I experience flow state when I took my A.P. World History Test in 2019, my sophomore year of high school. The whole test went by in what felt like 5 minutes, but in reality I was so hyper focused that I didn't realize 3 hours went by. I ended getting a 5, the highest possible score to earn, on that test.
Stay with me here: I believe that things like meditation, therapy and accepting and loving yourself are key for the flow state. Because when you think about it: all it is is accepting the situation. In that moment every problem, every enemy, every challenge is just that, an object. A reality for you to process. Normally you get angry cause you feel left alone by your team and if only they were different things would be better or something like that. You wish for being in a different situation. Flow is the acceptance of your situation. And I think that reducing the noise in your head, the doubt, the fear, the experiences which let you think that the current situation cannot be handled makes it way easier to enter that state. But that's just the thoughts of a random guy without any knowledge. We need SCIENCE!
@@bigshagger1789 It's kinda hard if you need to learn it by yourself. Consists mostly of accepting what you feel and realizing that you can do good to yourself :)
To me, entering the zone is a heightened confidence that comes when you just feel good, when you know that "you've got it" - my favourite kind of zone to enter is the one where I don't get subconscious about my looks and I actually walk up and talk to strangers that I want to befriend / hook up with without second guessing myself even once, that means a lot to me especially since I've had social anxiety issues for most of my life. In my experience you can enter the zone almost on command just by eating healthy and for me intermittent fasting and probably most importantly (for me atleast) walking or sitting posture. If I eat unhealthy food I feel bloated and when I feel bloated I think I look bloated and ugly, for me it's important that I go to events while not haven eaten anything or just having eaten something light like a small salad. If I force myself to walk confidently I really quickly start feeling confident, I probably look like an idiot but if I'm jamming out to some music in my ear buds and I'm obviously bopping along with it in my walk I feel a lot better and happier. That's the zone for me - it applies to everything in life, video games and real life.
As a musician, I only ever get into flow when I'm performing in front of a crowd. I can practice enough with a song to get it down with muscle memory, but flow doesn't come in unless there's stress, too. Too much stress can also ruin flow, too, so it has to be a perfect amount of stress.
Completely agree with this. Without some external pressure - whether from friends, a crowd, a lover, or a competitor - it is easy to just rest on your laurels and be content with your baseline performance. Knowing someone is paying attention allows you to focus and push your skills to their potential.
@@sextipsandadvice969 I'm a joe rogan fan and he did compare it to learning bjj and how with bjj you can get a career out of it by doing something like starting your own school, whereas that's not the case for games...yeah I've watched hundreds of jre and was physically cringing when he started to go down that argument cause it was just the wrong comparison to try to make lmao. He not only said it was bad to be addicted - but that you could not transform that into something positive, contrasting that you could do such a thing with bjj.
@@sextipsandadvice969 so just because he got addicted to quake everyone can get addicted too? That's like saying everyone who plays GTA is a potential transgressor because a crazy kid couldn't tell reality from fiction and robbed and killed a man. Hear how fucking dumb that sounds?
I remember when i had my final assignment for school, they gave me 6 months to work on it but mid way through i didn't the direction i was going and stopped wanting to working on it, slacking was now the norm until months later while looking around on RUclips i saw a video that inspired me, it sparked a fire inside, almost 1 month to delivery I contacted my teacher and said i was changing project, he had this worried look on his face but he trusted i would deliver on it, a few days later I scraped most of my current work and started on a completely different project ... times were rough since i always had trouble starting from scratch but i recycled bits of my old code to save time and i started working, after the first week my productivity skyrocketed, all of a sudden i didn't need think anymore, my fingers just moved as if it were magic, this lasted for 6 days, all i needed to enter the zone was to put some music on and open my IDE, i was one with the machine, my subconscious would takeover and i was nothing but a passenger along for the ride, it was the most amazing feeling, the project was done after 19 days of hard work and 1 day over the deadline but it was complete and i was happy with the work i had, in the end it was my most impressive work to date, i had learned a new programming language and it was the project that steered me into cyber security which is what i'm pursuing now as a career
I know this feeling from playing chess. We call it "being in the tunnel" because you don't realise what is happening around you. Sometimes I don't hear sounds around me.
@@TheWarOwl in basketball they call it "being selfish"... Nah jk it's called the hot hand... And it's normally only for a few Mins before a defender ends it... But yeah I play chess and it is definitely a thing... You playing in a tourney and then you look up and everyone else is gone
I've entered flow state many times while playing CS, but just like you say. If the opponents are bad or there is a teammate trying his hardest to make you loose focus, you will never enter it. But if the coms are clean, the focus on the game is 100% and you feel like you're being pushed by the enemy. Then you're in tip top shape for entering the zone. The dangers of entering the zone is like you said, you lose some senses. For example you might not hear everything or if someone calls something you cannot hear it cause you're in another world. But with that said, I mostly enter the zone in CS when there is a need for a hard carry and I know the teams eyes are upon me. I also feel like I enter it more and more when I am streaming or knowingly can make videos of it. Sort of like the more eyes there are upon me the more pressure and the higher the chances of entering the zone. And they start coming more and more in bursts for 2-3 rounds then maybe I do average for 4 rounds and boom. In the zone again. But it's dependent on map, opponents and teammates mostly. Also, do engage in physical activity. Move the body or else you might have 0 chances of it. If the body is calm so will the mind be when playing. Also great video and love you content.
for me is the same but , big but is for me i have higher chances entering "the zone" when i get high, idno why i tried it many times with or without it, maybe its just coincidence when im high i have also big luck with teammates, like everything is so simple, i can play way better with mary, i hate it but at the same time i love when i feel it happening im sorry about my english and for the grammar
Just a hypothetical here. What if a professional cs team decided to practice meditation, were able to enter the flow state 100% of the time and just used simple callouts? So, they'd take a slight hit in mid round comms and game sense but they'd be absolute killing machines and there would be no mindset difference between 0-15, 15-0, 7-7 and 0-0. How do you think they'd do? Would it work?
When this video came out, I was in my studio working on an artwork and listening to a 14 hour audiobook, I was in flow state, the notification broke me out of it when my flow was particularly weak. Thanks for breaking my flow, warowl
I'm an audio engineer, most projects I'm mixing/mastering that I don't have a personal involvement in usually wind up with me in the flow state. Something that helps me achieve this is that I have a space where I only work. I don't look at my phone while seated at my desk, the whole world around me doesn't exist while I'm sat down and working. Having your brain associate the location you're in with one task will greatly increase the chances that you'll be able to enter it. It's also important that every time you can't get back into flow state to take a break, whether it be 10 or 30 minutes.
Americans: *butcher your 4 letter European name after you told them Exactly how to pronounce it* WarOwl: *nails a name in a language even other Europeans talk shit on for being unpronouncable*
Syv I agree, but when you upload the same format 10 times in a row, it can get stale. That’d even be the case for SoloQ (even though with SoloQ it’d only happen after like 50 episodes)
yeah, those videos are great, but without variation it looses it's magic. I guess that's why most people are asking for a new SoloQ (althout I'm personally waiting for a new MM Academy)
Flow is technically "Ultra Instinct" TheWarOwl - "You need have a challenging activity, and you need to be highly skilled at that activity. This allows you to enter a state of unconscious competence. Where you do it without thinking about it." Yep sounds like ULTRA INSTINCT
I don't think everyone but the people who really are interested in doing it without caring what other people are doing (most probably cheating) or other stuff. I also go in flow state when in exam not but no in every exam
i like how he just talks about "the zone" telling his story and maybe helping somebody else *without* 10min marks for ads + humor and video quality is amazing
I very much remember the video you mentioned. It was amazing to see and I loved it. I find myself in flow state when ever I code and there is a task that is exactly slightly harder then my current coding level. That way I am completely engaged but never bored which is a cycle that is just perfect for productivity. I don't think you can always control it because most of the time you do not control the task you are working on, some tasks are just to hard or so easy you are getting bored by doing them . Anyway, as usual great video Brent, love your content!
I have entered flow once in my 18 years of exitance. It was during some end of high school exams (the one that decides what collage/faculty/whatever you go) and it was with physics and my mother tounge, maths I kinda flopped. During the examination days for those 2 subjects it was only me and the paper (*funny story that I like telling you can skip it it's not important*. On physics I got slowed down by the calculations on one problem and right when I finished the exercise the teacher said "you have 30 minutes remaning" Ooo shit, was my reaction, one of my favourite songs that I was listening to while studing started playing and I have managed to finish the last problem in under 30 mins). I have been analysing for the past 4 months how I did it and it was schedule(like waking up at 6 taking a shower, have breakfast, NO PHONE), daily practice, long walks as a wind down and worry time after studying and thinking as little as possible about unnecessary things.
Must appreciate your effort typing this much and sharing your exp with us. For me, when the deadline nears me, I wither enter flow-state or the opposite, panic-state.
Flow is the best feeling ever. I've had it happen a couple of times when gaming, but it's much more common while I work on my hobby projects. I'm a software developer (programmer) and when I enter flow state is when I'm the most productive I can be. It happens most when you truly enjoy the activity you're doing, and it feels great. You forget your worries and you're just "there". In the moment. Fully focused on the one task at hand.
I can usually enter the flow state after about 15 minutes, when doing my homework. But I find it hard to keep myself in that state. Usually I notice something like "Oh, I am halfway done! I should take a break now. " and then I would completly break my flow and get stuck.
I have the same problem. It takes me a while to even become productive but when I notice that I always think, "yeah, I'm being productive. I should reward myself to help keep this up." Then I break out of it
Warowl: posts something about hyperfocus while playing a game Me, who is so immersed that I actually started getting tired when my in-game character runs for extended period: loses repeatedly, stuck in silver 1
That nuke game was one of the most entertaining games I watched in awhile, I was there for the whole stream, and I couldn't pull myself away from the phone, until it finally ended in OT, great vid, great game, great streams. Keep it up Mr. Warowl, you're an inspiration.
