by Dr. Donald L. Green, 28 March 2022
“The Question is not what you look at, but what you see” – Henry David Thoreau
Like any skilled activity, RiderCoaches and Motorcyclists who intend to do something well will attempt to achieve a state of “flow” by focusing their attention on a point where concentration becomes almost a zen-like experience. A recent study emphasizes Moto GP riders by highlighting such a focus because their eyes blink less than an average person’s. The state of flow they achieve is so intense they can look longer without the disruption of having their eyes close because of the millisecond of trouble it can cause of a visual nature. Flow signals meet an intense concentration where everything else surrounding the moment is no longer a distraction. Not everyone reaches this stage of commitment or effort. It correlates best with Charlotte Danielson’s (2007) definition of excellence, a place sometimes visited but rarely a place where we stay exceptionally long.
Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (2013) first described the flow state in the 1980s as a zone where someone can feel at one with the activity during the moment. During these periods, time seems to disappear because skill and challenge mold together, creating a perfect synthesis of action and effort – neither too difficult nor too easy.
A flow state is considered a somewhat predictable nirvana among athletes, artists, artisans, and musicians, where a high focus is sought and achieved. But to be fair, we must look at another aspect of flow where being ultra-focused could put the motorcyclist or RiderCoach at risk through target fixation. If the flow state allows accepting all information in the surroundings, achieving flow is desirable. If the information is ignored through target fixation, it can create the opposite outcome of increased risk.
The higher risk is best demonstrated in The Invisible Gorilla’s book with a companion video called The Monkey Business Illusion. Christopher Chabris and Daniel Simons (2010) explored how perception, attention, memory, and reasoning are faulty, emphasizing using crashes on motorcycles as an example. The eyes and mind do not see everything within the field of view. Without a very practiced strategy or achieving excellence like operating in a natural flow state, it is possible to miss the multiple hazards riders are exposed to during instruction. What could be worse than a RiderCoach distracted and students expecting a safe environment?
Consider a seasoned RiderCoach observing and analyzing student behavior during a RiderCourse. Previous experiences can help predict student missteps, foreshadowing incidents, or harming other students. Predictions based on knowledge and experiences can allow coaching before incidents happen, maintaining the safe environment necessary for learning. Focusing on inappropriate or biased information during the same scenario could let potential hazards go unnoticed, eventually causing incidents.
For students or motorcyclists on the street, having more driving and riding experiences to draw from is crucial and a primary reason for taking educational courses before attempting to embark on congested roadways. Without formal training, motorcyclists must rely on other experiences like driving a car or riding a bicycle, neither of which are entirely transferable to powered vehicles balancing on two or three wheels. If the experiences have relevance, chances of better learning happen. If former practices do not, the outcomes could be less than favorable.
RiderCoaches have obligations to students and the profession, seeking excellence while achieving a particular flow during instruction. The achievement of flow requires effort and commitment to gain more competence, continually develop character, and care for the students enough to put forth a reasonable effort. Research has shown flow states are synonymous with an intrinsic value, according to Kasser (2016). Those who ride or coach with ego-driven desires rarely achieve a positive flow state as the reward of the experience is nested in extrinsic value. The motivational passion for flow comes from believing in the work enough to display a real commitment to safety in practice, as demonstrated through training, action, and words.
See more at: www. Riderchoices.com
References:
Chabris, C & Simons, D. (2010). The invisible gorilla: And other ways our intuitions deceive us. New York: Crown.
Csikszentmihalyi, M (2013). Creativity: The power of discovery and invention. London: Harper.
Danielson, C. (2007). Enhancing professional practice: A framework for teaching (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: ASCD
Kasser, T. (2016). The materialistic values and goals. Annual Review of Psychology, 67, 489-514.
Simons, D. (2010, April 28). The monkey business illusion [YouTube Video]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/IGQmdoK_ZfY
