THE DIFFERENCE

Roaring crowds, the tension in the air, and the smell of the pitch all lead up to the show for professional footballers. However, their ability to perform consistently at the highest level separates an elite player from a good one. 
Pressure, scrutiny and expectation are a mix many struggle to deal with. Yet, it's a mental mastery that goes beyond physical strength and skill, deeply rooted in an elusive concept called the Flow State. Where everything seems to fall into place seamlessly, the mind and body in perfect sync, entirely immersed in the task at hand. 

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FLOWCESS

Within our [football4football] research of optimal practices and methods the footballing elite uses, the most diverse and contested area is a player's 'mentality'. Flow Sport aims to simplify this and, more importantly, address an overlooked aspect, the 'first cause' of it. 

 
Colin Stevenson is an expert in Flowcess, a much-researched approach developed by Flowcess LLC, an American technology and consulting company pioneering the only non-contradictory [not involving, causing, or being a contradiction] model for the mind and brain available. They want Flowcess to be your unique process for flow. 

SUPPORTING PSYCHOLOGISTS

The outcome of this is an approach that works collectively with all stakeholders at a football club. The management, backroom team and, of course, the players. Within the pro game, sports psychologists have become the new norm. However, there is still a complementary asset that can enhance this service given to footballers. 

The modern game sees the transfer of individuals from club to club. So naturally, the engagement process for backroom staff will be to deal with what's in front of them. This is typical for the strength and conditioning coach, nutritionists and, if engaged, the club psych. Now, psychologists are usually adopted when things are going wrong. 

But, in the majority of cases, they are reactive. Proactive principles promote personal performance. The elite strives for consistency; the search is to tap into FLOW. Stevenson and the FlowSport team believe identifying an individual's uniqueness is vital for flow to be obtained. 

TAPPING INTO FLOW

When football4football has spoken to winners of the Champions League or multiple Premier League winners, they invariably have a sense of autonomy. They can just do. Things are done freely, without thought or fear. However, getting them to explain how a goal was scored, a pass was made, or a final won, they struggle to explain with detail - "it just flowed". Great when it happens, but not so great if you're elite and just leaving top-level performances to chance. Yes, preparation is needed, eating the right things, hydrating correctly, and technical and tactical drills in the bag, but where's your mind? 

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Flowcess remaps a person's make-up to establish a 'first cause'. Every player has individual traits that display their character. Flow Sport sees the character as an outcome of something. Their unique Flowcess method zero's into the why, when, and what; the result is now this. 

 
For Colin, it's a simple solution: We can give them [a football club's sports psychologist] the information to say this is why they've perceived a situation like this; now, go do your job.

GUARDIOLA: Individual adaptation for individual reaction

The best football coaches have the common ability to individually manage a playing staff. Knowing what triggers a footballer as a person increases the chance of them reacting in the desired way in any playing situation. 

That understanding doesn't just come from seeing what's in front of them but understanding what's gone before them. Who am I dealing with? Where are they from? What have they experienced? How do they want me to connect with them?

From what we've found, FlowSport has a toolkit to get to this point quickly, and that can be utilised by all within the football environment.