The Psychology of Baseball; Flow State of Pitching in Baseball
We have all heard people say they are “in the zone” whether they are relating it to business, sport, or even life. Though the phrase is commonly used, few actually understand what that truly means and the phenomenon it refers to. The phenomenon is the Flow Theory and the act of being in it is referred to as the Flow State first studied in the 1970s. In 1975 Hungarian American psychologist, Mihály Csíkszentmihályi, named it as the flow theory and was the preeminent psychologist who studied the topic, he is often referred to as “The Father of Flow.” Csíkszentmihályi went on to do all kinds of research with athletes leading to the publish but of his book, “Flow: The Psychology of optimal Experience”. Athletes such as Micheal Jordan and Serena Williams as well as whole teams like the 1993 Super Bowl Champs Dallas Cowboys have accredited the flow state and these lessons to their success.
What is the Flow State
In Csikszentmihalyi’s book he describes the flow theory as “A state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter; the experience is so enjoyable that people will continue to do it even at great cost, for the sheer sake of doing it.” You can see why in activities such as sports, getting into this state can really cause athletes to reach greatness in their games. In Rob Crew’s article in Complete Game he states what is going on from a neurological standpoint, “Your brain produces a potent cocktail of neurochemicals including dopamine, norepinephrine, endorphins, and anandamide. These chemicals enhance focus, pattern recognition, and physical performance—all crucial elements for success.” With the understanding of what is going on internally in the brain and the overarching process of how people feel reaching this state one can play better baseball.
Why is it important
Knowing and understanding the science behind the flow theory is important but it raises the question why we need it or why do athletes strive to use it. The reasoning is simple, it gives athletes a competitive advantage and allows them to perform at super high levels that in regular consciousness they can not obtain. In Swann’s article, Flow experience: Empirical research and applications, he states, “Through repeated empirical studies, an association between flow and peak performance, especially among elite athletes, has been found. The psychological benefits of flow include “enhanced well-being and self-concept”. Proving further that to be the best of the best in the elite category when must be able to reach the flow state. Athletes are constantly trying to reach this state to be in that zone but don’t exactly know what that feels like once you reach it and often times will be mistaken not quite reaching the flow state. As stated by Lindsey Hamiton who is the head mental performance coach at one of the top high schools in the country at IMG Academy, being in the flow state is described as, “Being in the eye of the storm…. you are calm internally, and everything feels quiet and it feels a bit slower, even while all the chaos is spinning around you”. When athletes start to feel like this, they know they have officially reached a flow state and the competition is in trouble because of their ability to hit peak performance goals with seemingly little effort.
Often when a pitcher throws a no-hitter or even a really good inning they will talk about being in the flow. Any pitching coach would love to have their pitchers in flow throughout their performance to optimize their teams chance of winning. Clearly, reaching this “state of being” is key but when does it turn on and off? Can a pitcher decide to be in the flow state, or could a coach say something so profound that the player is more likely to enter flow? How can someone reach the optimal state of mind every performance and practice so that they can be the most elite athlete at our chosen craft? We will explore these ideas in the remainder of this article.
What is Required
Csikszentmihalyi states the requirements to get into this state by a chart of arousal having to do with the right amount of anxiety, care, and skill for whatever task you are doing. Athletes have to have all three at the right level to be able to reach the state, no two people are the same one must truly find it for themselves. There are 9 components Csikszentmihalyi relates to reach the flow state that he highlight in his book:
1.Clear goals (expectations and rules are discernible, and goals are attainable and align appropriately with one’s skill set and abilities).
2.High level of concentration, a high degree of concentration on a limited field of attention (a person engaged in the activity will have the opportunity to focus and to delve deeply into it).
3.A loss of the feeling of self-consciousness, the merging of action and awareness.
4.Distorted sense of time, one’s subjective experience of time is altered.
5.Clear and immediate feedback (successes and failures in the course of the activity are apparent, so that behavior can be adjusted as needed).
