So I was doing some extra-curricular reading- kinda for school, kinda not. Anyways, I came across this guy, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. Hailing from Hungary, he was a prisoner in WWII that because of all the trauma and grievous things he saw, he pursued an education in psychology and a career in the pursuit of happiness. He has become known as the “Father of Flow.”
You may already see why I chose to go down this rabbit hole.
I read this quote from Csikszentmihalyi:
“The best moments in our lives are not the passive, receptive, relaxing times . . . The best moments usually occur if a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile”
Believe it or not, he’s talking about the ‘flow state.’
See, I always understood that the word ‘flow’ had this soft, floaty, and smooth connotation to it. That flow rolls were to be light and almost in a constant motion. You know, flowy.
Another way I’ve heard the word used in the Jiu-Jitsu world is a flow as a practice. It kinda reminds me of the kadas and forms of my traditional martial arts days. But it was a flow from one position, through a series of events, to an ending point. A teaching/drilling tool to help us see how all these Jiu-Jitsu techniques we were learning can flow together.
And I like ‘em both.
But now, coming across Csikszentmihalyi’s definition of flow, I like it even more. According to Csikszentmihalyi there is much more to this thing called ‘flow.’
To achieve Csikszentmihalyi’s flow, one must be completely focused on the task at hand. I don’t know about you, but when I’m rolling I am rarely unfocused. Even if I’m having a more flighty day, when it’s time to roll, there’s usually not much else on my mind. Next, there must be a certain clarity in the goal(s), a reward in mind and immediate feedback. In a roll, even at an earlier beginner level you can set pretty clear goals. Don’t get stuck in a bottom position. Find a submission during this round. Finish with a specific submission. The goals can be specific or vague, but there can be a clear goal if you set it. The reward and feedback come at the timer or the tap of the hand. So far, all the elements of Csikszentmihalyi’s flow state are there in Jiu-Jitsu sparring.
The next element of flow is the transformation of time, or in other words time feels like it is speeding up and/or slowing down. I feel like I don’t need to say much. We’ve all had those rolls where the clock never seems to move. I’ve had rolls where we realized we’ve rolled for over 20 minutes. Transformation of time, check. The experience must also be intrinsically rewarding. Again, in other words the experience itself must be rewarding. If you’ve practiced Jiu-Jitsu longer than 15 seconds, then you’ve probably heard the quote about no losing, only learning in Jiu-Jitsu. So, win or lose, a roll is rewarding.
To experience flow, Csikszentmihalyi says you must experience effortlessness and ease. This reaches back to my first understanding of a flow roll. Where the roll just seems effortless and you are just… flowing. But what may seem like a dichotomy to the effortlessness and ease, there must be a balance between challenge and skill. Need I expand on how a roll is a balance of challenge and skill?
Finally, there must be a feeling of control. Now, sometimes a roll can feel a little out of control. I was actually recently rolling with a newer white belt, and boy, were they spazzy. It made me really focus on control. I remember at one point, we ended up where I was in a side control, but low on his hips. I remember thinking to myself, “Control the hips and wait to move.” So I did. I locked down his hips and he flailed around a bit. After a short while, he changed his tactic which opened up the opportunity for me to move up, controlling his chest and shoulders and ultimately his head which led to him panicking right into a submission. But it all started with gaining control in a chaotic circumstance.
Anyways, back to Csikszentmihalyi’s flow. I think now, after coming across his definition I may change how I approach or view the “flow roll.” Really focusing on those things Csikszentmihalyi describes flow as. Really, the two concepts that at first I thought didn’t sound like they worked with a Jiu-Jitsu flow were the balance between challenge and skill and the feeling of control, but honestly, why wouldn’t those be a focus in a flow roll?
Professor Jeanne Nakamura said this about flow:
“Inducing flow is about the balance between the level of skill and the size of the challenge at hand.”
So if you boil it down, flow is much more about balance than it is about motion or fluidity. It’s about balance between the task and the outside distractions. Between goals and rewards. Balance of time. Balancing effortlessness and ease with challenge and skill. The balance between chaos and control. But “balance rolls” sounds dumb. “Flow rolls” sounds much better.
I honestly have that feeling that I have stumbled across something that has nothing directly to do with Jiu-Jitsu that is going to end up improving my game in drastic ways. And I’m pretty excited for that.
Do you have any non-Jiu-Jitsu concepts or principles that you’ve applied to your Jiu-Jitsu game?
Let me know in the comments or on Instagram.
Thanks for reading.
Resources:
Mike Oppland, B. (2023, March 9). 8 traits of flow according to Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. PositivePsychology.com. https://positivepsychology.com/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi-father-of-flow/#flow-types-characteristics
Thinking Through Jiu-Jitsu 