estado de flow
Abr 22 2019
Estado de flow: qué es y cómo alcanzarlo

La psicología deportiva ha dedicado un sinfín de esfuerzos a dilucidar los pormenores de la ansiedad, la depresión, la ira, etc. Sin embargo, y en consonancia con la definición de la salud ofrecida por la OMS, la salud no es sólo la ausencia de enfermedad sino también la presencia de bienestar.

En este sentido, si queremos maximizar nuestro rendimiento deportivo debemos manipular tanto factores negativos como positivos. La literatura científica se ha preguntado cuáles eran las variables cognitivas que caracterizaban un estado mental óptimo para la competición. La teoría más establecida es aquella postulada por Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi que lo llamó: estado de «flow».

Estado de flow: el estado mental que te guía al éxito deportivo

Csikszentmihalyi (1990) describe el flow como un estado de óptima experiencia, que implica una total absorción en la tarea que se está realizando, y la creación de un estado de concentración que facilita la aparición del rendimiento óptimo. El entorno, nuestro diálogo interno o cualquier otra experiencia negativa deja de existir.

Puede ocurrir con cualquier actividad. El denominador común es que el flow es un «precursor del entusiasmo y se asocia con otras experiencias como la diversión y el disfrute» (Jackson, 2000). Un estado de flow puede llevar a un estado afectivo positivo que, en consecuencia, nos trae felicidad.

Csikszentmihalyi describió 8 dimensiones en el estado de flow:

  • Equilibrio entre habilidad y reto. Además de estar equilibradas, deben ser de alto nivel porque sino resultará en apatía por parte del atleta. Si el desafío es mayor que la habilidad, puede aparecer la ansiedad. Si la habilidad se percibe como superior al desafío, el individuo puede relajarse demasiado o incluso aburrirse.
  • Unión entre acción y pensamiento. Esto es estar tan metido en la actividad que pierdes noción de todo lo demás. La sensación es que los movimientos ocurren casi sin esfuerzo y sin tener que dedicarle demasiado pensamiento.
  • Claridad de objetivos y feedback sin ambigüedades. Cuando estamos en un estado de flow, el establecimiento de objetivos y el feedback interactúan en un ciclo continuo que energiza y dirige la actuación del atleta.
  • Concentración sobre la tarea. A menudo nuestras cabezas recorren muchos pensamientos distintos mientras desarrollamos una actividad. Para lograr un rendimiento óptimo, es imprescindible que nos mantengamos plenamente concentrados en la tarea. En un estado de «flujo», esto ocurre inconscientemente.
  • Sensación de control. Los atletas experimentan una sensación de control total y absoluto sobre sus acciones. No significa que todo les esté saliendo perfecto. Se trata, más bien, de una sensación de que pueden rendir sin miedo al fracaso porque saben que les irá bien (Jackson, 2000).
  • Pérdida de autoconciencia. Esto es de un valor incalculable porque agiliza la toma de decisiones y esto ayuda al rendimiento. Uno deja de prestar atención a los pensamientos automáticos negativos, las dudas e inseguridades.
  • Transformación en la percepción del tiempo. ¿Has oído eso de que cuando te lo pasas bien el tiempo vuela? Pues lo mismo ocurre con los estados de flow. Estás tan metido en la actividad que la percepción del tiempo se desdibuja hasta el punto en que 1 hora parecen 5 minutos.
  • Experiencia autotélica. Csikszentmihalyi acuñó este concepto uniendo dos términos del Griego: auto (yo mismo) y telos (objetivo). A lo que se refiere es a aquellas actividades que se desarrollan porque de ello se deriva una recompensa: el disfrute.

Cómo alcanzar el estado de flow

estado de flow

«Si no continúas disfrutando con ello y divirtiéndote, te vas a quemar muy rápido». – Josh Bridges

Entrevista con CrossFit HQ

En relación al deporte, el flow se ha considerado como un potenciador único para el rendimiento dada su estrecha relación con una elevada motivación intrínseca, la ausencia de diálogo interno negativo y concentración plena. Como hemos visto en otros artículos, estos son ingredientes principales para el éxito deportivo.

Sin embargo, alcanzar un estado de flujo es algo que llega de forma más natural a algunos mientras que para otros lleva tiempo (Csikszentmihalyi, 1997). La clave está en descubrir qué variables predicen su aparición y cómo podemos crear situaciones donde pueda aparecer el flow

1. Trabaja la motivación intrínseca

Murcia, Gimeno y Coll (2006) estudiaron la relación entre motivación y estados de flow usando la Teoría de la Autodeterminación (Ryan & Deci, 2000) como marco teórico. Replicaron los hallazgos de otros estudios que relacionaban la motivación intrínseca con la presencia del estado de flujo; luego, la motivación intrínseca puede predecir estados de flow en atletas.