6.Balance between skill level and challenge (the activity is neither too easy nor too difficult).
7.A sense of personal control over the situation or activity.
8.The activity is intrinsically rewarding, so there is an effortlessness of action.
9.People become absorbed in their activity, and the focus of awareness is narrowed down.
(Csikszentmihalyi, 1975)
To reach full effects of the flow state all 9 must be meet but even if all 9 are present there must be an intrinsic motivation and love of what you are doing to reach the state. Jon Sutton in his article Movement in Sport talks about how top tier athletes must have a want and a love to play the game. To achieve the high level of flow theory there has to be a high level of love for what you’re doing, really putting the love of the game people must play with into perspective. The best players in the world love what they do, or they could frankly perform at the high level they do. Similarly to the love of the game an athlete must be intrinsically motivated to do what they do. Though someone can receive extrinsic rewards and even enjoy them, to reach higher states of performance it is important that they maintain a motivation rooted in intrinsic rewards and a healthy self process.
How do we Train to Reach the Flow State
Flow state is not something you can actively reach for and actually attain like a recipe in a cookbook that would produce something precisely and consistently. There are things you can do such to get yourself in the “head space” to allow the flow state to come however, such as mindfulness and meditation. Head mental performance instructor at IMG Academy, Lindsey Hamilton states, “Mindfulness is a tool that you can use to get to a flow state, but mindfulness in and of itself isn’t just having a clear mind…..We’re able to be there in the present moment, and then that puts us in a place where the flow state is more likely.” Hamilton states perfectly in her article what a powerful tool mindfulness training can be to lead to the flow state. She also talks about being present and how key that is to reach the state. Simply put mindfulness is one of the most important components leading to attaining a state of flow when engaged in an activity like pitching.
In Eli Straw’s article Sports Flow: How to Achieve Flow in Sports, he talks about the other important steps and training used. Amongst using mindfulness and being present he also talks about using a refocusing statement to bring oneself back. “Focus is directly tied to what you’re thinking about. As you begin to lose focus, it’s not really that you’re losing focus at all. Instead, it’s simply shifting.” (Straw, 2024) Using a refocus statement like Straw said can simply shift your mind into another headspace way from the negative and back to the present that is needed to obtain flow. Another analogy is to change the channel, away from a story or program that is going negative, to a new and better channel where things are going well. A refocus statement is a key part to what we believe is the most important element to reaching flow, routines and preparation. Whether in competition or at practice routines are used every day and should put you into compete mode. Even though practices often lacks external stimuli present in games, we need to feel enough arousal level to reach flow and practice in a good mental space. Again, the key element is getting the routine down to second nature and being prepared enough to feel confident.
Baseball Flow
Baseball is a game filled with downtime and quick bursts of challenging moments. During many points of the game it is not unusual for ones mind to wander and not be in the present. That makes the game of baseball even tougher to reach the flow state put a higher level of emphasis on the routines for players. A Pitching Script shared with the authors is a great example of how theory and practice can dictate a recipe for success. In this model there are 4 actionable steps between each pitch on the mound. One is something physical, two is a breath, three is a refocus phrase, and 4 is another breath. For example, a routine may look like, actionable swipe of the dirt away from the rubber with ones cleat, take a breath get the sign from the catcher, say your refocus phrase, then come set and take your final breath before delivering the pitch. This allows you as a pitcher to stay present in the moment and treat each pitch the exact same knowing you have a routine to go back to no matter how big a pitch might be. Another component of baseball is the dead time in the dugout while your team is hitting and this is a very challenging time for pitchers. When a pitcher reaches flow state they strive to continue it over these breaks in their own action. To stay in the flow it is good to focus on your breath and the actionable things when you feel you are leaving the present. A physical action could be to swipe your cleat on the ground and remind yourself to “stay here, stay now” to help ground yourself. In essence you are adding another routine into a different part of the game; anywhere that it is required in order to reach and stay in the flow state.
