Dr Trish Jackman: Flow in sport, exercise and physical education

This episode with Dr Trish Jackman is focused on flow in sport, exercise and physical activity. Flow experiences are often described as highly rewarding and contributing to our well-being, but have we managed to capture it with our models and explore it with appropriate methods? Might flow be experienced differently in different types of sport and exercise?

Part 1 here:

I was also particularly interested in learning about the relationship of flow with other ‘highs’ in sport such as runner’s high, peak experience, peak performance and so forth. Some earlier work on flow seemed to also refer to a spiritual dimension or even a religious experience, but in current research these aspects are not often mentioned. What are Trish’s thoughts on this?

The second part of our conversation is mainly targeting students and researchers who are researching flow or interested in doing that. Trish and her colleagues have recently reviewed the existing body of academic research on flow in exercise, youth sport, physical activity and physical education (see links below). They have identified a number of methodological (both qualitative and quantitative) challenges and ways of moving forward. So, the second part is an excellent resource when planning a research project on flow and can be helpful in avoiding some mistakes that have been done in the past.

Part 2 here:

Dr Trish Jackman is a lecturer in Sport and Exercise Psychology at University of Lincoln, who shares her thoughts on flow in sport and exercise from a research and a personal perspective. Trish and her colleagues have published several articles on flow. You can access their recent work here:

Review articles:

Jackman, P. C., Hawkins, R. M., Crust, L., & Swann, C. (2019). Flow states in exercise: A systematic review.  Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 45, 101546.

Jackman, P. C., Dargue, E. J., Johnston, J. P., & Hawkins, R. M. (2020). Flow in youth sport, physical activity, and physical education: A systematic review. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 101852.

Empirical studies:

Jackman, P. C., Dargue, E. J., Johnston, J. P., & Hawkins, R. M. (2019). Optimal experiences in exercise: A qualitative investigation of flow and clutch states. Psychology of Sport and Exercise.

In this qualitative study, the focus was on investigating the optimal psychological states experienced during rewarding exercise activities with 18 active exercisers. 

Swann, C., Crust, L., Jackman, P., Vella, S. A., Allen, M. S., & Keegan, R. (2017). Psychological States Underlying Excellent Performance in Sport: Toward an Integrated Model of Flow and Clutch States. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology.

This study explored the psychological states underlying excellent performance. The participants (N=26) were athletes in various sports and performance levels.

And finally! Remember to follow Trish on Twitter @Trish_Jackman