimal experience, playing in the zone, feeling on a high, and being totally focused are some of the more common labels. Whatever words you use to describe the flow experience, they're sure to be associated with the most precious moments in your memory.

Flow Resources is designed to promote understanding of flow experiences in sport and other physical activity or performance domains, through provision of information on matters related to optimal experience in these contexts. The mind-body challenge presented by sport and other forms of physical activity is conducive to flow experiences. Challenge can be readily defined and regulated in such environments. Yet, flow remains a somewhat elusive state for many, whether an elite athlete, recreational physical activity participant, or other performer. We hope that this site will help develop awareness of flow in various performance environments, and that through discussions and collaborations the knowledge base concerning flow across domains will grow.

Dr. Sue Jackson has developed a program of research on flow in sport and physical activity over the last 20 years. In 1999, Sue and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi co-authored Flow in Sports: The Keys to Optimal Experiences and Performances. This practical book has helped athletes, coaches and sport psychologists to understand and be able to set the stage for flow experiences, Flow in Sports has been translated into 6 languages (Swedish, German, Dutch, Hungarian, Spanish, Japanese) demonstrating the far-reaching interest in uncovering the secrets to flow in sport. To find out more about Flow in Sports, or to place an order for the book, click here.

 

Sue, in conjunction with colleagues, Professor Bob Eklund, Professor Andrew Martin, and Professor Herb Marsh, has developed a suite of self-report scales to assess flow state. See the Assessing Flow and Order Flow Scales pages for more details.