feeling after competitions

[poskat]

Hey

i just came back from my first ever competition. it was 5 weapon team comp, where i did WF.

eventho we never won an entire match(well, we got close tho: one where i went up last unfortunately run out of time at 23:22), we all exceeded our expectations and anyone elses expectations.

i feel really high right now, like its amazing that it went so well.

does anyone else know this feeling?

like jumping up and down all the time, sqeeking and randomly starting to smile?

[ThatReallyHurt]

Congratulations on the tournament - I'm glad to hear you did so well!

I know exactly what you're feeling right now - you just feel all giddy and you want to tell everyone about everything! Don't be afraid to, either - you should be proud of yourself!

My family and co-workers are used to me now - after competitions, I'll be blathering about it for a week or two...

It's a good feeling, eh?

[Mr Epee]

What you're describing has been researched and dealt with by Hungarian scientist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (pronounced Chick-saint-mee-hi). I'm posting a brief outline from Wikipedia, and highly recomend reading some of his material. Particularly, Flow: The Psych of Optimal Experience.

Fencing tends to create this experience much stronger than most other activities. I assume it is because of the extreme complication, and attention.

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, a Psychology professor at the University of Chicago, is noted for his work in the study of happiness, creativity, subjective wellbeing, and fun.

In his seminal work, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, Csikszentmihalyi outlines his theory that people are the most happy when they are in a state of flow--a Zen-like state of total oneness with the activity at hand and the situation (see Flow (psychology)). The idea of flow is identical to the feeling of being in the zone or in the groove. The flow state is an optimal state of intrinsic motivation, where the person is fully immersed in what he or she is doing. This is a feeling everyone has at different times, characterized by a feeling of great freedom, enjoyment, fulfillment, and skill--and during which temporal concerns (time, food, ego-self, etc.) are typically ignored.

Quoted from [1]: "Mr. Csikszentmihalyi (pronounced chick-sent-me-high-ee)... describes flow as 'being completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz. Your whole being is involved, and you're using your skills to the utmost.'"

To achieve a flow state, a balance must be struck between the challenge of the task and the skill of the performer. If the task is too easy or too difficult, flow cannot occur.

Also, the flow state also implies a kind of focused attention, and indeed, it has been noted that mindfulness meditation, yoga, and martial arts seem to improve a person's capacity for flow. Among other benefits, all of these activities train and improve attention.

In short; flow could be described as a state where attention, motivation, and the situation meet, resulting in a kind of productive harmony or feedback.

[the doc]

mr. epee: i always thought the flow state was particular to the moment you are actually doing the activity, i.e whilst fencing.

as it is characterised by a feeling of effortlessness in your actions and where winning becomes easy, i think it can be discounted in this case, as they lost all their fights.

however, what we can say is that you enjoyed yourself. it happens a lot in fencing and it is even better when you win.

just keep on enjoying yourself and loving your fencing and winning will come soon enough

[Downtown]

That was extremely interesting post Mr. Epee. I have often wondered about this. I had referred to it in my on thoughts as" the zone." For me there are different levels of it. When I am there totally, I am at my best. If you have more info on this subject, I would love to read it.

[poskat]

yea i defo will


its just so amazing

[Mr Epee]

mr. epee: i always thought the flow state was particular to the moment you are actually doing the activity, i.e whilst fencing.

True, but here's the thing. When people experience a strong high (emotional, chemical, etc.) they usually are excited to replicate the feeling.

as it is characterised by a feeling of effortlessness in your actions and where winning becomes easy, i think it can be discounted in this case, as they lost all their fights.

Not quite. Your discounting the fact that a person can accomplish without winning. Inital encounters with an activity can be extremely flow inducing without showing up in the W/L column. And that's just the thing, soon that excitement passes, and it's up to the next skill level to achieve the same result. The better you are, the more difficult it is to achieve the same stimulation. For this reason, the average person will start many activities, but won't stick with many of them very long.

just keep on enjoying yourself and loving your fencing and winning will come soon enough

Regardless of the explaination. This is the most important part.

[Boo Boo]

Fencing in competition can be the most amazing high or the most depressing low...

I think it can be like a dangerous drug...

Boo

[Black Jeebus]

Actually I usually get way more frustrated in club than I do in tourneys. Mostly when I'm fencing in tourneys I just say **** it and see what happens!

[D'Artag-NOT]

Hey

i just came back from my first ever competition. it was 5 weapon team comp, where i did WF.

eventho we never won an entire match(well, we got close tho: one where i went up last unfortunately run out of time at 23:22), we all exceeded our expectations and anyone elses expectations.

i feel really high right now, like its amazing that it went so well.

does anyone else know this feeling?

like jumping up and down all the time, sqeeking and randomly starting to smile?

Know it well, Poskat. In fact, I came home from a competition this afternoon feeling that although I scored poorly I fenced better than I have been, and glowing in reaching a personal best of 7 touches in my DE bout. Trying your best and seeing some of your work pay off is a real high--even if you don't hit the heights on the bout sheet. Congratulations, and I hope many happy competitions lie ahead of you.

[Li'l Bebe]

Actually I usually get way more frustrated in club than I do in tourneys. Mostly when I'm fencing in tourneys I just say **** it and see what happens!

That's what I used to do, and I lost every time--badly. Try caring. You'll win more. Don't use apathy to results as a defense mechanism to mask the pain.

If you manage to get that big of a rush even after you lose, imagine what it would be like to win a large competition, like the Olympics. Now you know why so many athletes burst into tears on the podium when they get gold.

Remember what it feels like to do well, and use it to fire your desire to win and work hard so you can feel it again. It's this feeling that makes fencing fencing, and sports sports. It's why we do it.