Sport

What has made Australia the champion of champions? Simple. The Aussies seem to have achieved the "flow" experience -- which is very similar to "being in the zone" in athletics, or creative pursuits.

You know it, don't you? It is a straightforward theme with a profound manifestation. It means just this: when you are in the zone, you are achieving peak performance, mainly because your level of concentration is so total, even complete. And, when the flow takes place, things go just right. You also feel alive, vibrant, and fully attentive to what you are doing. You just do it -- and, achieve!

The notion of power "sport" as an avenue of supremacy is not at all new. It figures in Plato's Socratic Dialogues.

However, the fundamental nature of the idea, by itself, was quite a disparaging proposition, until recently. Not any more. Because, in today's world -- more so, in popular sport, where commercial interests have given the "grip" to a radically restructured, sponsorship 'medley,' cricket has not gone a step behind -- it has only cantered ahead. Magnificently. So much so, the flannelled game has been, in recent years, a much sought-after reward of economic life. In other words, it is a rainbow synthesis of primacy and glory -- of something that is not tantamount to just luminosity alone. It is, in more ways than one, clearly a giant step along the path of grandeur and supreme achievement.

No one illustrates such a cricketing context better than the indisputable title-holders of the game today -- Australia.

Cricket, for long, has been an enterprise beyond "just sport" Down Under. From the days of Charles Bannerman, the first-ever opener in Test cricket, who went on to score the first-ever hundred just as well. Or, through the halcyon days of a Victor Trumper, or C G McCartney. You name them, and you have a plethora of great names down the ages. From Sir Don Bradman to Ricky Ponting.

You may well say that we are biased -- because, we have highlighted some of the greats who were essentially batsmen. Hold your breath. Yes, Australia has produced a host of great bowlers -- in every genre of the department. From the greats of yore to the likes of Richie Benaud, not to speak of Dennis Lillee, Glenn McGrath to Shane "Magic" Warne. The list is endless.

So much for history.

What makes Australia a true giant in the modern game is its transformational power of urgency, a method of getting it right, and getting it done. Forget about "sledging," an Aussie "excellence." What drives players from Down Under is self-discipline -- you would not believe it. Self-discipline brings something special. It allows its practitioner to have more fun and get more out of life, and also cricket. It also works on a simple premise. The self-disciplined cricketer experiences intense pride as his evolution and hard work become the flagship for the team as one unit -- a way of life out there on the playing arena.

The Aussies under Mark Taylor, Steve Waugh, and now Ponting, in recent times, have all bestowed heavy involvement in the game -- they have invested their best and made possible greater joy of achievement and long-lasting moments of honour and glory. In addition, Ponting's men have also been able, like before, to achieve consistency because they often experience what is called as "flow" by psychologists. Flow is total absorption in what you are doing at any given time -- Rahul Dravid has that inherent, powerful streak in him too, on this side of the Suez.

The Aussies also tick because they concentrate so fully that the task on hand is actually their only concern, or reality, of the moment -- call it present-moment reality, or what you may… The advantage of playing the game, hard and square, has brought, and continues to bring them many happy returns too -- including a joyful fare at the stakes and excellence in word and deed.

Australian cricketers, if you'd notice in depth, integrate wholesome thoughts on the purpose of achieving the flow experience -- their intensity is strong and purposeful. They are clear about their perceptions -- a wonderful by-product, again, of a disciplined, even if "regimentalised," game plan.

You could broad-base their stunning cricketing chemistry in the form of a pyramid -- by way of attributes that go to make go-getters real go-getters.

• A sense of mission. Australian players have always had a sense of mission. They have worked hard for a broader purpose. In the process, they have motivated themselves and others.
• Concern about results and process. Players from Down Under are keyed to doing their best; they want to achieve outstanding results. They have set high goals; and, they have been consistent in their resolve
  

• Mental and physical calmness. Think this writer is joking? No way! Not that the Aussies are not volatile; they certainly are. But, we need to accept grudgingly the fact that Ponting's men have often displayed their mental and physical calmness by the way they go about their work on the field. They are focused on the task; at the same time, they are at ease. Once out there in the middle, they don't care a damn for distractions, or mental static.
  