In the recent years of baseball there has been a huge craze of performance training and some athletes have been lost in the training scene. Uncertainty or improper use leads to anxiety and despair. They can lose the ability to compete and how to enter the flow state of competition by seeking it aggressively. In Jon Sutton’s Article, Movement in sport, he uses this analogy “
You’ve got to start thinking about your performance as being like pottery. All the physical training and the technical stuff is like saying “We’ll have a handle there, we’ll put a spout there, we’ll take that handle off and add another one”... at some point, you’ve got to stop tinkering. You’ve got to put the thing in a kiln. Otherwise, when you come to fill it, it will just collapse.” (Sutton, 2024)
This relates perfectly to the idea that mental training allows you to have better skills in the game but if you don’t use all the skills together like in baseball using mental performance and training for mechanics when pitching then you never give your training a shot to work and are stuck in the training mode time after time. Also illustrating another one of Sutton’s points in his article about skill. Saying “Skill is meant to just happen…Skill is not meant to be thought through there is too much happening for conscious thought”. Putting into perspective why getting stuck in this mentality will not let athletes reach the flow state.
Conclusion
As complicated as it seems to reach the flow state and to even understand it breaking it down makes it comprehendible. One must be in the right arousal level, be present, practice using mindfulness, and use routines in game and practice. Hopefully then entering the eye of the storm and performing at the highest level possible. Players like Arkansas pitcher Gage Wood finds the mental makeup that allows him to throw a no-hitter in the 2025 College World Series while greater arms have folded on similar stages. Pitchers like Nolan Ryan was able to find the groove more often than anyone else, however his case study can also be confounded by his physical abilities and arm endurance. Through these successful examples, baseball is at the upmost forefront for sports with necessity to reach the flow state for high performance. Bill Buckner and other negative performances on the biggest stages remind players of the severity of mistakes and build the anxiety and fear that restricts flow. With the downtime to think of positive and negative outcomes, the mental challenge alone of baseball is a rich and thick environment to study the application of flow and mental training.
References
Crews, R. (2025). Understanding Flow State in Baseball and Softball. Complete.game. https://www.complete.game/blog/understanding-flow-state-in-baseball-and-softball
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1975). Beyond boredom and anxiety. Jossey-Bass Publishers.
Flow State Explained: What Is It, and What Does It Feel Like? (2024). IMG Academy+. https://plus.imgacademy.com/developmental-coaching/mental-performance/articles/flow-state-explained-what-it-and-what-does-it
Gold, J., & Ciorciari, J. (2020). A Review on the Role of the Neuroscience of Flow States in the Modern World. Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland), 10(9), 137. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs10090137
Joseph. (2022, August 14). Baseball’s Best Kept Secret: The Flow State. Sports Day Now. https://sportsdaynow.com/baseball-flow/
Miller, K. D. (2019, July 4). The psychology and theory behind flow (incl. definition). PositivePsychology.com. https://positivepsychology.com/theory-psychology-flow/
Nobach, K. (2020, April 22). The Importance of Achieving a Flow State - BASE by Pros. BASE by Pros. https://basebyprosacademy.com/2020/04/the-importance-of-achieving-a-flow-state/
Straw, E. (2024, January 19). Sports Flow: How to Achieve Flow in Sports. Success Starts Within. https://www.successstartswithin.com/sports-psychology-articles/mindfulness-training-for-athletes/sports-flow-how-to-achieve-flow-in-sports/
Sutton, J. (2024). Movement in sport. Psychologist, 38–41. Movement in sport. - EBSCO
Swann, C. (2016). Flow in sport. In L. Harmat, F. Ø. Andersen, F. Ullén, J. Wright, & G. Sadlo (Eds.), Flow experience: Empirical research and applications (pp. 51–64). Springer International Publishing/Springer Nature. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28634-1_4
Appendix
Co-Author Lucas Burgum Great Mental Approach to hitting by Ted Williams