2. El papel de la implicación deportiva y satisfacción de necesidades

Volviendo a la Teoría de la Autodeterminación, la premisa es que los humanos tenemos necesidades psicológicas básicas de autonomía, competencia (habilidad para tener éxito en nuestro deporte) y vinculación (sentimiento de pertenencia con otros compañeros o entrenadores), que deben verse satisfechos para alcanzar un estado óptimo de bienestar.

Hodge, Lansdale y Jackson (2009) definieron la implicación deportiva como «una experiencia duradera y relativamente estable que agrupa unos pensamientos y sentimientos positivos relacionados con nuestros deporte». Se entiende como un método efectivo para prevenir el burnout en atletas.

Tanto la satisfacción de necesidades como la implicación deportiva trabajan juntos de una forma muy interesante. En primer lugar, la satisfacción de necesidades predice la implicación deportiva y tanto la implicación deportiva como la satisfacción de necesidades predicen el flow disposicional (Hodge, Lonsdale y Jackson, 2009). Por lo tanto, para facilitar la aparición del flow, debemos empezar por impulsar nuestra autonomía, competencia y vinculación en nuestro deporte para incrementar nuestra implicación.

3. Crear oportunidades

Y, en último lugar, debes ponerte en situaciones en las que los estados de flujo pueden aparecer de forma espontánea. ¿Cómo?

  • Según las características del «flow», sabemos que la tarea debe ser lo suficientemente desafiante como para que tengas que exigirte un elevado nivel de rendimiento.
  • También sabemos que objetivos claros y un feedback objetivo son imprescindibles. Dale a tu entrenamiento un propósito relevante. No te limites a unir movimientos al azar o elegir un WOD cualquiera.
  • ¡Conoce tus motivos! Mantén presente que la motivación intrínseca es clave cuando uno busca un estado mental óptimo. 












- Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow. New York: Harper and Row.
- Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1997). Finding flow. New York: Basic.
- Hodge, K., Lonsdale, C., & Jackson, S. A. (2009). Athlete engagement in elite sport: An exploratory investigation of antecedents and consequences. The Sport Psychologist, 23(2), 186-202.
- Jackson, S. A. (2000). Joy, fun, and flow state in sport. Emotions in sport, 135-155.
- Murcia, J. A. M., Gimeno, E. C., & Coll, D. G. C. (2006). Motivación autodeterminada y flujo disposicional en el deporte. Anales de Psicología, 22(2), 310-317.
- Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American psychologist, 55(1), 68.
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flow state
Abr 21 2019
Going with the flow to optimize performance

For too long has Sport Psychology driven its efforts towards anxiety, stress, depression, anger, fear, etc. All these variables have been heavily studied. However – and in sync with the WHO’s health definition – well-being is not just the absence of illness but the presence of wellness.

In this sense, if we wish to peak performance we need to manipulate not only the negative factors but also the positive ones. Researchers have asked themselves which cognitive variables characterize an optimal mind state, one that allows for a picture-perfect competition. The most established theory is the one postulated by Csikszentmihalyi, who called it: the state of flow.

State of flow: the mental state that leads to success

Csikszentmihalyi (1990) described «flow» as a mental state in which mind and body are fully intertwined. We are completely absorbed by the activity that’s being performed and we pay no mind to anything else. The environment, our inner discourse or any negative experience ceases to exist.

It can occur with any particular activity; its common theme is that it’s a «precursor to joy and it’s associated with other experiences such as fun and enjoyment.» (Jackson, 2000). A state of flow can lead to positive affect which, consequently, brings happiness.

Csikszentmihalyi described 9 dimensions in the state of flow:

  • Balance between skill and challenge. Both skill and challenge must be at high levels; otherwise it will result in apathy regardless of being balanced. If the challenge outweighs perceived skill, anxiety may appear. If skill is perceived to be higher than the challenge, the individual may relax way too much or even feel bored.
  • Merging of action and awareness: this is basically becoming so involved and engaged that you become one with the activity at hand, losing notion of everything else. The movements feel effortless.
  • Clear goals and unambiguous feedback: when in a state of flow, goal-setting and feedback serve each other in a continuous cycle that energizes and directs one’s actions. The feeling is that the course of action becomes crystal clear in the athlete’s mind.
  • Total concentration on the task at hand: often our minds navigate through many different thought processes while performing any activity. To attain optimal performance, it’s paramount that we remain laser-focused on every aspect regarding the task. When in flow, this concentration occurs unconsciously.
  • Sense of control: athletes experience a complete sense of control over their actions. This doesn’t mean that everything they’re doing is perfect. It’s more like a general notion that they will ultimately succeed, being able to perform without fear of failure (Jackson, 2000)
  • Loss of self-conscience: as previously mentioned, athletes lose track of internal dialogue revolving around negativity, self-doubt, inadequacy or what-have-you.
  • Transcendence of time: you know how they say that time flies when you’re having a good time? Well, same happens with the state of flow. You’re so consumed in the activity that perception of time becomes a blur and what felt like 5 minutes was actually an hour.
  • Autotelic experience: Csikszentmihalyi coined this term by uniting two Greek words: auto (self) and telos (goal). What he refers to is an activity that is done because it provides its own reward: enjoyment.

