Tap Into the Flow State w/ C. Wilson Meloncelli
Have you ever competed and felt like time stood still? Your focus was on point, your mind was quiet, your opponent moved in slow motion and you felt like you were invincible. Some people call it flow, in the zone or similar. Research has found a 300% – 500% improvement in skill while in the FLOW STATE. Muscle reaction time speeds up. lateral thinking & problem solving skills accelerate… Allowing you to find ways out of moves, that were previously blind to you!
C Wilson Meloncelli – Flow State Performance Coach. An International trainer of professional athletes, ex British Champion in MMA and an Author. Martial Art instructor in Jeet Kune Do, Filipino Martial Arts, Silat, Muay Thai and a Purple belt in Brazilian Jujitsu. Master Practitioner in Neuro Linguistic Programming Hypnotherapy and Ireca Energy Practitioner.
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Full Transcription of Our Podcast with Wilson Meloncelli
Interview with Wilson Meloncelli to explaining the meaning of Flow State and people can tap into that State
Corey Beasley [00:00:01]: Hey guys, this is Corey Beasley with fight camp conditioning where we are on the Skype call with Mr. Wilson Meloncelli. Wilson, how are you doing?
Wilson Meloncelli [00:00:10]:How are you doing? Thanks very much for having me.
Corey Beasley [00:00:14]: Thanks for joining. I appreciate it. So you guys have probably heard people talk about the Flow state or you’ve probably competed or done certain things in your life where you’re feeling that you’re in the zone so to speak. And that’s basically what Wilson is all about. Wilson, give everybody a little two sense of who you are and what you’re doing these days?
Wilson Meloncelli [00:00:39]:Well, I as you said, I teach people to get into the flow States, I don’t really look to train anybody. For instance, I won’t train a kick boxer to be a better kick boxer. So I do that by getting to be a better kick boxer when the specific state. So I get them into the state, the optimal state to be in to be better at your scale or your sport wherever as. I don’t really say, so you are a grappler I’m going to teach you some grappling skills. I don’t do that. I introduce the state to be in for you to excel in what you’re doing.
Corey Beasley [00:01:19]: So it’s the meant more of the mental side of the game?
Wilson Meloncelli [00:01:26]:It’s more mental state, but I use internal and external triggers to induce that state. So I do use physical exercises to induce this state of flow and I also do meditations and sort of mental games to trigger the flow state. Well, but all depends on the individual. Mostly for the people with the combat sports it’s a lot easier when I’m talking to you guys, you instinctively going to that state or I like to do with that sort of freedom background is just sort of emphasize, explain the purpose of these exercises as you’re getting into that state and as we do that, you are the familiarity of the state increases and grows you like, so it’s that state I’ve been in that state before when I do this or that. So it’s kind of that way.
Corey Beasley [00:02:18]: Cool. So before we get into a whole lot of details and stuff like that, I mean, how’d you get your start doing that type of stuff?
Wilson Meloncelli [00:02:25]:Well, I’m a martial artist that’s in my blood. I did from a very young age, I was surrounded by my uncle, I evolved and then went on and did Filipino martial arts, Muay Thai, Brazilian jiu jitsu competed in the MMA. And as I evolved through that, I was finding jobs, teaching people exercises, teaching people the martial arts. And then I go on to being a solo performer on and teach those skills as I went on. And as a progressed on, especially as I stepped in to that sort of stuntman field, I started realizing I wasn’t as tough as I thought it was when I started getting out of my comfort zone. You know what is like, when you go into the ring, you feel invincible, but the second you do something that’s out of your comfort zone. For instance, horse racing or whenever I had to do anything like high diving that was not a tough guy at all. So I had to really begin to the state that were talking the flow state and I started cleaning. We’ll get in trained and meeting other teachers that would assess me to create this method that I know used to get myself into the flow state all the time. But it was really something that I developed through being a chicken shit under those situations. But as it progressed almost incorporate these techniques it became easier and easier to not only trigger the state and enhance skills I already have, but overcome stressful situations as well.
