The Optimal Energy Zone
Getting into the Optimal Energy Zone
Has anyone ever told you to “get in the zone” and you have no idea what they’re talking about? Well, perhaps I can shed some light on that in this short article.
One of the first things I like to introduce to new athletes that I work with is called the Optimal Energy Zone. The “OEZ” as I’ll call it is just as it sounds, the mental state that sets you up for a top performance. You will notice there are two axis on the graph below. First, performance and second, arousal, or for our sake, we’ll call it, nerves.
On the far left at the beginning of the bell curve the arousal/nerves are almost non-existent, as is the performance. This represents apathy or a “go ahead and try to peel me off the couch” mentality. It would be difficult to have a good ski race performance if nerves were almost non-existent.
On the far right side of the bell curve the nerves are high but once again, the performance is almost non-existent. This zone would represent the opposite of apathy and sitting on the couch. Instead, there are so manynerves here that it represents a near panic attack. Once again, the athlete is unable to perform.
What lies in between is the Optimal Energy Zone or just the right amountof nerves to bring out your best performance. It’s important to know that the OEZ is different for everyone, it is dynamic. Some people perform best when they are relaxed. In comparison, one of my friends growing up would purposely almost miss her start because she thrived on adrenaline and a large amount of nerves to ski her fastest.
I would like to invite you to consider the OEZ in your personal context. On a scale of 1-10, how many nerves do you need for your top performance? If, for example you think you need to be fairly relaxed for top performance maybe your OEZ would be a 3 or 4. If you’re an adrenaline junkie, perhaps your top performance state would be a 7 or 8. Or, perhaps your best races fall right in the middle of the spectrum, as the graph above shows.
The first step is to know what your OEZ number/range is. The second step is to think about what mental state you usually find yourself in when you toe the start line. If you’re having trouble attaining your top performance chances are there is a discrepancy between your ideal OEZ and the reality of your mental state at the start line.
If you perform best relaxed, at a two, but you usually toe the line as an anxious mess, at an eight, then you need to learn some relaxation techniques to get you to your personal OEZ number. Conversely, if you perform the best amped up and charged, at a nine, but you usually toe the line feeling sloth-like then you need to learn some techniques to fire you up!
In upcoming articles I will describe some techniques for both scenarios. Until then, happy skiing!