@@electrospeeder9692you get motivated to do good the next game. you don't necessarely have to remember and implement the things he says, you just feel like you actually can do those things. that's why if im having a bad game i might call timeout and just watch a yt video of a pro playing, a compilation of great moments and stuff like that. then i tell myself that i can do the same and it sometimes works. also emotions. control them. never ever be toxic towards your teammates and never ever think the opponent is too good. you can think and say that they/he is good, but never better EDIT: I;m not a scientist
I always experience flow when I play on my alt valorant account. So much so it's now higher ranked than my main. It comes down to not being stressed about rank or performance to me. I just play the game for fun and the heads line up.
I've entered the "zone" a lot when I was playing alone. I'm not blaming my friends for being a distraction or whatever but I felt more aware on what I'm doing in that moment alone. Of course I'm no s1mple when I play but it brings the absolute best in me.
same.. i somehow play better doing soloq, i know i can‘t relay on my mates and all the tips warowl gave during his soloq series for sure helped. When I play with friends and they flame me i take it more serious and it distracts more, makes me think negative and i play even worse.
Advice: Practise so much that any kind of anxiety is gone, even in a 1v5 clutch, and you're on the losing team, at 14-15. When i played CSGO ( haven't played in a while ), i would always get anxious when i was in a clutch situation, and most of the times i would distract myself with said anxiety and lose almost everytime. When i was in the "flow state" after playing a couple of games, or a couple days in a row, the anxiety was still there, but it would be easier to focus on the game ! Granted this only happend if the games i had played before went well. If they went bad, i would be with the mindset of "it is just one more loss", and i would die because i wouldn't care :/
Yup, I agree practice is everything. Especially practicing situations you are likely to encounter that give you anxiety. For example 1v5s, it's like taking a practice test in preparation, to get the feel, for the real test.
I feel the exact opposite when im in a clutch situation. All pressure is off - my team has failed miserably and left me to die. Now it's my time to show them how easily it can be done. Then I levitate off my chair and enter the flow state.. or get one deage'd peeking the next angle.
For me the trigger point is when my team (including me) is playing so shit and enemy is completely destroying us.After some time i get so pissed i dont even get angry anymore my mind goes “Alright lets wait for next round”then i know im in the zone
Related to this I'd also add to master the pistols, so many people don't and end up all flustered when their clip gets low. I've seen so many people miss AWP shots against enemies with like 5hp all because they were too anxious to change weapon land one hit. Knowing you always have a decent side arm as back up, and that you can get some good kills with it massively helps you remain calm and react in a strategic way.
The longest I have been in a flow state was ahead of my Math Exam last year. I knew I was good enough to score 100% in it. I had three days, to prep, I started studying at 1 pm in the afternoon, and I just never took a break, I had my last year papers, I was solving every thing, I went to sleep at 1 am that day, and when I woke up at 7am that day I was in FULL FOCUS! I couldn't stop solving these problems cause My ability to solve them was so so satisfactory that it was almost addictive, but late at night I had some pain in my lower back, We went to hospital and they said that I accumulated a small kidney stone because I wasn't drinking any water, I stay at the hospital that night and went home at around 12pm. I was still high on that jinx, I did some problems but the medications makes you sleepy, So next day, I went to the examination center sleepy and I couldn't ace it. I left the exam hall half an hour early and just vomitted on the pavement. I did got 92% but I am still not satisfied. Yeah, from then I learned that I need to take care of myself. Now, that I am in college studying some Information Techonology, I got high on the flow jinx yesterday when I was just coding and listening to music, but this time I had my water, I had my snacks and fruits beside me. So hey, I just finished some project that day. Felt goood. :3
@@deltaslayer1132 It's a skill you got to train, and it sucks in the beginning. Make sure you eliminate your distractions, and *grind* and eventually you'll get better at it, there's no "1 easy trick"
@@deltaslayer1132 find a challenging task and being skilled at it at the same time. it's like solving problems feel so good that you can't go do anything else. just delete every distraction but that can be more challenging than the task you want to deal with🤭😂
I've done a lot of 24 hour hackathons (code competitions) and I'm always chasing that level of productivity. I keep my water bottle on the right side of my desk and usually some kind of trail mix or other snack on the left side and then just zone out with my headphones. I've found that I can't reach that mental state unless I've already been working on something for a couple hours and intend to keep working on it with the goal of achieving as much as I can within a certain time period. I usually struggle with school assignments because the goal is never "work for this many hours" it's more along the lines of delivering a certain product, but for things like hackathons or personal projects I'm always insanely productive. It's like the opposite of being goal oriented, goals just make me pace myself given the time period I have.
The first time I entered “The Zone”, I didn’t play for a while, and I think I just felt good returning to the good, and dropped a 40 kill faceit game against players who were better than me.
I'm still a new player and yesterday i was bored af went into the death match got recked for the first game, Self confidence was like you're better and boom flow state finished 2nd though also there were no cheaters because their flow state is everlasting 😂
@@taqiditoi.p594 Not always, only if you've actually been playing for a long time, and what you've practiced comes back to you when you return. That feeling, when you do the right thing without you even realising it, that's it.
Sometime when you play too much, your brain burn out. You need to take a break for like a while. When you get back you will feel very fresh. Just don't take a very long break tho or you will lose your touch
This happens to me in so many PVP games, thank you WarOwl, I thought I was just crazy but you put me to rest. Through the opening of my 3rd eye and in a constant state of REM sleep, I have ascended to true zen, the humors of life sprout within me now. My inner charkras, balanced, static yet dynamic , like a statue made of wind. My true, ataraxis.
For me i entered "the zone" when playing LoL, i often do breathings before the game start, it calm my mind and let me focus on the game . Its my rhythm before playing it makes me not think of negative thoughts and not easily distracted by flaming teammates. And sorry for my bad english
I somehow am godlike in the first 10 games of ghe seazon i always win 8 9 or 10 of those games.. Idk how i enter the zone just then 😂😂😂then i'm again garbage at the game
It’s fun to watch someone smart rediscover the wheel. I don’t mean that to sound nearly as sarcastic as it does. Your description and suggestions are right on the money. That Wikipedia entry must be damned good. We (I’ve been a gamer, race car driver and psychology professor for 20+ years) have been studying “flow” or “the zone” for a long time. It’s challenging to study because it’s hard to “just do” AND it’s hard to study someone’s neurological and neurochemical responses while they’re playing basketball or football. Esports is a perfect venue for research since people sit still while doing “the thing”. A lot of the early research (before esports) focused on Olympic target shooters and race car drivers for the same reason. Also chess players. Consider the idea that for any sport there’s always going to be a finite, usually small number of people physically capable of being the best in the world. If you could teach someone to switch on the flow, that might be the key for them to rise above that small crowd. Google “performance psychology”, and David Eagleman if you haven’t already. Good content, sir.
@Gerhard Schöner All he was saying is that it is fun to watch someone discover more about a topic that he is already very familiar with; that does not mean he says he is a true expert or not, even though he does sort of imply it. You do the same, based on even less "evidence". What you are saying reflects the way I have experienced entering flow state in gaming and when I was a goalkeeper, but then again, it is not as detailed as it seems. I get where you are coming from, but the irony is that what you just said just makes you look exactly like the person you say you get annoyed by.
Gerhard Schöner lol I already wrote a thesis and a dissertation. I don’t need to do it again on RUclips. You could also consider the possibility that not wanting to use WarOwl’s platform to advance my own agenda is a thing. Or that giving away stuff we can charge people for (again using WarOwl’s platform to push my own agenda) is something professionals avoid. You can rest assured though that if I did go into detail here, it would be specific, detailed and applicable, not some wandering rant with no real information in it. But to answer your specific question, when they ask nicely, I coach people who drive race cars and people who shoot long range (500 meters+). Both include coaching zone performance/flow state.
Can you recommend any books or podcasts regarding "flow" or other general mindfulness/meditation books for someone looking to improve their mental health? Thanks :)
@@Sendtheshutter Thich Nhat Hanh "Peace is Every Step" is great for mindfulness/mental health. There's a book called "Mental Training for Peak Performance" by Steven Ungerleider that's pretty specific for flow/zone stuff. It's targeted more toward athletics. Also google K. Anders Ericsson and "deliberate practice". TheWarOwl really got the essentials right in this video imo. The gaming angle for flow is really new, but I expect it's going to become an actual (lucrative?) specialty in psychology research and practice. www.amazon.com/Peace-Every-Step-Mindfulness-Everyday/dp/0553351397/ref=sr_1_6?crid=19C94WQ1XD2ON&dchild=1&keywords=thich+nhat+hanh+books&qid=1600125579&sprefix=thich%2Caps%2C207&sr=8-6 www.amazon.com/Mental-Training-Performance-Revised-Updated/dp/1594860289/ref=sr_1_3?crid=TTK0J2EZFGVF&dchild=1&keywords=mental+training+for+peak+performance&qid=1600125656&s=books&sprefix=mental+traini%2Cstripbooks%2C199&sr=1-3
That used to happen to me in Binding of Isaac or Dead Cells! The flow state is seriously addicting, it's an illusive mixture of adrenaline and unmeasured productivity that is capable of making you forget about anything else in life.
That one mission on MW3 with the silenced sniper where you have to kill everyone without being noticed. That mission is my ultimate single player flow state.
WarOwl: Stay healthy Also WarOwl: So the goal is tricking your mind into thinking that sitting in front of a computer screen for 12 hours while playing vidya is the only thing that matters
@@gurka3141 I watched like a season of it and know what he's talking about, and even then it's not funny. What, just because it says nobody: it's supposed to be funny? Saying nobody before the "joke" is a crutch for 8 year olds who can't comprehend humour.
I find myself having an absolutely outstanding game, aim, movement and min in perfect sync. Not missing a single shot. Pin point accuracy. And about a third of the time I feel completely disconnected. I can't properly jiggle, I feel like the mouse is heavy as a hammer, aiming feels impossible. I've noticed that what mostly influences this is my sitting pos. A 15° deviation from my standard and the game feels alien. Incredible.
