In the world of sports there exists a phenomenon that many have observed, and a few “gifted” athletes have experienced. In professional basketball the athletes are probably the most all-around gifted humans in sports. Yet, on certain days, for a few minutes or for even the whole game, one individual seems to take a quantum leap and somehow performs at a level far beyond the best of the best. Many adjectives are used to describe this super human leap in performance. It’s often referred to as being in the zone, being in the flow, or achieving peak performance.
Is this peak performance reserved only for certain athletes, in certain sports or is it potentially available to all humans? I personally subscribe to the latter. I believe all humans are created with the potential to achieve this level of performance. Whether it is an artist who creates an original masterpiece, a musician composing music that has never been heard, or a scientist who discovers the unknown, are all examples of human potential manifesting itself at a higher level.
Are fishermen capable of obtaining these lofty levels? I will answer by addressing another question I am often asked. “How good are today’s anglers?” I have consistently stated that on a scale of 1 to 10, the best fisherpersons today are around a 5. Good and great are relative terms used all too freely in today’s world. These descriptive words and others are worn by many but deserved by few. I am not sure who is truly deserving of this type of acclaim and more often then not these individuals are premature creations of the media. The humans that I personally admire are those who have succeeded in obtaining an ever increasing level of performance over many years.
EVOLUTION:
My evolution as a fisherman included the continuous absorption of knowledge and information. I committed myself to many hours on the water and to becoming the mechanistic and intellectual equal of the best. Then in 1976 and again in 1977, I won the World Championship of Bass Fishing and I kept winning after that. I became the first angler to win over a million dollars in competitive bass fishing. And true to the American sports fans and media, I became the “best”. Worse yet, I started believing it. Yet, I knew in my heart that something was wrong. Yes, relative to my sport, I had obtained the credentials of greatness but I knew that I still failed more often than I succeeded. Conversely, there were days when something magical would occur. I would perform beyond my intellectual and mechanistic abilities, way beyond my own expectations. I would be fighting the wind, fighting the heat, fighting the fish, fighting myself, struggling to understand and then there would occur a shift in awareness. Suddenly, I was no longer fighting. I became part of nature, not separate from it. Everything I had perceived as negative earlier, now became a positive force leading me to the next fish.
The ordinary became extraordinary. I literally began to know what was about to occur before it happened. Just like the basketball player, who’s in the zone and knows the ball is going in before he ever shoots, when I was in the flow, I would know the cast and place I would catch a fish before ever making it. For a few rare moments, or even rarer, for a day, I would touch perfection. I would take a quantum leap from being a 5 to being a 10.
QUANTUM FISHING:
At first I wasn’t sure whether the cause of these events were accidental, coincidental, or by divine intervention. Even more frustrating than understanding the source of these quantum leaps, was understanding what triggered them, and how I could consciously and intentionally learn to control this shift in awareness.
It’s now been over 16 years of purposeful searching and studying. I have read endless books from the great religions of the world to the great philosophies of man. I have studied artists, musicians, scientists, athletes, fellow anglers, and other individuals who have described similar experiences, tracing the sequence of events that led up to their break through. I know now that humans do and have always had the ability, by conscious intent and willful effort, to raise themselves to super levels of performance.
Peak performance is the end result of a mind, body, and spirit journey. You must first understand that reaching peak performance is not about reaching the peak, it’s about the awareness of the ascent. You must have all elements of your being working perfectly, and in absolute harmony. It is not by wanting to experience a quantum leap in performance that you get there, but rather by being completely aware, by using your five senses to their fullest, by allowing your intuition to take control, and by totally focusing on the art of what your doing instead of the egocentric desire for honors, awards, and money. Maybe even more important than all of these are your passion and willingness to push yourself beyond your limitations, farther than you have ever gone. Then it happens, the impossible becomes possible and you find yourself higher than you’ve ever been before.
RICK CLUNN‘S ADVANCED ANGLING SCHOOLS:
Rick Clunn‘s Advanced Angling Schools are dedicated to the exploration and application of the physical and mental approaches to achieving this type of performance during your angling experience.
SEPTEMBER 19-23, 2007 ASHEVILLE, NC.
OCTOBER 17-21, 2007 SPRINGFIELD, MO.
NOVEMBER 4-8, 2007 ROCKBRIDGE, MO.
DECEMBER 5-9, 2007 ROCKBRIDGE, MO.
FOR MORE INFO: Visit the Rick Clunn website.By: Rick Clunn