Corey Beasley [00:04:05]: Yeah. So I think this is huge because I mean, you’re talking about being a student again, basically, when you went into those situations where you weren’t comfortable, I mean, shit, that’s normal, I mean, are you going to talk about somebody like myself, I did. Background’s all in wrestling. Well, jiu jitsu might’ve been a lot more familiar, but when I start putting the hand pads up. I feel like an idiot. You know what I mean? Because I just didn’t have that skillset and it was new. And that can play games with your brain. And I think a lot of these guys, especially in MMA or as they go to a higher level of competition, you do get thrown off because maybe your old tricks don’t work no more. Everything’s brand new and you have to learn how to deal with that. Right?
Wilson Meloncelli [00:04:43]:Definitely. So what’s happening now as is like when we do go into that position where we come out of comfort zone, we will go from restaurant to kickboxing and we’ll bring this when we’re wrestling because it’s a natural habit for us. We’re comfortable, right? And we’re in that sort of alpha weavers, the alpha comfortable, relaxed. We can be creative with our movements, we can do whatever is needed to overcome the obstacle and the opponent for instance. But whenever we step over that we go into that sort of the normal state for many people is that bitter. We’re sort of bought, stressed, releasing cortisol our heart rate is really gone crazy and we’re almost blind with the stress that we’re putting ourselves under overwhelmed. So all we need to do as far as you know, the state you’ve been in before that, that flow state all I teach my students to do is take that experience you have and incorporate into those other avenues. So whenever you step out of your comfort zone, use the tools that you’ve already got familiarize yourself with it. You can overcome it. So it was pretty cool. I mean, the good thing is, is that when you put yourself enter that flow state, you really increase your chances of being successful no matter what you’re doing. So instead of thinking that you have to, I’m in an uncomfortable state and your faith through and just get my head down and go for it. For many of us, it’s almost the complete opposite. We want ourselves to relax and where we sort of relax and get ourselves into the alpha weavers, we put ourselves in what’s called our transient hypofrontality and that is where the prefrontal cortex of the brain temporarily shuts down. And when that shuts down, we actually allow ourselves to really excel. We release powerful neurotransmitters and hormones that give us the tools, your energy to be created to think outside the box to have the energy to overcome the situations and being, to have the state to overcome all these situations. When you’re in that state you lose that, you know it, cryptic napping your fucking head saying to you, you’re not good enough, watch over for that. No, you’re completely marriage with this task your met with the competitor that you have. And the truth thing is that you really are becoming one, science has showing that the areas of the brain are shutting off in this transient hypofrontality all the distinguishing between self and other, you are really in that point of being one and it’s the same state. It’s the same transient hypofrontality. That dorsolateral prefrontal cortex probably shout down with, is that point there that we go into seem state as the Buddhist monks go into when they in deep meditation and express that sense of being at one with what they’re doing. Well you as an athletes and the flow state are in the same mental as the Buddhist monk. You are at one with the art that you’re or whatever you’re doing.
Corey Beasley [00:08:37]: So basically like for an athlete or for a coach, it just, you hear people talk about being in the moment. You hear people talk about I mean, time kind of stops. You’re everything kind of down. You can kind of, all that type of stuff is what you’re talking about right?
Wilson Meloncelli [00:08:59]:Exactly. That stuff, we come from that, that combative background. We come from the martial arts that have that spiritual aspect that’s coming in and at that time we all know at we all tasted it before, experienced it that, it’s the breakthroughs in science that actually been able to sort of this is exactly what happens. Your brain goes into the state. The reason why you feel so deeply present in the now is because these images of the brain have shot down. They are getting you that sense that you are in it, the time being distorted. You actually measured the timer in the prefrontal cortex as well so that the feel of past and future is gone because you’re so deeply in that moment. So you’re open to so many different angles. For instance, the cool thing is that you release an animate when you’re in that state. And what that does that helps you think, outside the box, that gives you those sort of situations. So for instance, you may be in a hole, maybe in jiu jitus, and you think how can it get this? Your body’s releasing the neurotransmitters and hormones that give you the ability to go out. You know what I mean? I mean, sure, it’s going to come down to the tools that you have in your locker.
Corey Beasley [00:10:25]: You don’t need the skillset, but you’re not. But your mindset is, you’re focused, you’re in the moment, you’re not panicking. Like you said, that little voice or that little dude on your shoulder isn’t kicking your ass and overthinking everything. You’re purely just, you’re there. I mean, I’ve experienced in doing different things, but it’s so powerful when you do get there and we’ve probably seen hundreds if not thousands of the top competitors that we are idolized. All probably, we’re really damn good at tapping into this. I know you mentioned before a little bit I think before we started about, there was a graph talking about the challenge in front of you. I can’t remember the exact, what were the different parts?