Flow state for me is something I’ve been training to get into at will, osu! The rhythm circle game is my favourite game at the moment which requires insane amounts of uninterrupted concentration, the moment you think of something apart from the game you can miss. Counter strike has periods of getting to positions ect which can allow for loss of concentration due to the relaxed nature of those periods. For me, meditating daily has allowed me to better understand how to induce flowstate. I don’t believe flow is a feeling of overwhelming confidence but rather a detachment from negative thought with a focus on positive thought like “no worries I got this” vs “that was a terrible play”, the ability to detach your actual performance from your emotional state will infinitely increase your consistency and ability to reach this state of focus.
The moment you mentioned osu i was like "Oh yeah, osu!" Thinking back that's for sure the one activity where it would trigger often. Felt like the biggest badass whenever it happened as well. I think arcade like games are really good at triggering it since they are hyper focused and require perfect execution if you're chasing top score. (rhythm games, racing games like TrackMania, bullet hell etc.)
@SharkTank, have you considered the fact that you, replying "SHUT UP" to every single comment on this thread might be indicative of a problem? With you? I guess not...
When WarOwl started to talk about how non-toxic the comments section is, I sorted to comments by newest first and the top one was "you have a big forehead" lmao
This happens every time i code or write an essay. This happens occasionally in rocket league, cs, and rust. Ive berm aware of flow state for a while and my friends thought i was just crazy haha. Its useful bc i have lyme disease and flow state reduces the headache pain.
Do you collaborate with others on your coding projects? I read that coding while in a flow state might actually make the code less readable because what seems easy to understand in flow state might actually include leaps in logic that are hard to follow for others.
DerDude87 honestly yea... after im done the project ill look back on it a couple days later and it takes me a bit to figure out how i replaced myself with a pro. I wrote my own packet monitoring tool with really advanced filtering algorithms with 15 hours straight of code...
Personally, I enter Flow State when i'm in a good mood and/or don't have anything else to do. When I know that I've done everything i need to do for the day and can just concentrate on playing. That's what helps me :)
I don't exactly recall being in the zone before, at least when it comes to playing with friends, whenever I play with them, it's a lot harder to get into it and focus on just the game when you have friends that'll talk to you, I usually enter the zone whenever I'm playing games by myself, which are usually games on Roblox ( I have played Counter Strike before and haven't went into the zone on that as of writing this, so I can't really talk about it, ) the times I do is whenever I'm lets say too far into the enemy team's region on the map and have to try and get myself out of there without dying. Also congrats on having a really good comment section, hopefully it stays like that for the rest of your channel's lifespan.
sometimes, (tf2) I speedshot a little too far into enemy territory, so I near instantly after seeing the next enemy, I enter flow state........ like you do when you're a little too far behind as well. You don't focus on random things, like a tryhard scout spamming calls into vc anymore... you just... flow...
I sometimes experience this when I'm studying. Especially when repeating things and reconsolidating memory. It just sort of happens but I noticed that when it does, my heart rate and breathing increases, I have to focus and try less, the information just automatically flows perfectly and you feel like you've transcended or something. I didn't experience it for over half a year though because my university lectures and studying sessions were restructured because of the pandemic. I feel like familiarity with your task plays a big part but also a familiar environment / mood / setting are necessary. As you've said, confidence and success are prerequisites aswell. You need to (maybe subconsciously) notice that you are doing really well, which increases your confidence and vice versa, putting you into a positive feedback loop.
Thank you so, so freaking very much! I've experienced flow state in the past but never searched about it and not knew it had a name. I heard about "the zone" and that was it. But I struggled for years to replicate that state of deep awareness and concentration, where time is meaningless and you feel like you have full control of what you are doing. I was beginning to give up, as if I'd never achieve that again. Thank you for giving it a name I can study.
3 things Id like to adress: 1. You are a Gentleman. Thank for being who you are. This makes us comentators better persons as well. 2. You teach a lot about life through playing video games.. This what i understand because I can realate. This helped me through worrying times. 3. I experienced "the zone" while playing and at work. Where you at one point keep on going and going and after the game or workday you feel empty but happy because you achieved sth. (Somehow I sometimes enter the flow with some alkcohol... ONLY while playing games not working ofc. But the perfect amount made me play perfect games of pool or CS. The few times I got called cheater where drunken rounds. If I drink to much it will not work also vice versa..) Thank you once more for being awesome! See you in the next one!
I have this quite often making music. Quickly 6-10 hours pass, almost peeing my pants and haven't given eating a thought. The main thing stopping me to get into the flow state are uncontrollable factors like issues with my gear or software. So eliminating friction is absolutely the way to go. Make sure your setup is good and reliable and have some decent teammates.
It happens often to me when I'm coding (software development). In CS it happens usually when I get the AWP and I'm playing with friends I trust. It starts happening when I'm holding a pixel and getting kills which helps building confidence. I think it is a mix of skills + confidence/trust + environment.
i think what heavily triggers the flow state is a "daily routine" once you have a routine and you love doing what you are doing its easier to get in the flow state. for me it was early morning jog that triggered the state for over 2 months consistently and then when i broke that routine things got messy , the tasks that i was easily able to within 2 hours , started to feel "boring" and i just couldn't finish what i started , thanks for making this video this is the thing i needed to start my early morning jogs again!!!
I’m a professional kick-boxer, I enter flow state during my fights and sparring. It’s such an important aspect to any part of life, especially kickboxing. It allows me to throw punches and kicks without knowing I’m throwing them, I see an opening and expect my kick/ punch to be there. I didn’t know you could enter flow playing video games but here we are.
Entered the flow state on a faceit game, the map is nuke, my team was losing 4 to 11, i said, "we need to clutch up" entered the flow, it went to overtime, won 19-15, the trick is just to let go of everthing, and focus on that one thing, clear your mind from everything, just think about winning
Back in January I had entered this "flow state" when playing CS for like 2 weeks straight whenever I played and only lost like 2 matches playing like 3 or 4 matches a day during that time. Don't know how I did it but I want it again.
Me too in the quarantine, went from level 1 faceit to level 5 in a rush, stopped playing regularly, went back to level 3 xD but good times, a lot of clutches I would lose today
As a musician watching this video I just now realised that I've been in flow state many times. When doing rehearsals(or however the fuck you spell that) I would often be able to play for hours on hours and while other people would get tired or want a break and I would just sit there waiting to play again. One time my teacher said I was a freak for just always being ready to practice. The problem is I hardly ever achieve it when playing music on my own, I think that because when you play in a band you can't stop and critique yourself because the song keeps going, never waits for you.
I think that flow is just when you have complete control over your emotions. In tricking, there is a lot of mental barriers (cause yes, sending a backflip or a cork for the first time is scary). Personally, I'm doing the start of the trick over and over while visualising the end in my head, and the more I do it, the more I'm focused on the trick itself, so much that I forgot that I'm scared and go like "f**k it, I know how to do it" and just send it (that's also why mastery of the skill is kinda required). That's flow state. (I also found out that for me, it's much easier to enter the Zone while I'm really tired cause I can't focus on 2 things anymore anyway, but obviously, this tips is more useful for cs than tricking) *sorry if my english is not perfect and greetings from France !*
Im so happy he made a video on flow state. Ive had it several times competing in rl and sports and even ca sometimes. You just feel this god like control and nothin matters. Your just vibin. I wanted to say my best tip for entering slow state is turning off that self critic voice. "Ah i should do this better" or "that better ". The person just gets in the way
I've experienced this in the gym. It was a certain workout that just made me hit PR's in almost every exercise. What made me "click" into Flow that day (or I suppose it was this) was my lack of good performance the prior week. It's normal to have a bad workout, but for me it was a whole week. So this particular workout I felt like I could lift the world (I wish lol). So I guess lack of motivation can get you a spike of motivation and make you enter "Flow".
I have similar experiences like this. One week I struggle to put any weight up and the next week I'm going hard. It happens with CS too, last week I'm destroying people and then this week I feel like I'm silver 1. Maybe it's because the bad week we needed motivation because we sucked and the motivation just had a week delay lol.
Physical activity relates a bit differently. I'm no expert in biology but it sound more like adrenaline or something similar being released to overcome a known challenge or to push past something more like runners high. Could have been flow but it's difficult to compare without solid data. Pretty similar outcomes either way though so does it really matter?
1st time - Time playing high school rivals. Blocking shots, stealing passes, reading plays before anyone else. 2nd time - My first trip to the Bellagio buffet in Vegas
After this video, I was alone at night playing CS like any other normal person. I admit, im a noob, but i started to enter flow state whilst being a T on dust. My grenades were accurate, and my recoil control was on point. Thank you war owl.
The only time I can truly remember entering flow state is when I came back to tie a MM game when we were down 13-2 going into Mirage T-side. I knew I had to pop off in order for us to win, and that's what I did. I aced on pistol round and entered the flow state. Even watching the demo over (I have the url if anyone wants to see) I visibly saw myself instantly improve. I nailed the galil spray that I was notorious to whiff and won multiple 1v2+ clutches. For me, the only way I enter flow state is if I tilt so hard I reset, or if I'm in a dire situation that needs a comeback. Thankfully, the stars aligned and I managed to pull it back to a tie. Edit: I lied. I entered a pseudo-flow state just a few days ago. I was messing around with my friends in mm and 16-1d someone. The only reason I can tell I was in flow state is from how I remember comms interactions and how I played not caring about anyone else. I played as aggro as possible, and as the game went on, I went more and more zen until I reached a complete flow state. The reason I call it a pseudo flow state is because I still wasn't playing at full capacity; I have done way better than this even without the flow state I was in. That being said, it felt like I was in the zone. Playing with complete calmness, not at full potential. I have the demo for this too if anyone wants to see the slow improvement throughout the game.
