Does the Zone Exist?

What is the zone, or is it even real? Is the Zone real? If it is what are its characteristics? Is there one Zone or are there many? In this article let's review some surprising opinions from some the world's top researchers and athletes across multiple sports. The subject of the Zone has been intensively studied by psychologists, neuroscientists, and anthropologists, among others. It has been explained as a function of genetics, environment, motivation, hypnosis, and even parapsychology. Some researchers compare the psychological characteristics of winning athletes with those of athletes who fail. Others ask athletes to recall the feelings and sensations they experienced during great moments of competition. Bill Walton: anxiety is a necessary component of the Zone. But professional athletes are often reluctant to discuss the idea of the Zone. And one study by researchers at Cornell and Stanford found that athletes sometimes incorrectly report being in the Zone when they are experiencing intense feeling and sensation, but without measurable performance correlates. Can the Zone be consciously created? Keith Henschen, a psychologist at the University of Utah believes so. If athletes create the right conditions, they create the zone. But Bob Rotella a psychologist who works with golfers...