Wilson Meloncelli [00:11:14]:Yeah, so it’s a challenging scale ratio and then you have progress on balance between boredom and anxiety. Because I’m very kinesthetic and I believe all athletes are very kinesthetic. Feeling is a better way of doing it. It’s that progressive balance in the feeling of flow between tension and relaxation. You need to have the appropriate level according to the obstacles you’re facing. So how would you describe it? Let’s say for instance, as you’re learning a new task of whatever it is and you scale to really Excel on it, the progression is a 4% progression. So that means that the jumps that you is more of a sort of steady 4% gradient between those two. Now you may 4% but that 4% translates as almost being a 300 to 500% improvement. So when you say go get yourself to learning a new task, when you get yourself into that full set and you’re connected to it and you’re learning the skill, just let that progression happen. So that means you’re learning it is just get somebody to challenge you, just that little bit extra so you can go to the next step up, not over separate, just that little bit extra so you could actually do it. So when you’re coaching somebody you just gradually add bets on and that strengthens their connection to being in flow while learning something new.
Corey Beasley [00:12:52]: So even from a strength and conditioning point of view, I mean if you throw something incredibly technical at someone who may be is a beginner in the weight room, it throws them off. The little dude on their shoulder all of a sudden starts kicking her ass. I don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t hope I don’t get hurt. All that type of stuff, they feel unstable and unsafe. Or unconfident. But you take those baby steps and it makes a huge difference. They can just gather speed. They’re never failing. They’re just continuously, not they never fail, but they just are continuously getting better systematically. Just over time they keep getting improving, right?
Wilson Meloncelli [00:13:30]:Yeah, exactly. The thing every new person, whenever you’re learning something, for instance, the person that you think will probably be real easily may struggle, but then you get somebody else that surprises you, manages to take that extra step. They need to find the balance and use it as a coach, if anything has to get the right amount. Because if go too much, we demoralize them, the competencies shot and they go down hell and vice versa.
Corey Beasley [00:14:11]: Is kind like if you’re a blue belt and you’re wrestling or rolling with another blue belt or maybe a purple belt is a good, just a little bit of a stretch. You go in there with the black belt and you’re not confident, you’re stuck. And it’s like, why is this guy coolly and calmly kicking my ass. He not evening try and say, it throws you off for sure.
Wilson Meloncelli [00:14:36]:It does. I mean it can also, some people say, no, it make me want to fight more it really depends a lot of black belts in general would just give them the right amount try other things and they’ll just let you to a certain level, the masters of all will do the rate that 4% extra just to get you something, but just gave me something to get you those steps. And then also you get with douchebags I just want to smash it and roll and say see you later.
Corey Beasley [00:15:09]: That’s pretty awesome. I mean, I’m sure that everybody that’s listening, they probably had that experience at one time or another. They maybe they didn’t even know they just knew that they damn, I felt really good or I was on point and then they may had other tournaments or events or fights or whatever and they didn’t they got thrown off. They were distracted or whatever you want to call it. And they shit the bed so to speak. And they didn’t perform the way as up to their potential. But for you, you start working with somebody what are some of the tools or where do you kind of start with each person?
Wilson Meloncelli [00:15:46]:Well, we’re going to where you were just saying there about everybody on one day and off the next day. It comes down to that sort of consistency isn’t it? Find the consistency and what I teach people is to find, there consistency and connected to flow, the familiarity with it. What does it feel like the more do it under different situations, the more that they can trigger flow faster. So as they are competing, they know how to get themselves trigger the flow, there’s different ways for everybody but they’re so familiar with the extra training the extra small exercises that got going on that when you go to compete the know the state for themselves to be in. If I get somebody new to train with them all and get them almost like a foundation of tools for use and see what, see what of these tools they respond to quickly get themselves to trigger the flow. So some people for instance respond quite well to meditations that I do cause I have like an alpha wave in the background with all that kind of help them trigger in, other ones they need something a bit more physical to do so I incorporate definitely movements that producer the momentum gives them that physical triggering of the feeling of flow. And other people I use, the really good one is the Filipino martial arts, has been great for trigger people in all levels have so many sort of active triggers to get you when some people feel a little bit intimidated with that, other people really enjoy the sort of semi combat upstate of all the drills you put yourself into. So it really all comes down to how they respond to it in one level. And then there’s other layers that go in to how far they want to go down with me, I incorporate other things to find out how they are working in. I’ll use metabolic typing assessment to find out for me if they are sympathetic or parasympathetic dominance in the autonomic nervous system I will use heart rate vulnerability to find out these things. I really sort of try and paint a picture of that person.