I remember very specifically when I entered the zone. It was only for a moment but it was amazing. It was during a team handball league game. I played on the team with the worst record. We lost each week. But one particular game against the top team, either because we were finally clicking or the opposing team was just slacking, we were tied with a few seconds left before half time. They had just scored to tie it up and I saw the other team slowly resetting back to their side. We did a quick throw in from center, I took the pass and charged up court as fast as I could, got to the 9 meter line and jumped. Let me pause here for a second (because that's where I felt time pause as well). I am not a fit person, I have been very overweight almost my entire life. Team handball is a great sport though in that you could play vital positions regardless of your fitness, yet it still made you run like heck. I played for 16 years prior so I knew all the theory and the drills, coached a bit, etc. Lately I was trying new things and just trying to play less stressful and enjoy it more. Losing a lot of games does that to you, just takes longer then winning all your games :). But the moment I jumped time stopped. I hung in the air. I could see the defender moving slowly below me, the goalie moving to where he thought I would shoot, and the rest of the net was a huge gaping area. I shot right where I needed and watched the ball slowly reach the back of the net. When I landed time sped back up, the horn sounded to end the half, and the ref whistled the goal good. We were LEADING going into the second half for the first time in whenever. The other team's coach was furious that they let us get ahead, and I was getting cheered going back to the bench. Then I heard a comment that makes this whole event stick in my brain. Someone on the other team said "wow, I guess he really can play". I think you are spot on about mindfulness, fitness, distractions, etc. I think it's also reminding yourself that you do know your stuff, and letting go of expectations.
I entered flow about two days ago, at my friend's house playing csgo, It was for about 12 hours(while sleeping), I had full control of me, no distractions, I was a beast, hitting shots I would've never had, I could concentrate on anything I wanted to. It wasn't the first one tho. it's pretty nice since it's hard for me to concentrate on certain tasks.
Definitely not my first time entering Flow State, but the longest time I've been on it was both during a local CS1.6 and League of Legends tournament at college (I'm a member for both of my section's team and I'm just randomly drafted and wasn't even originally part of the roster because they saw me playing at an internet cafe and decided that I was good enough, and I was actually intentionally and actively hiding from them) and during a P.E. class where we were playing dodge ball. At some time that day, I've reached "that point" where I'm just so tired that I literally can't feel exhaustion anymore. I feel like I've broken a set of invisible shackles that have been holding me down, literally. I just don't feel like I'm running out of gas any time soon, I just wanna keep going, and going, and going, until come what may, unless I stop doing whatever I am doing. During both events, everything I do became proactive, and often, contrary to how I usually function as a person by default, thought now only comes secondary to decisive action. Everything I do was instant, but not reckless. Unconventional, but deliberate. Invested, but not attached. During the local tournaments, I had to act both as our team's coach, the captain, and one of the members, because our team was literally just formed within a day and apparently, I was the "most experienced" out of us all when it comes to FPS games, and we didn't have enough time to prepare as a team. Suffice to say, we won the CS1.6 tournament regardless and almost won the League tournament. Suffice to say, I only felt every pain of hunger, exhaustion, and stress that I didn't know was accumulating throughout the day when I came home and lay down on my back to try and rest.
I think I got the flow on CS sometimes. All of the clutches I had were because of flow. And my clutch fails were because my inner thoghts had broken the flow.
"The Zone" which i just entered my last game in mirage in a solo que. I had a Tek-9 while all my teammates and opponents had a full buy i was just frustrated of my teammates and stopped giving them calls just after the 3rd round. I didn't knew what I was doing but with that Tek-9 i got 2 Aces in a row and won that game. Thankyou WarOwl i am Rachit from India and i love watching your videos ❤
Thank you for the insight, WarOwl! I believe I entered flow-state yesterday while I was raiding AQ40 on classic wow. I just focused on doing my job, making sure I didn't do anything stupid, and hitting my abilities to the best... of my ability.
Trying to read all the comments, but they are officially coming in faster than any human can read them this video lol
Hey WarOwl when will you play the violin in a video?
The Algorithm has spoken
I guess you can say that they are coming faster than pigeons open their poop holes to poop when they see a car that has just been cleaned
GET INTO THE FLOW STATE BRO
hey thank u very making a really good video it just made my birthday :)
The most impressive part of this video was your prononciation of csikszentmihalyi
I don't know about him, but when I learn about a foreign name or word I always try to get as close as possible to the original pronunciation
@@AxxLAfriku jahahaa junge
@@AxxLAfriku Get outta here bot
Deconstruct the skill:
Me hi, Chick sent me hi
@@PriitKallas more like: Me hi, Chick sent me hi
ee
Confirmed: Warren Fowler is CS VSauce.
CSauce?
CSauce!!!!
mindfulness comes from Jesus beloved ones
What about 3kliksphillips
@@xmipad-rafaelxaverianmulya6084 He is more like CS lemmino
Me: starts to enter flow state
Ping: imma bout to end this man's career
So relatable
Mom: imma bout to end this man's career
*It's "I'm about to," not "Imma bout to." "Imma" already means "I'm going to."
@@ziwuri omg who asked man go back to your grammar club
LOL damn that’d be aids
I experience flow state when I took my A.P. World History Test in 2019, my sophomore year of high school. The whole test went by in what felt like 5 minutes, but in reality I was so hyper focused that I didn't realize 3 hours went by. I ended getting a 5, the highest possible score to earn, on that test.
h4tch3t when you are focused, whatever you do feels extremely short
ok
Hell yeah the superior grading system
yo wtf i was literally procrastinating my APWH work as I watched this video, wanna hand me some notes on Unit 1? lmao
Same for me in 2017, except I was still feeling stressed somehow. Time stood still and I got my five, except I was aware of how time crunched I was
I was in the zone on the toilet once, had 2 different flows tho
😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣
Nice comment gamer
Lmao this comment got me laughing good
Nice
lmaoo
Stay with me here:
I believe that things like meditation, therapy and accepting and loving yourself are key for the flow state. Because when you think about it: all it is is accepting the situation.
In that moment every problem, every enemy, every challenge is just that, an object. A reality for you to process. Normally you get angry cause you feel left alone by your team and if only they were different things would be better or something like that. You wish for being in a different situation. Flow is the acceptance of your situation. And I think that reducing the noise in your head, the doubt, the fear, the experiences which let you think that the current situation cannot be handled makes it way easier to enter that state.
But that's just the thoughts of a random guy without any knowledge. We need SCIENCE!
interesting ideas!
Spot on my dude
Thas deep mah dude
Imagine loving yourself 😅
@@bigshagger1789 It's kinda hard if you need to learn it by yourself. Consists mostly of accepting what you feel and realizing that you can do good to yourself :)
Its impossible to hate on TheWarOwl, he's just too likeable.
He makes me want to make more youtube accounts and sub him till he's 2 mil
Ikr
its called charisma
True
I like this comment
WarOwl: "My fanbase is not annoying at all"
WarOwl's fanbase: *Uses this comment format*
*what? i don't understand*
To me, entering the zone is a heightened confidence that comes when you just feel good, when you know that "you've got it" - my favourite kind of zone to enter is the one where I don't get subconscious about my looks and I actually walk up and talk to strangers that I want to befriend / hook up with without second guessing myself even once, that means a lot to me especially since I've had social anxiety issues for most of my life.
In my experience you can enter the zone almost on command just by eating healthy and for me intermittent fasting and probably most importantly (for me atleast) walking or sitting posture. If I eat unhealthy food I feel bloated and when I feel bloated I think I look bloated and ugly, for me it's important that I go to events while not haven eaten anything or just having eaten something light like a small salad. If I force myself to walk confidently I really quickly start feeling confident, I probably look like an idiot but if I'm jamming out to some music in my ear buds and I'm obviously bopping along with it in my walk I feel a lot better and happier.
That's the zone for me - it applies to everything in life, video games and real life.
+rep nice comment buddy.
Very nicely put man. I definitely notice a difference in my play when I'm being a lazy unhealthy sack of crap vs going to the gym, sleeping well, etc.
Damn man, I've never related to something so much
I find i enter flow in social interactions most often for some reason
This was a good read.
As a musician, I only ever get into flow when I'm performing in front of a crowd. I can practice enough with a song to get it down with muscle memory, but flow doesn't come in unless there's stress, too. Too much stress can also ruin flow, too, so it has to be a perfect amount of stress.
Sometimes the right amount of stress is good
Not only good, necessary
Completely agree with this. Without some external pressure - whether from friends, a crowd, a lover, or a competitor - it is easy to just rest on your laurels and be content with your baseline performance. Knowing someone is paying attention allows you to focus and push your skills to their potential.
also a musician and can totally relate.
Tayoyo its like balancing a paperclip on water.
"I quit my job to play videogames"
*ANGRY JOE ROGAN NOISES*
A M A Z I N G
Joe Rogan said it was bad to be addicted not to play
@@sextipsandadvice969 I'm a joe rogan fan and he did compare it to learning bjj and how with bjj you can get a career out of it by doing something like starting your own school, whereas that's not the case for games...yeah I've watched hundreds of jre and was physically cringing when he started to go down that argument cause it was just the wrong comparison to try to make lmao. He not only said it was bad to be addicted - but that you could not transform that into something positive, contrasting that you could do such a thing with bjj.
Reddit Dubbed he also was really addicted to quake, like he played it all day so that’s more of what he meant
@@sextipsandadvice969 so just because he got addicted to quake everyone can get addicted too? That's like saying everyone who plays GTA is a potential transgressor because a crazy kid couldn't tell reality from fiction and robbed and killed a man. Hear how fucking dumb that sounds?