How to reach the state of flow

state of flow

In relation to sport, flow has been described as a major enhancer for performance since it’s deeply related to high intrinsic motivation, absence of negative self-talk and total focus on the activity at hand. As we’ve seen in previous posts, these are main ingredients for success in sports.

However, reaching the state of flow is something that comes naturally to certain individuals (Csikszentmihalyi, 1997) but may take some time for others. The key is to discover what variables predict its appearance and how we can create situations where flow can show up naturally.

1. Work on intrinsic motivation

Murcia, Gimeno & Coll (2006) studied the relationship between motivation and states of flow using the Self-Determination Theory (Ryan and Deci, 2000) as a theoretical framework. They replicated findings from other studies that related intrinsic motivation with the presence of state of flow: ergo, internal motivation can predict states of flow in athletes.

2. The role of athlete engagement and needs satisfaction

Going back to Self-Determination Theory, the premise is that humans have basic psychological needs for autonomy (perception of self-directedness), competence (ability to succeed in one’s sport), and relatedness (sense of belonging with teammates and coaches alike), which must be satisfied to experience optimal well-being, i.e., engagement, flow, …

Hodge, Lansdale & Jackson (2009) defined athlete engagement as «an enduring, relatively stable sport experience, which refers to generalized positive affect and cognitions about one’s sport as a whole». For further understanding of this concept, engagement can be considered an effective method to prevent burnout in athletes.

Both these concepts work together in an interesting fashion. Firstly, needs satisfaction predicts athlete engagement and both needs satisfaction and athlete engagement predict dispositional flow (Hodge, Lonsdale & Jackson, 2009). So, in order to facilitate the appearance of flow we must begin to impulse our sense of autonomy, competence and relatedness in order to increase engagement in our sport.

3. Create opportunity

Last but not least, we must put yourself in situations where states of flow can arise spontaneously.

  • According to the flow characteristics we’ve just learned, we know that the task must be challenging enough that you have to bring your A-game.
  • We also know that clear goals and objective feedback are a «must»; give the workout a proper purpose! Don’t just write down a few movements in whatever rep scheme and let it rip with no further reasoning.
  • Know your why! Keep in mind that intrinsic motivation is key when developing states of flow. Josh Bridges said it best: «(the daily grind) if you don’t continue to enjoy it and have fun with it, you’re gonna go away really quickly».
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow. New York: Harper and Row.
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1997). Finding flow. New York: Basic.
Hodge, K., Lonsdale, C., & Jackson, S. A. (2009). Athlete engagement in elite sport: An exploratory investigation of antecedents and consequences. The Sport Psychologist, 23(2), 186-202.
Jackson, S. A. (2000). Joy, fun, and flow state in sport. Emotions in sport, 135-155.
Murcia, J. A. M., Gimeno, E. C., & Coll, D. G. C. (2006). Motivación autodeterminada y flujo disposicional en el deporte. Anales de Psicología, 22(2), 310-317.
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American psychologist, 55(1), 68.
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self confidence
Abr 5 2019
Lack of self-confidence and its effect on performance

I’ve been inspired by two particular situations prior to writing this article. Firstly, a usual reader asked me to write something about how to manage fear and insecurity in athletes. After that, I read a story on Instagram about how insecurity can affect personal relationships.

So, in honor of the circumstances, I’m taking up the challenge. First and foremost, I’ll start the best way I know: defining insecurity. But this is no psycho-babble, so I need a construct that has a solid scientific base. And so it is, that insecurity is nothing but a lack of self-confidence.

How can we define self-confidence?

It seems pretty straight-forward but the reality of the situation is that it’s stirred up quite a commotion in the scientific community. Given its conceptual similarities to self-esteem or self-concept, there is no universal definition for self-confidence.

Bandura (1977) defined it based on perception of self-efficacy. He considered that self-efficacy – the perception we have of our capability to execute a course of action that will lead us to a given outcome – measures self-confidence in relation to specific tasks (not seen as a global construct).