Corey Beasley [00:18:18]: Now for anybody that’s listening a lot of this stuff, they have a lot of different skill sets. They got their skill practices, they got life, they got the weight room strength and conditioning stuff. They have all these other things that they’re already thinking about. And then it’s like, cool. Where the hell am I going to fit this in? So when you’re working with people, is it something, is it like another hour in their day or what does it kind of look like?
Wilson Meloncelli [00:18:49]:Depends again, on you, yourself how would you fit this in if you are having a child and everything like this. So why do a lot of people is a sentence specific pain that you can get yourself into the right brainwave easier. So first thing in the morning is your brainwave is general, should be a little bit more. So you’re more open, you should be more a parasympathetic state. So therefore I give a meditation to do at that time. And it between three to five minutes. And what they’re doing is giving you tools to observe yourself throughout the day and to trigger the feeling of being in flow. And I do that same thing that seems like exercise at night and I as the time goes the cool thing about flow is that you are chemicals you’re releasing are like cooking reward chemicals. So once you taste that you really want a tasted it again. So the trick of getting more flow is that you want to get it more. So I’ll add those exercises and but the beautiful thing about doing that is that you’ll become a Hunter for flow triggers as well. So you look for triggers to be in that state. So perhaps going to the gym, you perhaps trigger, you look for activities to trigger that. I can give you some other exercises to do while you’re maybe keeping yourself walking there. And when you’re in a gym, you’ll be looking for the training that you do to trigger the flow state for you. So there may be certain drills you do wrestling that you can you pass the same position over and over again. Your partner’s doing it as well. So you can sort of find the create, I work this flowing again that you connect into that feeling
Corey Beasley [00:20:51]: And you figure it out yourself. So some people could use it as a on the way to an event or practice or whatever. And other people might use it as a warm-up, maybe warm-up type drills. And then you know, maybe skill specific drills if it’s like a skill practice or something. There’s a lot of different ways to get it. So do you have any tools? I always want to give somebody something that they can use this week, right? So do you have stuff we can use?
Wilson Meloncelli [00:21:18]:Yeah, I’ll send you the link you can give it to everybody. I’ve got four courses, workshops that guys can have, which is have I actually told you about some videos. And then I have a lot more of an in depth tutorial and I have an actual meditation that you can have, which is a flow meditation because it had sent to your past experience of when you’ve been in flow and they give you those, like a steps for you to be able to trigger yourself. That’s meditation and that meditation has an alpha wave in the back of it all assisting you to be in that specific state. And then I’ve got our workout physical movements that you can use to trigger the full state physically. So call it more for the guys like yourself. It kind of looks like modern day martial art. But I gave you the exercise and the beading and the sort of feeling of flow that you want to try and maintain throughout the workout as well. So you get quite a lot of cool content you can take away and use today.
Corey Beasley [00:22:41]: Nice. Well, good stuff man. Well guys, I’ll definitely put that that link down below. You guys will get access to that, which is awesome. Wilson. Thanks for sharing that for sure. And then for the people to reach out, if they want more information about what you’ve got going on, what’s the best way for them to find you?
Wilson Meloncelli [00:22:58]:Go to the website and cWilsonMeloncelli.com and you go on there and I put up a wall of a content as regular as I can and there’s a lot of new steps coming in at about four. And I love what I do. I’m excited about what I do. So whenever I learned something new I’ll put it up there and you guys can check it all out and try and put the information in a way that is easy and clear. So there is a lot of regular content there. So help yourselves and if there’s something is not there you want to have a question on, please just drop me an email and I’ll get back to you.
Corey Beasley [00:23:42]: Wilson, thanks again for sharing with us man. I know this is a powerful piece of the puzzle for a lot of guys. Thanks again.
Wilson Meloncelli [00:23:49]:Thanks very much for having me.