I remember when i had my final assignment for school, they gave me 6 months to work on it but mid way through i didn't the direction i was going and stopped wanting to working on it, slacking was now the norm until months later while looking around on RUclips i saw a video that inspired me, it sparked a fire inside, almost 1 month to delivery I contacted my teacher and said i was changing project, he had this worried look on his face but he trusted i would deliver on it, a few days later I scraped most of my current work and started on a completely different project ... times were rough since i always had trouble starting from scratch but i recycled bits of my old code to save time and i started working, after the first week my productivity skyrocketed, all of a sudden i didn't need think anymore, my fingers just moved as if it were magic, this lasted for 6 days, all i needed to enter the zone was to put some music on and open my IDE, i was one with the machine, my subconscious would takeover and i was nothing but a passenger along for the ride, it was the most amazing feeling, the project was done after 19 days of hard work and 1 day over the deadline but it was complete and i was happy with the work i had, in the end it was my most impressive work to date, i had learned a new programming language and it was the project that steered me into cyber security which is what i'm pursuing now as a career
wow
That souds amazing! Experieces like yours make programmig really a worthwhile activity
thats awesome!!
that is freaking awesome dude
"You are either in Flow state, or you lose the battle royale solo match." - Albert Einstein, 1910 (Colorized)
"HEY! I never said that!" -- Abraham Lincoln, 1911
@@rosuav "Yes, I did" - Julius Caesar, 1912
"Deez nuts"
-Shaka Zulu c. 1521
I know this feeling from playing chess. We call it "being in the tunnel" because you don't realise what is happening around you. Sometimes I don't hear sounds around me.
It seems like every sport or activity has a different name for it, but I think it's all the same thing.
@@TheWarOwl pog
@@TheWarOwl Ron Rambo Kim had made a video about csgo and flow state.
ah yes, tunnel vision. Naroditsky's videos with cr1tikal have been great to spot those situations
@@TheWarOwl in basketball they call it "being selfish"... Nah jk it's called the hot hand... And it's normally only for a few Mins before a defender ends it... But yeah I play chess and it is definitely a thing... You playing in a tourney and then you look up and everyone else is gone
I've entered flow state many times while playing CS, but just like you say. If the opponents are bad or there is a teammate trying his hardest to make you loose focus, you will never enter it. But if the coms are clean, the focus on the game is 100% and you feel like you're being pushed by the enemy. Then you're in tip top shape for entering the zone.
The dangers of entering the zone is like you said, you lose some senses. For example you might not hear everything or if someone calls something you cannot hear it cause you're in another world.
But with that said, I mostly enter the zone in CS when there is a need for a hard carry and I know the teams eyes are upon me. I also feel like I enter it more and more when I am streaming or knowingly can make videos of it. Sort of like the more eyes there are upon me the more pressure and the higher the chances of entering the zone. And they start coming more and more in bursts for 2-3 rounds then maybe I do average for 4 rounds and boom. In the zone again. But it's dependent on map, opponents and teammates mostly. Also, do engage in physical activity. Move the body or else you might have 0 chances of it. If the body is calm so will the mind be when playing.
Also great video and love you content.
For me I hear everything way better, see better and it feels like time goes slower.
for me is the same but , big but is for me i have higher chances entering "the zone" when i get high, idno why i tried it many times with or without it, maybe its just coincidence when im high i have also big luck with teammates, like everything is so simple, i can play way better with mary, i hate it but at the same time i love when i feel it happening
im sorry about my english and for the grammar
Just a hypothetical here. What if a professional cs team decided to practice meditation, were able to enter the flow state 100% of the time and just used simple callouts? So, they'd take a slight hit in mid round comms and game sense but they'd be absolute killing machines and there would be no mindset difference between 0-15, 15-0, 7-7 and 0-0. How do you think they'd do? Would it work?
@@ziwuri most pros are in the flow state most of the time
I have adhd and flow state is very ez to get into
When this video came out, I was in my studio working on an artwork and listening to a 14 hour audiobook, I was in flow state, the notification broke me out of it when my flow was particularly weak. Thanks for breaking my flow, warowl
F
F
Yeah, our phones can be such a big distraction. Thankfully features like do not disturb exist.
Maybe turn off notifications? 😘😂
I'm an audio engineer, most projects I'm mixing/mastering that I don't have a personal involvement in usually wind up with me in the flow state. Something that helps me achieve this is that I have a space where I only work. I don't look at my phone while seated at my desk, the whole world around me doesn't exist while I'm sat down and working. Having your brain associate the location you're in with one task will greatly increase the chances that you'll be able to enter it. It's also important that every time you can't get back into flow state to take a break, whether it be 10 or 30 minutes.
100% can relate
Yup, I actually was about to write exactly the same thing
4:25:
"dangerzone with amiiigo": *am i a joke to you?*
Americans: *butcher your 4 letter European name after you told them Exactly how to pronounce it*
WarOwl: *nails a name in a language even other Europeans talk shit on for being unpronouncable*
I feel that
Ah yes, where a rear wheel drive car had 4WD acceleration they called this "Fujiwara Zone"
I unironically love the Initial D series :D
@@TheFinePlayer because it's good.
*keisuke left the chat*
@@TheFinePlayer ayyy same here.
@SharkTank and again.
"I usually read all of the comments for the first 8 hours or so"... Why hello there WarOwl.
*watches video 9 hours after release lmao
Needed variation from the “CS:GO but”. Good vid WarOwl!
nah that series is some of the best content on youtube
Lol same
Syv I agree, but when you upload the same format 10 times in a row, it can get stale. That’d even be the case for SoloQ (even though with SoloQ it’d only happen after like 50 episodes)
yeah, those videos are great, but without variation it looses it's magic. I guess that's why most people are asking for a new SoloQ (althout I'm personally waiting for a new MM Academy)
"CS:GO but I enter the flow state"
Flow is technically "Ultra Instinct"
TheWarOwl - "You need have a challenging activity, and you need to be highly skilled at that activity. This allows you to enter a state of unconscious competence. Where you do it without thinking about it."
Yep sounds like ULTRA INSTINCT
Yeah
its that except the name is not fucking cringe
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi actually coined the term "flow" for the people thinking he was joking
Kicsoda? Misi?
Mi? Háj?
Mi hi? Vagy mi
hat a Misike
Every student enters flow state during a several hour long exam. At least those who prepared.
I don't think everyone but the people who really are interested in doing it without caring what other people are doing (most probably cheating) or other stuff. I also go in flow state when in exam not but no in every exam
every student enters flow state during procrastination slam mode
yes i can agree with this with or without prep maths exams have this effect
Cannot agree more
@@joelrobb125 i guss i got into flow state in todays math exam cause 2.5 hr passed i solved all the qeuastions and was like what already 2.5 hrs
i like how he just talks about "the zone" telling his story and maybe helping somebody else *without* 10min marks for ads + humor and video quality is amazing
actually im pretty confident that the ad mark has been lowered to 8 minutes
now you need 8min for double ads
really? not 3 ads thru this video tho
@SharkTank Wtf? I have seen you 4 times now telling shut up? Like what?
Also i know you are going to tell me to shut up
so SHUT UP
Too bad I got sponsorblock
The lesson was not just about improving your gaming skills but tackling your everyday's life challenges too.
I very much remember the video you mentioned. It was amazing to see and I loved it.
I find myself in flow state when ever I code and there is a task that is exactly slightly harder then my current coding level. That way I am completely engaged but never bored which is a cycle that is just perfect for productivity. I don't think you can always control it because most of the time you do not control the task you are working on, some tasks are just to hard or so easy you are getting bored by doing them . Anyway, as usual great video Brent, love your content!
I was there when he pulled off the 1v4. Very Impressive.
Very Cool.
@@Ne4073 Thank you Kanye,
@@Bigman-vd7gc Kanye East???
@@beetlenut6980 North*
@@zubairasif9405 ohh nice
I got him confused with south. I guess I was wrong.
I have entered flow once in my 18 years of exitance. It was during some end of high school exams (the one that decides what collage/faculty/whatever you go) and it was with physics and my mother tounge, maths I kinda flopped. During the examination days for those 2 subjects it was only me and the paper (*funny story that I like telling you can skip it it's not important*. On physics I got slowed down by the calculations on one problem and right when I finished the exercise the teacher said "you have 30 minutes remaning" Ooo shit, was my reaction, one of my favourite songs that I was listening to while studing started playing and I have managed to finish the last problem in under 30 mins). I have been analysing for the past 4 months how I did it and it was schedule(like waking up at 6 taking a shower, have breakfast, NO PHONE), daily practice, long walks as a wind down and worry time after studying and thinking as little as possible about unnecessary things.
Must appreciate your effort typing this much and sharing your exp with us. For me, when the deadline nears me, I wither enter flow-state or the opposite, panic-state.
Get anime like vibes from this. Time slows down, focuses on paper, favorite song starts playing, grabs the pen, and just writes away.
Flow is the best feeling ever. I've had it happen a couple of times when gaming, but it's much more common while I work on my hobby projects.
I'm a software developer (programmer) and when I enter flow state is when I'm the most productive I can be.
It happens most when you truly enjoy the activity you're doing, and it feels great. You forget your worries and you're just "there".
In the moment. Fully focused on the one task at hand.
I can usually enter the flow state after about 15 minutes, when doing my homework. But I find it hard to keep myself in that state. Usually I notice something like "Oh, I am halfway done! I should take a break now. " and then I would completly break my flow and get stuck.
I have the same problem. It takes me a while to even become productive but when I notice that I always think, "yeah, I'm being productive. I should reward myself to help keep this up." Then I break out of it
Yup
Omg just solved 100 maths questions in about an hour but exercise consisted of 150. Those 50 are left untouched for 2 hours now.
I only know that from tests and stuff... I'll admit it I have hardly done any homework in my schoolcareer
Same and u check the time on ur phone once and then realize youve watched a whole Netflix series
Warowl: posts something about hyperfocus while playing a game
Me, who is so immersed that I actually started getting tired when my in-game character runs for extended period: loses repeatedly, stuck in silver 1
Can i buy your silver 1 acc. Id pay 200€ and if steam acc. is worth more ill overpay
Con_R This isn’t the type of channel that fosters players you’re looking for.
@@constantinriedler6566 buying and selling accounts is against steam TOS. i hope you get banned :)
Omg i actually trolled so many people axaxaxa
@@constantinriedler6566 bruh. no.
