Blue Lock: flow state, description

Key Takeaways

• The flow state of football requires challenging work to achieve excellence.
• Jinpachi Ego emphasizes immersion for optimal performance.
• Blue Lock's players demonstrate the power of the flow state.

Jinpachi Ego's Blue Lock project is an ambitious mission to develop the world's best strikers to help Japan lift its first ever soccer World Cup. Players of such caliber can only be fostered by providing a highly competitive environment in which they hone their skills and achieve superhuman levels of creativity and instinct.

Perhaps the most important prerequisite to becoming the best in the world is to consciously enter a flow state to push your limits. But what exactly is it? In this article, we look at the origins of the idea and understand its impact on players who dream of becoming the best strikers in the world.

What is a flow state?

The Origin of Ideas and the Art of Effortless Attention

A state of flow is a mental state in which an individual is fully immersed in an experience and receives immediate gratification from the activity itself. Upon reaching this state, a person experiences a distortion of heightened temporal experience through effortless attention. However, don't make the mistake of confusing flow state with hyperfocus. The former is primarily used to describe positive and engaging experiences, while the latter is referred to in the context of neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders.

Hungarian-American psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi is recognized for his pioneering research on flow states and is widely recognized for his contributions to positive psychology. His interest in flow states was sparked by the ability of artists to easily become absorbed in their work. He noted that people in this state become so absorbed in the task at hand that they even give up their physiological needs and find satisfaction through total devotion to the experience.

Mihaly's fascination with this phenomenon laid the foundation for understanding peak experiences, motivation and engagement. The study of flow states became popular in the 1980s and 1990s. After extensive research, it is now well established that flow states have several characteristics. Trapped individuals undergo autotelic experiences that involve distortions of temporal experience, loss of contemplative self-consciousness, effortless attention to the present moment, agency over the self, and integration of action and perception.

Although it is accessible to everyone, few individuals experience a flow state. The inconsistency lies in the fact that achieving fixation requires a cognitively difficult task that is neither overwhelming nor overwhelming. Even when ideal conditions are in place, an individual's temperament and drive play a large role in determining whether or not a state of flow is achieved. However, it has been observed that individuals who are able to enter a flow state at will are able to live more satisfying lives.

Blue Lock's Flow State

• Chapter 28, 'Super Special', first used in comics
• First use in animation: Episode 8, titled “Awakening”
• Notable Users: Nagi, Bachira, Isagi, Gagamaru, and Rin Itoshi

Jinpachi's understanding of the ego's flow state is not much different from the traditional concept. He describes it as a trance-like state in which the player becomes immersed in the game and achieves the tricky synchronization of mind and body. Ego believes that individuals can excel when they take on tasks that are challenging enough to give them their best. These opportunities are critical to developing a player's game and reaching the next level. Jinpachi argues that while this may seem like a miracle from an observer's perspective, technically it is about unlocking the player's latent potential.

According to Ego, there is a way to achieve a state of flow. He argues that being locked in is linked to one's ego and requires complete immersion in the game. Only an individual who has escaped the passive, ecstatic state of mindless indulgence can hope to reach this far. When players finally overcome these negative tendencies and achieve mind-body synchronization, they will perform at optimal levels, pushing their limits and achieving new heights in the game.

However, Jinpachi warns that in modern society it is extremely difficult to enter a flow state. He points out that people today are inundated with information and entertainment from numerous sources. When people become engrossed in such meaningless entertainment, they sometimes fall into ecstasy. But unlike the flow state, which allows individuals to evolve and transcend past limitations, this passive, ecstatic state leads to mediocrity. The ego appears to imply the risk of complacency and loss of potential triggered by indulging in superficial experiences. Although Jinpachi does not say it directly, his explanation strongly suggests that the achievement of a football genius depends on the player's potential to consciously engage on the pitch.

Blue Lock has some talented football players who have proven that achieving flow state is within the reach of players of their stature. They also showed how it can lead to sudden and dramatic evolution that is difficult to keep up with. Bachira unintentionally came into the week during the first round of selection and delivered an effortless triple nutmeg, breaking through the opposition's defense and leaving some of the country's most talented footballers scratching their heads. Although this was a first experience for players at Blue Lock, it was not the only one.

Self-consciousness is the greatest obstacle to the proper execution of any physical activity.

Nagi Seishiro also achieved flow state in a high-pressure game against Rin's Team Red. He attempted a two-step fake volley and scored a goal that shocked everyone. Even Nagi couldn't explain the near-miraculous shot at the time, and only Jinpachi realized that he had reached a state of flow, albeit briefly.

In the Neo Egoist League Arc, Nagi went one step further and scored what many described as the goal of the century. He did it by performing a 5-shot revolver fake volley, which was only possible by entering the flow state. Players like Isagi Yoichi, Gagamaru, and Rin also show glimpses of greatness, utilizing flow states beautifully in the game. One could argue that to become the best striker in the world, players must consciously master a state of flow that allows them to surpass their skills and perform at superhuman levels.