Video: Phil Atwill Searches For the Flow State in Athens and Maribor
Full immersion, focus, involvement and enjoyment of a process. In essence, flow is characterized by complete absorption in what one does, resulting in a loss in ones sense of space and time.
For athletes, flow is essential but elusive. This is a story of working with the flow state, and the consequential ups and downs of a professional mountain bikers career.
 | Max Rendall (Sleeper.co) hit me up about a film concept a few months back. It sounded interesting so we organised a weeks filming around my new home in Athens. We had a really fun week which ended in Max getting into a pretty scary crash on my scooter, he survived but the scooter didn't (RIP the ZIP). After that we saw an opportunity and managed to organise an extension on the video with a trip to Maribor, I was driving anyway so he hopped in with me to the IXS and World Cup. |
| Stop sign hidden behind a tree, t-boned at a junction. An important lesson for when driving in Greece. Was really lucky to walk away from this one, an abrupt end to what was an amazing week filming. |
PC: The amazing @katgeorgudis
PC: @Katgeorgudis
The skies were mad at times. One of the days was spent exploring a full sized abandoned airfield in doomsday conditions. At this time of year, the greeks expect to see wall to wall sunshine, apparently it's been the worst winter in nearly 100 years. #ClimateChange
| Phil poured effort into whatever we were doing, whether it was building a feature or nailing a line. Its clear to me he genuinely loves what he does. The wild-man persona fades away when its time to race, there was an element of professionalism about him I wasn't expecting to see. Hopefully this gave you an insight into his motivations as an athlete, he is a master of flow and because of this I have no doubt we will see results. Facing adversity is easier when you love what you do. |
Samples: Steven Kotler - "How to open up the next level of human performance" TED TALK
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Member since Dec 17, 2017
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"but don't worry, we're halfway already
Sorry Max, bad joke we are happy you are healthy!
Having seen that vid, the focus and some of the lines he chose I really hope he gets some great results this year. Nice to see a vid that stands out as well, not just identi-kit promos. Love it.
Only disappointement: finishing 66th in the mud for a Brit is simply unacceptable
Chill I'm joking. I ride a hecking Radon. About as uncool as bikes can get.