That nuke game was one of the most entertaining games I watched in awhile, I was there for the whole stream, and I couldn't pull myself away from the phone, until it finally ended in OT, great vid, great game, great streams. Keep it up Mr. Warowl, you're an inspiration.
yeah it went into like triple overtime, was a crazy game!
VOD link please!!!
it seems like whenever I watch his videos I always play better the next game
@@electrospeeder9692you get motivated to do good the next game. you don't necessarely have to remember and implement the things he says, you just feel like you actually can do those things. that's why if im having a bad game i might call timeout and just watch a yt video of a pro playing, a compilation of great moments and stuff like that. then i tell myself that i can do the same and it sometimes works. also emotions. control them. never ever be toxic towards your teammates and never ever think the opponent is too good. you can think and say that they/he is good, but never better
EDIT: I;m not a scientist
@@rudolfszvaigznite9583 ^
I always experience flow when I play on my alt valorant account. So much so it's now higher ranked than my main. It comes down to not being stressed about rank or performance to me. I just play the game for fun and the heads line up.
I've entered the "zone" a lot when I was playing alone. I'm not blaming my friends for being a distraction or whatever but I felt more aware on what I'm doing in that moment alone. Of course I'm no s1mple when I play but it brings the absolute best in me.
Oh indonesian
same.. i somehow play better doing soloq, i know i can‘t relay on my mates and all the tips warowl gave during his soloq series for sure helped. When I play with friends and they flame me i take it more serious and it distracts more, makes me think negative and i play even worse.
@@alexanderthegreat11 same
I also usually play better when I play with out my friends. Idk why exactly but it’s true in my case as well.
@SharkTank I think I have made my point.
Advice: Practise so much that any kind of anxiety is gone, even in a 1v5 clutch, and you're on the losing team, at 14-15. When i played CSGO ( haven't played in a while ), i would always get anxious when i was in a clutch situation, and most of the times i would distract myself with said anxiety and lose almost everytime. When i was in the "flow state" after playing a couple of games, or a couple days in a row, the anxiety was still there, but it would be easier to focus on the game !
Granted this only happend if the games i had played before went well. If they went bad, i would be with the mindset of "it is just one more loss", and i would die because i wouldn't care :/
Yup, I agree practice is everything. Especially practicing situations you are likely to encounter that give you anxiety. For example 1v5s, it's like taking a practice test in preparation, to get the feel, for the real test.
nah if im in a clutch situation i just throw it cuz i know ive lost it lol
I feel the exact opposite when im in a clutch situation. All pressure is off - my team has failed miserably and left me to die. Now it's my time to show them how easily it can be done. Then I levitate off my chair and enter the flow state.. or get one deage'd peeking the next angle.
For me the trigger point is when my team (including me) is playing so shit and enemy is completely destroying us.After some time i get so pissed i dont even get angry anymore my mind goes “Alright lets wait for next round”then i know im in the zone
Related to this I'd also add to master the pistols, so many people don't and end up all flustered when their clip gets low. I've seen so many people miss AWP shots against enemies with like 5hp all because they were too anxious to change weapon land one hit. Knowing you always have a decent side arm as back up, and that you can get some good kills with it massively helps you remain calm and react in a strategic way.
I remember 1 time that I experienced was when I used to play cod zombies obsessively I went 4 hours in a game with out going to pee, eat or anything
the charm of call of duty
Only 4 hours?
You gotta bump those numbers up, those are rookie numbers
@@Jexy00 ikr only 4, like those are pussy hours
Me when I realized after a long time of watching TheWarOwl that “I still have no closer” is a closer 🤯
Dude everyone already knew that
Edit: I mean he has 1.36 million subs. What did you think, that he hadn't had time to come up with a closer?
@@ziwuri Yeah you're right, but it's still a bit subtle.
@@vincentb5431 its really not. clever, but not subtle.
holy smokes
@@ziwuri Woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooosh
I've only entered flow a few times while gaming. But since I started writing it happened for a good 3 hours. Writing my 2 best chapters ever.
Its happened to me for a few minutes in a clutch situation in csgo in like 2 matches
The longest I have been in a flow state was ahead of my Math Exam last year. I knew I was good enough to score 100% in it. I had three days, to prep, I started studying at 1 pm in the afternoon, and I just never took a break, I had my last year papers, I was solving every thing, I went to sleep at 1 am that day, and when I woke up at 7am that day I was in FULL FOCUS! I couldn't stop solving these problems cause My ability to solve them was so so satisfactory that it was almost addictive, but late at night I had some pain in my lower back, We went to hospital and they said that I accumulated a small kidney stone because I wasn't drinking any water, I stay at the hospital that night and went home at around 12pm. I was still high on that jinx, I did some problems but the medications makes you sleepy, So next day, I went to the examination center sleepy and I couldn't ace it. I left the exam hall half an hour early and just vomitted on the pavement. I did got 92% but I am still not satisfied. Yeah, from then I learned that I need to take care of myself.
Now, that I am in college studying some Information Techonology, I got high on the flow jinx yesterday when I was just coding and listening to music, but this time I had my water, I had my snacks and fruits beside me. So hey, I just finished some project that day. Felt goood. :3
What is your advice to enter this state? While im studying at home I find it hard to get my concentration and keep going...
DeltaSlayer adderal
@@deltaslayer1132 It's a skill you got to train, and it sucks in the beginning. Make sure you eliminate your distractions, and *grind* and eventually you'll get better at it, there's no "1 easy trick"
@@deltaslayer1132 find a challenging task and being skilled at it at the same time. it's like solving problems feel so good that you can't go do anything else. just delete every distraction but that can be more challenging than the task you want to deal with🤭😂
I've done a lot of 24 hour hackathons (code competitions) and I'm always chasing that level of productivity. I keep my water bottle on the right side of my desk and usually some kind of trail mix or other snack on the left side and then just zone out with my headphones. I've found that I can't reach that mental state unless I've already been working on something for a couple hours and intend to keep working on it with the goal of achieving as much as I can within a certain time period. I usually struggle with school assignments because the goal is never "work for this many hours" it's more along the lines of delivering a certain product, but for things like hackathons or personal projects I'm always insanely productive. It's like the opposite of being goal oriented, goals just make me pace myself given the time period I have.
The first time I entered “The Zone”, I didn’t play for a while, and I think I just felt good returning to the good, and dropped a 40 kill faceit game against players who were better than me.
Yeah, it somehow gets you better when you take a break
I'm still a new player and yesterday i was bored af went into the death match got recked for the first game,
Self confidence was like you're better and boom flow state finished 2nd though also there were no cheaters because their flow state is everlasting 😂
@@taqiditoi.p594 yeah you right
@@taqiditoi.p594 Not always, only if you've actually been playing for a long time, and what you've practiced comes back to you when you return. That feeling, when you do the right thing without you even realising it, that's it.
Sometime when you play too much, your brain burn out. You need to take a break for like a while. When you get back you will feel very fresh. Just don't take a very long break tho or you will lose your touch
This happens to me in so many PVP games, thank you WarOwl, I thought I was just crazy but you put me to rest. Through the opening of my 3rd eye and in a constant state of REM sleep, I have ascended to true zen, the humors of life sprout within me now. My inner charkras, balanced, static yet dynamic , like a statue made of wind. My true, ataraxis.
Amen
The thumbnail looks like he's questioning life choices.
XDD
Haha
midlife crisis
My Friend recommended you and said you would make brilliant csgo content .he was so right
When Warren showed up I thought 100% we were going to get an audible ad.
For me i entered "the zone" when playing LoL, i often do breathings before the game start, it calm my mind and let me focus on the game
. Its my rhythm before playing it makes me not think of negative thoughts and not easily distracted by flaming teammates.
And sorry for my bad english
I somehow am godlike in the first 10 games of ghe seazon i always win 8 9 or 10 of those games.. Idk how i enter the zone just then 😂😂😂then i'm again garbage at the game
It’s fun to watch someone smart rediscover the wheel. I don’t mean that to sound nearly as sarcastic as it does. Your description and suggestions are right on the money. That Wikipedia entry must be damned good. We (I’ve been a gamer, race car driver and psychology professor for 20+ years) have been studying “flow” or “the zone” for a long time. It’s challenging to study because it’s hard to “just do” AND it’s hard to study someone’s neurological and neurochemical responses while they’re playing basketball or football. Esports is a perfect venue for research since people sit still while doing “the thing”. A lot of the early research (before esports) focused on Olympic target shooters and race car drivers for the same reason. Also chess players. Consider the idea that for any sport there’s always going to be a finite, usually small number of people physically capable of being the best in the world. If you could teach someone to switch on the flow, that might be the key for them to rise above that small crowd. Google “performance psychology”, and David Eagleman if you haven’t already. Good content, sir.
WarOwl content is being approved by official academia. I have seen it all
@Gerhard Schöner All he was saying is that it is fun to watch someone discover more about a topic that he is already very familiar with; that does not mean he says he is a true expert or not, even though he does sort of imply it. You do the same, based on even less "evidence". What you are saying reflects the way I have experienced entering flow state in gaming and when I was a goalkeeper, but then again, it is not as detailed as it seems. I get where you are coming from, but the irony is that what you just said just makes you look exactly like the person you say you get annoyed by.
Gerhard Schöner lol I already wrote a thesis and a dissertation. I don’t need to do it again on RUclips. You could also consider the possibility that not wanting to use WarOwl’s platform to advance my own agenda is a thing. Or that giving away stuff we can charge people for (again using WarOwl’s platform to push my own agenda) is something professionals avoid. You can rest assured though that if I did go into detail here, it would be specific, detailed and applicable, not some wandering rant with no real information in it.
But to answer your specific question, when they ask nicely, I coach people who drive race cars and people who shoot long range (500 meters+). Both include coaching zone performance/flow state.
Can you recommend any books or podcasts regarding "flow" or other general mindfulness/meditation books for someone looking to improve their mental health? Thanks :)
@@Sendtheshutter Thich Nhat Hanh "Peace is Every Step" is great for mindfulness/mental health. There's a book called "Mental Training for Peak Performance" by Steven Ungerleider that's pretty specific for flow/zone stuff. It's targeted more toward athletics. Also google K. Anders Ericsson and "deliberate practice".
