getting in the zone, expanded peripherial vision, etc

[RACastanet]

As to what one can do to induce tachypsychia... Actually Rich above isn't quite correct in connecting tachypsychia to his good shooting performance. He instead is achieving another visual "distortion" (the target appearing bigger) because this directly relates to his performance.

The operative word here is biofeedback.

Biofeedback may be a better explanation. However, when I get into the 'zone' or whatever it is I also experience auditory exclusion and tunnel vision. There is usually a lot of noise from gunfire, the acrid smell, shell casings pinging around and into you. The Little Creek range where the displayed target was scored is an indoor range. It was really loud in there as the noise was reverberating around from about 15 or so shooters at once and I did not hear any of it.

Also, when at the range after I hear the first shot I have no startle reaction from gunfire. Conditioning I suppose.

Rich

[Bill Glasheen]

I understand exactly what you are talking about, Rich. Your experiences are right along the line of the topic of this thread.

It's the terminology and the specificity of the physiologic responses and states that gets confusing. When folks started talking about the survival stress response on these webpages (thanks largely to Van and his research), they were muddling things up. Nothing I heard surprised me. It was all in line with research I was doing in the field of systems physiology, although in entirely different venues. What I found frustrating was listening to people assume responses were binary, or that the list of symptoms one COULD experience necessarily happened in that exact combination every time. Life and the human animal are never that simple.

But that's the fun of it all.

- Bill

[Rob Kolenc]

Here's a thought - maybe athletes (ie the baseball or tennis example) figure out how to achieve tachypsychia first - and then become top performing athletes second. (?)

Also it wouldn't surprise me if many athletes can't clearly articulate to others how they get "there" (tachypsychia) ... but they have their little rituals that they perform to help get their heads in the "zone" and they don't mess with them because "it works".

The comment about "you don't go to the zone, the zone comes to you" strikes me as a comment that the athlete has the problem (how to get to that state) partially figured out but still doesn't know exactly which mental buttons to press and when.

[gmattson]

Sounds a lot like what the old masters described as one of the primary purposes of performing kata.

[Rob Kolenc]

Yes Master Mattson, maybe we're too quick to dismiss the old masters and give them enough credit. (Not referring to you, of course with respect to your age or not giving credit ).

Just because they didn't clearly explain/understand it in "Western" ways doesn't invalidate the process they used or their results.

After a bad day's work, very few things are as good as some active meditation with some good Sanchin to get me chilled out and peaceful again.

Now that I know what its called - tachypsychia - I'm going to spend some time reading the sports psychology on it and see if anyone in other sports has found ways to get in this zone regularly.

*****If any of you have more martial arts (or other) references that you can point to describing how to get to this state, I would really appreciate the heads up.******

If I find anything interesting in my reading, I'll report back.
Thanks!
Rob