• Great skill for concentration. Thanks to their mental and physical composure, the Aussies have developed the ability to do what is, indeed, necessary to achieve peak performance. In other words, to concentrate intently.
  

• Sensory acuity. The Aussie urge for mental and physical calm has sure gone a long way. It has assisted them to perform at their peak -- more so, by sensing and responding to needs, even when the requirement is immediate. Or, when there is a sudden call for a change of strategy.
  

• Result-oriented approach. The Aussies have produced meaningful results, because they have based their vision on a meaningful enterprise, which is not "flagged" by diversions.
  

• Correcting the course when needed. The Aussies have made it their preserve to stick to a course, or modify it when they have gone off-course in the heat of the moment… especially, in a tight match situation.
  

• Self-management and self-mastery. The players from Down Under have also practiced self-leadership, and achieved results without much prodding from their coach.

The Aussies seem to often achieve the flow experience -- which is very similar to "being in the zone" in athletics, or creative pursuits. You know it, don't you? It is a simple idea with a profound manifestation. It means just this: when you are in the zone, you are achieving peak performance, mainly because your level of concentration is so total, even complete. And, when the flow takes place, things go just right -- not otherwise. You also feel alive, animated, and fully attentive to what you are doing.

Some of the common features of the flow experience are -- high challenge, clear goals, focus on psychic energy and attention, not to speak of continuous feedback. Paradoxically, there's also a loss of self-consciousness. You are not really concerned with yourself -- at that moment. You just belong to it. This is also one reason why most of Ponting's men who experience the flow feeling are often well-motivated, irrespective of status, prestige, or pay-packet, or perks, associated with their job.

The importance of being with the flow, however, needn't be over-emphasised. Because, a person who is experiencing the flow feeling doesn't stop and think as to what is happening. In this case, an Aussie player often accepts that his precise actions are taking place naturally, even automatically, without any conscious control on his part. It's almost a feeling that you get when reading a book. You are totally absorbed. You don't even realise that you are turning the pages of the volume in hand, because your fingers do the chore for you.

The flow experience is not "easy-come, easy-go." However, Ponting's men have incorporated a few essential guidelines. Here goes -- firstly, they have set an overall goal, as maybe realistically feasible, including many sub-goals. Secondly, they have found the means of evaluating progress in terms of the goals chosen, and never ever relaxed their focus on what they are doing. Thirdly, they have always concentrated with the flow, and developed skills necessary to capitalise on the opportunities available.

The Aussie side sure does not have a Sachin Tendulkar or Brian Lara. But, Team Australia has a well-moulded, finely tuned, if not synthesised, framework -- a team that thinks as one. This is its greatest strength -- one that you'd not necessarily relate to individual, or personal, milestones, if not records…

There is also something that more than meets the flow experience. The Aussies seem to have mastered it, lock, stock, and barrel. Realistically speaking, the flow experience isn't enough for every time peak performance. It also has something to do with mental toughness -- the ability to call upon one's talents and skills on demand, in any situation.

The Aussies are mentally tough. Hence, they are resilient and self-disciplined. They can stand up to competitive pressures. In psychological terms, mental toughness involves a functional state of arousal that allows the mind and body to reach their full potential -- or, what is often referred to as ideal performance state. When you reach this state, you feel relaxed, energised, alert, and also confident. You also attain a high level of concentration.

How have the Aussies developed mental toughness -- to stay on track for so long? Here goes: they have a sense of getting it right through physical exercise. Though they may not have developed good sleeping habits, they really know how to take power "naps," before accepting a challenge; they joke frequently, they put up a good show, they carefully monitor their progress, and attend to weaknesses through video aids and "teaching" programmes -- not always in the "classroom," but on the field of play.

All in all -- they also believe in strength of mind and will as a way of their existence in cricket. Their motive is proof enough. Self-will gives you the power to transform otherwise ordinary experiences into moments of pleasure and enjoyment. More so, because the purpose of doing your job well enables you to achieve goals on the cricket field and also stretch your capability which may have otherwise eluded your reach.

In other words, this is what that has made Ponting's men winners in every aspect of the game. Not that they are invincible -- they are beatable, if you just do what they do better.

This is champion stuff for you.