TheWarOwl really got the essentials right in this video imo. The gaming angle for flow is really new, but I expect it's going to become an actual (lucrative?) specialty in psychology research and practice.
www.amazon.com/Peace-Every-Step-Mindfulness-Everyday/dp/0553351397/ref=sr_1_6?crid=19C94WQ1XD2ON&dchild=1&keywords=thich+nhat+hanh+books&qid=1600125579&sprefix=thich%2Caps%2C207&sr=8-6
www.amazon.com/Mental-Training-Performance-Revised-Updated/dp/1594860289/ref=sr_1_3?crid=TTK0J2EZFGVF&dchild=1&keywords=mental+training+for+peak+performance&qid=1600125656&s=books&sprefix=mental+traini%2Cstripbooks%2C199&sr=1-3
I often enter "flow" with singleplayer perfection games, like Absolute Drift
That was me when i first bought car x drift racing. Spent the whole night in a single map doing laps after laps.
Agree, because the game only let you focuse on yourself.
That used to happen to me in Binding of Isaac or Dead Cells! The flow state is seriously addicting, it's an illusive mixture of adrenaline and unmeasured productivity that is capable of making you forget about anything else in life.
That one mission on MW3 with the silenced sniper where you have to kill everyone without being noticed. That mission is my ultimate single player flow state.
@@dewie06 all ghillied up is my fav cod "flow state" mission!
Warowl: and you need to be highly skilled at that activity
me: oh noooo
WarOwl: Stay healthy
Also WarOwl: So the goal is tricking your mind into thinking that sitting in front of a computer screen for 12 hours while playing vidya is the only thing that matters
Vidya
Nobody:
WarOwl: How to achieve Ultra Instinct
truee
Is this supposed to be funny? I don't see the humourous part in the comment
The Simple Animator watch dragon ball z, then come back to this comment
@@gurka3141 super*
@@gurka3141 I watched like a season of it and know what he's talking about, and even then it's not funny. What, just because it says nobody: it's supposed to be funny? Saying nobody before the "joke" is a crutch for 8 year olds who can't comprehend humour.
ha look at warowl and his big brain
LOOOOL Nice one!
Like saying “I have entered The Zone” can increase the morale of your team...
hey... let’s try that
I find myself having an absolutely outstanding game, aim, movement and min in perfect sync. Not missing a single shot. Pin point accuracy. And about a third of the time I feel completely disconnected. I can't properly jiggle, I feel like the mouse is heavy as a hammer, aiming feels impossible. I've noticed that what mostly influences this is my sitting pos. A 15° deviation from my standard and the game feels alien. Incredible.
Flow state for me is something I’ve been training to get into at will, osu! The rhythm circle game is my favourite game at the moment which requires insane amounts of uninterrupted concentration, the moment you think of something apart from the game you can miss. Counter strike has periods of getting to positions ect which can allow for loss of concentration due to the relaxed nature of those periods. For me, meditating daily has allowed me to better understand how to induce flowstate. I don’t believe flow is a feeling of overwhelming confidence but rather a detachment from negative thought with a focus on positive thought like “no worries I got this” vs “that was a terrible play”, the ability to detach your actual performance from your emotional state will infinitely increase your consistency and ability to reach this state of focus.
The moment you mentioned osu i was like "Oh yeah, osu!" Thinking back that's for sure the one activity where it would trigger often. Felt like the biggest badass whenever it happened as well.
I think arcade like games are really good at triggering it since they are hyper focused and require perfect execution if you're chasing top score. (rhythm games, racing games like TrackMania, bullet hell etc.)
once you've played long enough you can talk while playing the game
@SharkTank that hurted my feelings
@SharkTank maybe... thanks for your opinion sharktank
@SharkTank, have you considered the fact that you, replying "SHUT UP" to every single comment on this thread might be indicative of a problem?
With you?
I guess not...
Finally, SoloQ is coming back
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
"Thank you guys for being awesome"
Nah...Thank YOU for making our days better with your videos and live streams :)
"No constant teammate nagging you ...." : "AMIGO !"
When WarOwl started to talk about how non-toxic the comments section is, I sorted to comments by newest first and the top one was "you have a big forehead" lmao
Well, that's just the truth...
@SharkTank here you are again...
"Flow State"
otherwise known as *God Mode* , or *[insert pro player name here] mode*
*Inserts woxic*
whatever you do don't go in to the m0E mode....
ZywOo mode
NiKo mode as long as hes not IGLing :D
Ultra Instinct
Wow, been ages since the last Vsauce upload, didn't know he got into csgo.
I thought exactly the same
This happens every time i code or write an essay. This happens occasionally in rocket league, cs, and rust. Ive berm aware of flow state for a while and my friends thought i was just crazy haha. Its useful bc i have lyme disease and flow state reduces the headache pain.
Do you collaborate with others on your coding projects? I read that coding while in a flow state might actually make the code less readable because what seems easy to understand in flow state might actually include leaps in logic that are hard to follow for others.
DerDude87 honestly yea... after im done the project ill look back on it a couple days later and it takes me a bit to figure out how i replaced myself with a pro. I wrote my own packet monitoring tool with really advanced filtering algorithms with 15 hours straight of code...
UGE time flies when ur coding
Navillion fr dawg
Personally, I enter Flow State when i'm in a good mood and/or don't have anything else to do. When I know that I've done everything i need to do for the day and can just concentrate on playing. That's what helps me :)
Exactly! You feel complete and with that mentality you can enjoy the things you do without having to worry.
@@killerpker22 yes :)
Same
SAME
I don't exactly recall being in the zone before, at least when it comes to playing with friends, whenever I play with them, it's a lot harder to get into it and focus on just the game when you have friends that'll talk to you, I usually enter the zone whenever I'm playing games by myself, which are usually games on Roblox ( I have played Counter Strike before and haven't went into the zone on that as of writing this, so I can't really talk about it, ) the times I do is whenever I'm lets say too far into the enemy team's region on the map and have to try and get myself out of there without dying. Also congrats on having a really good comment section, hopefully it stays like that for the rest of your channel's lifespan.
sometimes, (tf2) I speedshot a little too far into enemy territory, so I near instantly after seeing the next enemy, I enter flow state........ like you do when you're a little too far behind as well. You don't focus on random things, like a tryhard scout spamming calls into vc anymore... you just... flow...
So you play counter blox
Dude in roblox all of the games I play have guns aka I have god aim with the right sensitivity, and if I concentrate
Error 404
Can't locate who tf asked
i was in the zone before hearing about this video. I got 40% more kills than my friend
I sometimes experience this when I'm studying. Especially when repeating things and reconsolidating memory. It just sort of happens but I noticed that when it does, my heart rate and breathing increases, I have to focus and try less, the information just automatically flows perfectly and you feel like you've transcended or something.
I didn't experience it for over half a year though because my university lectures and studying sessions were restructured because of the pandemic.
I feel like familiarity with your task plays a big part but also a familiar environment / mood / setting are necessary. As you've said, confidence and success are prerequisites aswell. You need to (maybe subconsciously) notice that you are doing really well, which increases your confidence and vice versa, putting you into a positive feedback loop.
You people study?
@@NikhilBlr University is not joke m8, atleast my department
Thank you so, so freaking very much! I've experienced flow state in the past but never searched about it and not knew it had a name. I heard about "the zone" and that was it. But I struggled for years to replicate that state of deep awareness and concentration, where time is meaningless and you feel like you have full control of what you are doing. I was beginning to give up, as if I'd never achieve that again. Thank you for giving it a name I can study.
That VSauce impression was spot on lmao
Also the Ksi reference
3 things Id like to adress:
1. You are a Gentleman. Thank for being who you are. This makes us comentators better persons as well.
2. You teach a lot about life through playing video games.. This what i understand because I can realate. This helped me through worrying times.
3. I experienced "the zone" while playing and at work. Where you at one point keep on going and going and after the game or workday you feel empty but happy because you achieved sth.
(Somehow I sometimes enter the flow with some alkcohol... ONLY while playing games not working ofc. But the perfect amount made me play perfect games of pool or CS. The few times I got called cheater where drunken rounds. If I drink to much it will not work also vice versa..)
Thank you once more for being awesome! See you in the next one!
"we have the best comment section of youtube"
some random guy: fek warowl
@SharkTank Umm... That was a Joke..
Unless you're just calling this guy as an idiot for no reason in particular, in which case, Have a Good Day!
Mihir Bhole
I think he's just being negative, he's been replying "SHUT UP" on multiple comments for a bit.
@SharkTank if only you knew what irony meant...
Pro tip: Don't be that guy.
fek warowl
@@ziwuri
he did the funny
I have this quite often making music. Quickly 6-10 hours pass, almost peeing my pants and haven't given eating a thought. The main thing stopping me to get into the flow state are uncontrollable factors like issues with my gear or software. So eliminating friction is absolutely the way to go. Make sure your setup is good and reliable and have some decent teammates.
I quieten my distractions by muting my friends on Discord when they get salty :)
Exactly! I recommend setting a key bind for muting audio in discord. Saved me from hundreds of deaths.
Well lets just say i wasnt expecting a Vsauce video about csgo but here we are.
It happens often to me when I'm coding (software development). In CS it happens usually when I get the AWP and I'm playing with friends I trust. It starts happening when I'm holding a pixel and getting kills which helps building confidence. I think it is a mix of skills + confidence/trust + environment.
i think what heavily triggers the flow state is a "daily routine" once you have a routine and you love doing what you are doing its easier to get in the flow state. for me it was early morning jog that triggered the state for over 2 months consistently and then when i broke that routine things got messy , the tasks that i was easily able to within 2 hours , started to feel "boring" and i just couldn't finish what i started , thanks for making this video this is the thing i needed to start my early morning jogs again!!!
