Some skills lend to randomizing better than others, maybe? Eg, practicing a bunny hop with an adjustable bar and changing its height with each rep, or moving obstacles around before and after the hop. Laying out multiple corners and adding removing obstacles from the path.
I suppose too, we could spend just enough time on the training field to achieve decent form for the skill and then move to the trail and session each corner (log, ledge, etc) that appears 2 or 3 times and move on.
The depth of randomization is an interesting question. Would switching lead foot back and forth every 5 reps be enough? Switching from level to uphill to downhill movements? Switching to your buddy. Ike every ten reps? Sounds like a research paper to me...
Roy, those all sound like effective practice strategies to me because 1) they all involve performing the skill in ways that actually are done IRL (in real-life situations), and 2) they are ways to create 'desirable difficulty' that keep you struggling just enough to help keep you fully focused but not too much so that you lose motivation to continue.
If you don't know how to bunny hop, the practice strategies to learn the various elements of it are different than if you know how to bunny hop 4 inches but want to get more height.
I agree that the 'muscle memory' concept is just a metaphor but I can see why - those ingrained reactions make it feel like it is your msucles responding because you are not engaging your concious mind. In fact your conscious mind often gets in the way when you engage it.
As an IT nerd I prefer a RAM vs ROM analogy though - blocked practice writes the movement patterns into RAM, but when you shut down you can lose it. You need to take the time to write the movements over to ROM and that is mainly due to mental review, variability and real life usgae. But without the initial moves to punt the info into RAM , you can't then transfer to ROM - no matter how many videos I watch or learning posts I comment on ;)
As an aside I've learnt to flip a watering can and catch it by the handle through a series of variable repetitions. Pretty much every morning for the last year I've topped up the birdbaths and then attempt to flip the can once or twice walking back. Initially I dropped it almost every time or caught it awkardly by the top handle. After a year or I can catch it by the side handle 60%+ of the time. It's been fascinating to watch my brain figuring it out.
Dogtank, that's cool. I started brushing my teeth using my non-dominant hand last week and it's incredibly slow and awkward. I wonder how many weeks it will take until I'm good at it.
I'm right handed but taught myself to use my mouse left handed when I was doing a dull data entry based temp job that paid by the hour. Takes a bit of effort at first but turns out to be easier in the long run - point & click with the left and type with the right.
My wife has taken it a step further and now uses two mice, just grabbing whichever one she feels like using at the time....
Some skills lend to randomizing better than others, maybe? Eg, practicing a bunny hop with an adjustable bar and changing its height with each rep, or moving obstacles around before and after the hop. Laying out multiple corners and adding removing obstacles from the path.
I suppose too, we could spend just enough time on the training field to achieve decent form for the skill and then move to the trail and session each corner (log, ledge, etc) that appears 2 or 3 times and move on.
The depth of randomization is an interesting question. Would switching lead foot back and forth every 5 reps be enough? Switching from level to uphill to downhill movements? Switching to your buddy. Ike every ten reps? Sounds like a research paper to me...
Roy, those all sound like effective practice strategies to me because 1) they all involve performing the skill in ways that actually are done IRL (in real-life situations), and 2) they are ways to create 'desirable difficulty' that keep you struggling just enough to help keep you fully focused but not too much so that you lose motivation to continue.
Does that seem right?
It does indeed.
Hey Michael, I think you're on the right track.
If you don't know how to bunny hop, the practice strategies to learn the various elements of it are different than if you know how to bunny hop 4 inches but want to get more height.
Does that seem right to you?
I agree that the 'muscle memory' concept is just a metaphor but I can see why - those ingrained reactions make it feel like it is your msucles responding because you are not engaging your concious mind. In fact your conscious mind often gets in the way when you engage it.
As an IT nerd I prefer a RAM vs ROM analogy though - blocked practice writes the movement patterns into RAM, but when you shut down you can lose it. You need to take the time to write the movements over to ROM and that is mainly due to mental review, variability and real life usgae. But without the initial moves to punt the info into RAM , you can't then transfer to ROM - no matter how many videos I watch or learning posts I comment on ;)
Dogtank, your IT metaphor is one I've not considered. Excellent!
As an aside I've learnt to flip a watering can and catch it by the handle through a series of variable repetitions. Pretty much every morning for the last year I've topped up the birdbaths and then attempt to flip the can once or twice walking back. Initially I dropped it almost every time or caught it awkardly by the top handle. After a year or I can catch it by the side handle 60%+ of the time. It's been fascinating to watch my brain figuring it out.
Dogtank, that's cool. I started brushing my teeth using my non-dominant hand last week and it's incredibly slow and awkward. I wonder how many weeks it will take until I'm good at it.
I'm right handed but taught myself to use my mouse left handed when I was doing a dull data entry based temp job that paid by the hour. Takes a bit of effort at first but turns out to be easier in the long run - point & click with the left and type with the right.
My wife has taken it a step further and now uses two mice, just grabbing whichever one she feels like using at the time....