Vealey (1986), on the other hand, conceptualized self-confidence in relation to sport as “the belief individuals have regarding their ability to be successful in sport”. This model is highly appealing to me since it includes a measure for “trait sport confidence” – applied to sports in general – and “state sport confidence” – applied to specific sport situations (Lenney, 1992).

Let’s see it through an example: as a coach, we ask two of our athletes to perform a 15” box jump. First, we ask if they feel fit to complete the task.

  • Athlete A, showing an elevated state sport confidence for this particular task, confirms she can do it. Her self-confidence leads her to performing the box jump with no issue.
  • Athlete B, has a decent trait sport confidence but does not have the state sport confidence in her ability for box jumps because she hasn’t done them since she gave birth to her first son. Her lack of self-confidence paralyzes her and she doesn’t even give it a go.

As we can see, Vealey’s model gives us more information. Now we know that the movement at hand isn’t the only thing that matters, but also past experiences of success or failure when understanding where lack of self-confidence stems from.

Self-confidence and its effect on performance in sport

self confidence

Since it’s one of the most influential psychological variables when it comes to performance, it’s been studied in numerous sports: soccer (Catala et. al, 2016; Gonzalez-Campos et. al, 2017), gymnasts (Leon-Prados et. al, 2011), handball (Ortin-Montero et. al, 2013), triathlon (Sanchez et al, 2012), among many others.

The common thread is that higher levels of self-confidence have a modulating effect over states of anxiety, making performance easier (Sanchez et. al, 2012; Ortin-Montero et. al, 2013; Gonzalez-Campos et. al, 2017). In conjunction with other variables such as an elevated intrinsic motivation (Catala et. al, 2016) and optimism (Ortin-Montero et. al, 2013) it can lead to a more favorable emotional state prior to competition.

How to work on fears and insecurity in CrossFit

Our regular crossfitters will show fear and insecurity quite often. However, once we understand how the brain works, we learn which buttons we need to push to effectively cope with any circumstance. Our brain is an active agent in the sense that it processes past, present and future information at lightning speed in order to mold our behavior. It’s important that we give it interesting data.

We’ve seen that self-confidence is highly dependent on past success. So, it comes down to this: if I’ve done it once, why not twice? The brain will bring up experiences stored in our long-term memory to heighten our self-confidence. So, logically, what we need is to be successful.

If you’re scared of any overhead movements, simplify it. You can do that by either lowering the weight or changing the implement (instead of an Olympic bar, use the dumbbell or even a medball). If you’re scared of handstands, start with pike pushups. That way you’ll get used to being in an inverted position. Get confident with smaller gestures and slowly progress from there.

As a matter of fact, I’ll tell you that the biggest secret to this sport is mastering the technique. Being afraid to a certain extent may be convenient because you’ll necessarily be working a lot more on technique at lower instensity which will build a more solid foundation.

“Fear is a friend who’s misunderstood” (as John Mayer would say). Self-confidence will always be there to say: hey, we got this. Stop thinking so much about what fear is taking from you and think more about what self-confidence can give you.

Bandura, A. (1977).
Self-efficacy: toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological
review, 84(2), 191.
Carretero, C.
M., Murcia, J. A. M., Coll, D. G. C., & Gimeno, E. M. C. (2013).
Motivación, dirección de la autoconfianza y flow en judokas de alto
nivel. European Journal of Human Movement, (31), 1-16.
González Campos,
G., Valdivia-Moral, P., Cachón Zagalaz, J., Zurita Ortega, F., & Romero, O.
(2017). Influencia del control del estrés en el rendimiento deportivo: la
autoconfianza, la ansiedad y la concentración en deportistas. RETOS.
Nuevas Tendencias en Educación Física, Deporte y Recreación, (32).
Lenney, E. (1977). Women's
self-confidence in achievement settings. Psychological
Bulletin, 84(1), 1-13.
León-Prados, J.
A., García, I. F., & Lluch, Á. C. (2011). Ansiedad estado y autoconfianza
precompetitiva en gimnastas.(Precompetitive anxiety state and self-confidence
in gymnasts). RICYDE. Revista Internacional de Ciencias del Deporte.
doi: 10.5232/ricyde, 7(23), 76-91.
Mesón-DOI, P.
C., Puente, C. P., Furlong, L. V., Arias, N. J., & Serrano, Á. F. (2017).
La motivación como variable influyente en la ansiedad y autoconfianza de los
deportistas. Informació Psicològica, (112), 14-28.
Ortín-Montero,
F. J., De-la-Vega, R., & Gosálvez-Botella, J. (2013). Optimismo,
ansiedad-estado y autoconfianza en jóvenes jugadores de balonmano. Anales de psicología, 29(3), 637-641.
Sánchez, J. C.
J., Gómez, R. P., Dueñas, K. G. N., & Gómez-Millán, M. R. B. (2012).
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