Nutrition, Exercise and fasting may the most important things anyone can do to improve any aspect of their intentions
You lose your groove when you notice you're in it
just never pay attention and hope to god it works
That’s ok as long as you can get it back easily
I don't. I've been able to magnify its effects on more than a few occasions.
this isn't true, its the same as how once u notice a placebo it still happens
you only lose it if you are afraid to lose it. Trying so hard not to lose it that you actually stop beeing in the flow state.
I’m a professional kick-boxer,
I enter flow state during my fights and sparring. It’s such an important aspect to any part of life, especially kickboxing. It allows me to throw punches and kicks without knowing I’m throwing them, I see an opening and expect my kick/ punch to be there.
I didn’t know you could enter flow playing video games but here we are.
Entered the flow state on a faceit game, the map is nuke, my team was losing 4 to 11, i said, "we need to clutch up" entered the flow, it went to overtime, won 19-15, the trick is just to let go of everthing, and focus on that one thing, clear your mind from everything, just think about winning
WarOwl : "Flow state"
Me as an intellectual: "ULTRA INSTINCT"
*O.o so many likes thx*
Wor
@@eraserman6463 WorOwl*
@@eraserman6463 oh shit yea
i thought it was just me
Unliked
Back in January I had entered this "flow state" when playing CS for like 2 weeks straight whenever I played and only lost like 2 matches playing like 3 or 4 matches a day during that time. Don't know how I did it but I want it again.
Me too in the quarantine, went from level 1 faceit to level 5 in a rush, stopped playing regularly, went back to level 3 xD but good times, a lot of clutches I would lose today
4:46 It was at this moment that he knew... this doesnt seem to apply on him!
As a musician watching this video I just now realised that I've been in flow state many times. When doing rehearsals(or however the fuck you spell that) I would often be able to play for hours on hours and while other people would get tired or want a break and I would just sit there waiting to play again. One time my teacher said I was a freak for just always being ready to practice. The problem is I hardly ever achieve it when playing music on my own, I think that because when you play in a band you can't stop and critique yourself because the song keeps going, never waits for you.
Whenever I get into flow state my teammates just think I'm high and vote kick me
I was looking for a comment like this lmao
lol
"Hey WarOwl, Warren here" made me laugh so much
Your standards are quite low
@@shreyasrao6515 And your grammar is quite weak aswell.
@@Z3r0-Ski11z Typed too fast I guess
there's literally no standards for laughing ignore this loser
I think that flow is just when you have complete control over your emotions. In tricking, there is a lot of mental barriers (cause yes, sending a backflip or a cork for the first time is scary). Personally, I'm doing the start of the trick over and over while visualising the end in my head, and the more I do it, the more I'm focused on the trick itself, so much that I forgot that I'm scared and go like "f**k it, I know how to do it" and just send it (that's also why mastery of the skill is kinda required). That's flow state. (I also found out that for me, it's much
easier to enter the Zone while I'm really tired cause I can't focus on 2 things anymore anyway, but obviously, this tips is more useful for cs than tricking)
*sorry if my english is not perfect and greetings from France !*
Im so happy he made a video on flow state. Ive had it several times competing in rl and sports and even ca sometimes. You just feel this god like control and nothin matters. Your just vibin. I wanted to say my best tip for entering slow state is turning off that self critic voice. "Ah i should do this better" or "that better ". The person just gets in the way
It's a mix between not caring at all and caring enough.
I've experienced this in the gym. It was a certain workout that just made me hit PR's in almost every exercise. What made me "click" into Flow that day (or I suppose it was this) was my lack of good performance the prior week. It's normal to have a bad workout, but for me it was a whole week. So this particular workout I felt like I could lift the world (I wish lol). So I guess lack of motivation can get you a spike of motivation and make you enter "Flow".
I have similar experiences like this. One week I struggle to put any weight up and the next week I'm going hard. It happens with CS too, last week I'm destroying people and then this week I feel like I'm silver 1. Maybe it's because the bad week we needed motivation because we sucked and the motivation just had a week delay lol.
Physical activity relates a bit differently. I'm no expert in biology but it sound more like adrenaline or something similar being released to overcome a known challenge or to push past something more like runners high. Could have been flow but it's difficult to compare without solid data. Pretty similar outcomes either way though so does it really matter?
1st time - Time playing high school rivals. Blocking shots, stealing passes, reading plays before anyone else.
2nd time - My first trip to the Bellagio buffet in Vegas
After this video, I was alone at night playing CS like any other normal person. I admit, im a noob, but i started to enter flow state whilst being a T on dust. My grenades were accurate, and my recoil control was on point. Thank you war owl.
The only time I can truly remember entering flow state is when I came back to tie a MM game when we were down 13-2 going into Mirage T-side. I knew I had to pop off in order for us to win, and that's what I did. I aced on pistol round and entered the flow state. Even watching the demo over (I have the url if anyone wants to see) I visibly saw myself instantly improve. I nailed the galil spray that I was notorious to whiff and won multiple 1v2+ clutches.
For me, the only way I enter flow state is if I tilt so hard I reset, or if I'm in a dire situation that needs a comeback. Thankfully, the stars aligned and I managed to pull it back to a tie.
Edit: I lied. I entered a pseudo-flow state just a few days ago. I was messing around with my friends in mm and 16-1d someone. The only reason I can tell I was in flow state is from how I remember comms interactions and how I played not caring about anyone else. I played as aggro as possible, and as the game went on, I went more and more zen until I reached a complete flow state. The reason I call it a pseudo flow state is because I still wasn't playing at full capacity; I have done way better than this even without the flow state I was in. That being said, it felt like I was in the zone. Playing with complete calmness, not at full potential. I have the demo for this too if anyone wants to see the slow improvement throughout the game.
Yes please sir 🙋🏻♂️ both of them 😄
I remember very specifically when I entered the zone. It was only for a moment but it was amazing.
It was during a team handball league game. I played on the team with the worst record. We lost each week. But one particular game against the top team, either because we were finally clicking or the opposing team was just slacking, we were tied with a few seconds left before half time. They had just scored to tie it up and I saw the other team slowly resetting back to their side. We did a quick throw in from center, I took the pass and charged up court as fast as I could, got to the 9 meter line and jumped.
Let me pause here for a second (because that's where I felt time pause as well). I am not a fit person, I have been very overweight almost my entire life. Team handball is a great sport though in that you could play vital positions regardless of your fitness, yet it still made you run like heck. I played for 16 years prior so I knew all the theory and the drills, coached a bit, etc. Lately I was trying new things and just trying to play less stressful and enjoy it more. Losing a lot of games does that to you, just takes longer then winning all your games :).
But the moment I jumped time stopped. I hung in the air. I could see the defender moving slowly below me, the goalie moving to where he thought I would shoot, and the rest of the net was a huge gaping area. I shot right where I needed and watched the ball slowly reach the back of the net. When I landed time sped back up, the horn sounded to end the half, and the ref whistled the goal good. We were LEADING going into the second half for the first time in whenever. The other team's coach was furious that they let us get ahead, and I was getting cheered going back to the bench.
Then I heard a comment that makes this whole event stick in my brain. Someone on the other team said "wow, I guess he really can play".
I think you are spot on about mindfulness, fitness, distractions, etc. I think it's also reminding yourself that you do know your stuff, and letting go of expectations.
@SharkTank You absolutely serve no purpose in the comments section
@SharkTank no u
@@cafe5231 you got that right.
Great story
I entered flow about two days ago, at my friend's house playing csgo, It was for about 12 hours(while sleeping), I
had full control of me, no distractions, I was a beast, hitting shots I would've never had, I could concentrate on anything I wanted to. It wasn't the first one tho. it's pretty nice since it's hard for me to concentrate on certain tasks.
How exactly did you enter the flow while sleeping and more importantly how did you know that's when you entered it?
Definitely not my first time entering Flow State, but the longest time I've been on it was both during a local CS1.6 and League of Legends tournament at college (I'm a member for both of my section's team and I'm just randomly drafted and wasn't even originally part of the roster because they saw me playing at an internet cafe and decided that I was good enough, and I was actually intentionally and actively hiding from them) and during a P.E. class where we were playing dodge ball. At some time that day, I've reached "that point" where I'm just so tired that I literally can't feel exhaustion anymore. I feel like I've broken a set of invisible shackles that have been holding me down, literally. I just don't feel like I'm running out of gas any time soon, I just wanna keep going, and going, and going, until come what may, unless I stop doing whatever I am doing.
During both events, everything I do became proactive, and often, contrary to how I usually function as a person by default, thought now only comes secondary to decisive action. Everything I do was instant, but not reckless. Unconventional, but deliberate. Invested, but not attached. During the local tournaments, I had to act both as our team's coach, the captain, and one of the members, because our team was literally just formed within a day and apparently, I was the "most experienced" out of us all when it comes to FPS games, and we didn't have enough time to prepare as a team. Suffice to say, we won the CS1.6 tournament regardless and almost won the League tournament. Suffice to say, I only felt every pain of hunger, exhaustion, and stress that I didn't know was accumulating throughout the day when I came home and lay down on my back to try and rest.
HEY GUYS WE MUST BULLY WAR OWL QUICKLY BEFORE HE GROWS TO LOVE HIS AUDIENCE!!
I think I got the flow on CS sometimes. All of the clutches I had were because of flow. And my clutch fails were because my inner thoghts had broken the flow.
"The Zone" which i just entered my last game in mirage in a solo que.
I had a Tek-9 while all my teammates and opponents had a full buy i was just frustrated of my teammates and stopped giving them calls just after the 3rd round.
I didn't knew what I was doing but with that Tek-9 i got 2 Aces in a row and won that game.
Thankyou WarOwl i am Rachit from India and i love watching your videos ❤
Man of culture me from India too
Thank you for the insight, WarOwl! I believe I entered flow-state yesterday while I was raiding AQ40 on classic wow. I just focused on doing my job, making sure I didn't do anything stupid, and hitting my abilities to the best... of my ability.