Flow in Sport: A Study of College Athletes

Abstract

The study investigated how the flow state is experienced by college athletes. Sixteen NCÁ Division I college athletes, representing both individual and team sports, participated in the study. A phenomenological method was used in capturing the subjective experiences of participants in the flow state. There was a central focus on which factors athletes perceived as being most important for facilitating entry into the flow state, which factors are perceived as preventing/disrupting flow, and which are involved in reinstating flow. The study also attempted to determine which factors athletes perceived as having volitional control. Finally, the study examined the temporal proximity, as phenomenologically determined, between flow and body sensations reported during peak performance episodes. Results indicated that having limited or no cognitive conscious thought process was the most salient characteristic of describing the flow state. Most athletes described experiencing some form of body sensation during the flow state.