In the Zone

Have you ever experienced being 'in the zone'? Perhaps this is most applicable to sports but I'm sure it occurs elsewhere, too. You experience a period where you don't have to 'try' or even think, you simply 'do' and spectacular results come naturally.

I experience this very rarely but it happened yesterday playing tennis. For a good few games I simply couldn't miss. Every shot I hit seemed destined to land in, if not be a winner. The timing of my strokes seemed perfect no matter what shot I hit. My friends stood in awe, but so did I. It was fantastic.

Typically, after a while I started thinking about how long it would last and then I started feeling a slight pang of hunger. Once you doubt yourself, it's all over. I hit three returns into the net and returned to a normal level of play.

I once heard a professional player, Agassi I believe, describing a match where everything went right. He described the ball as if it were the size of a basketball! Was this a similar experience as I had, albeit at a very amateur level?

What is being in the zone? I'd hazard a guess that it happens when you are relaxed and let your 'muscle memory' from practice take over, as if you are on auto pilot. Wouldn't it be great if it happened more often?