With "AI" as part of most internet browsers today, any information can be requested and a reasonable explanation supplied to the viewer. However, as we have seen with "AI" there is a need to be careful and research the supplied answer to any search. This is an example of such missed or confusing information supplied by that search and the AI collection information supplied..
Asked "What is Muscle Memory in Sport Performance ?" and the following google AI reply was given as
"Muscle Memory" is defined as "the ability to automatically execute complex movements after repeated practice (motor learning) and the capacity (of the brain) to rapidly regain lost muscle strength and mass after a period of inactivity (physiological memory).
However, there are two parts to this supplied reply and we are concerned only with the first part of the answer. ("the ability to automatically execute complex movements after repeated practice (motor learning). As a Sport athlete of a "Precision Performance" sport, our concern with "Muscle Memory" is a concern with "Memory". To our sport, the important factor of what is called "Muscle Memory" is maybe understanding how we develop and use physical stored performances.
The second part of the AI reply refers more to Body building or weight lifting activities where muscle cells which have been developed can be easily rebuild as muscle mass, (physiological memory) after a period of not being continually worked. The Journal of Physiology" explains thist muscle memory as the "‘Effects of training, detraining, and retraining on strength, hypertrophy, and myonuclear number in human skeletal muscle’. In simple words these muscle's cellular neurons allow the muscle to recreate the previous strength of a previous training (weight lifting) of recreate a previous muscle mass (body building). Yes, in sport performance, it is good to know that after a winter of no performance or practices, that our muscles will regain their previous strength. We are more concern with the return of our "Precision Performance" memory of how to re-use those detail abilities.
The above diagram is from "Science for Sports" and their website offers a very detail explanation of Muscle Memory. However, as Closed sport athletes we are concern with the instinctive performance of our deliveries, whether a Bowl's Roll, a Tennis swing or a Soccer player's unique goal kicking precision. A Closed sport is where we are closed to the actions of other players during our performance. As a Lawn Bowler on the mat doing a within inches draw to the jack or the Goal Kicking performance of a Soccer athlete; we see "Muscle Memory" as our "Gold Standard". However, remember that although Soccer is an "Open Sport" during which most of the team performance are where each players adapts and avoids the opponent players; as the ball is moved up the field. However to each skilled team player his performance is a "Closed Sport" requiring his unique skills and performance abilities.
 |
| AI Deep Dive |
The screen capture (right) show how we must walk softly on new information offered by the internet. Also as we are building our performance from practice sessions of your sport: so also over time information on "Muscle Memory" performance and adjustments are slowly developed and will reach the required point eventually.
The photo right is the same question asked of Google of which the "AI" found over 6,200 results and of course this detail information is really too very detail for our needs. But if you are interested in a "Deep Dive" you can become buried in all the various detail aspects of "Muscle Memory".
The First search reply also had the following " It is a combination of neurological, long-term, procedural memory that makes skills automatic" which we will discuss here as "Muscle Memory" (in quote because it is our wanted subject of the blog". In Curling, a similar "Delivery Movement" to our Lawn Bowls Delivery, the coaches tell new players and students that "Muscle Memory" takes about 300 hours of practice. In Lawn Bowls "Muscle Memory" unless found online or elite discussions of their performance; is seldom mention at the Club Coaching level. It is assumed that when the Bowls atlhete is ready for it they will seek it out themself.
Because the Conscious mind attempts to process all thoughts of muscle actions; the athlete must be careful of attempts to Change their Muscle Memory. In a March 3, 2025 blog on "Communication with the Subconscious" , it was shown how Muscle Memory performance has "Tells" similar to the "Poker player Tell" because during the time of performance of our "Muscle Memory Performance" the athlete experience a particular moment of "Zen Void" or absence of thought. All elite athlete know and experience this period when the subconscious mind does it's instinctive performance without any interruption from the conscious mind telling the muscles how to perform.
 |
| Tiger Wood |
Tiger Wood in a Youtube Video "Visualize like Tiger" which is about him being in the "Zone" (sometimes called Zen Zone because of the void or absence of thought). During this time in his performance perfection he says "Between my back swing and seeing the ball in flight up the fairway, I have no memory of what happen" .
Two raison why you would want to change "Muscle Memory" First is as we improve our performance with Muscle Memory we often make a decision that the old performance does not apply with our new skills. And secondly, "Incomplete Performances" which can and do often happen because we are thinking about something else like the success or failure of our action. Whenever we have a thought the conscious mind takes charge and attempts to perform the muscles for that action. "Muscle Memory", on the other hand is the conscious mind releasing control to a subconscious mind and allowing it to perform instinctive performances created from practice and training of performance muscles.
The problem is as simple as two children each wanting to play with the same toy. The "conscious" mind wants to instruct the muscle of what to do while the "subconscious" mind, knows what to do and wants to not be interrupted. Since we are thinking all the time and a thought is an instruction for conscious action a muscle performance; we have to be careful because a too long a thought will cancel the instinctive "Muscle Memory" performance. A passing thought will just suggest to the subconscious mind of a possible change or modification.
A "Tag" is used in sport "Muscle Memory" training to insert a thought into the "Pre-Performance" of the Muscle Memory and as such to not interrupt the actual performance. In the car breaking example, if we reacted to the coffee we were holding or think about the child in the car seat; we would have interupt the "Muscle Memory".
But a remainder thought, which is like a speeding car, is not identified by the conscious mind as a "call to action" and will not change the "Muscle Memory" action. This is why in working with an athlete in Muscle Memory changes it is important that the athlete know and feels the "Void" of Muscle Memory end of performance. Otherwise, if the athlete does not feel the "void" then the decision of action was send as a muscle control to the conscious mind.
Pre-Performance thoughts reconize that when Muscle Memory has started it performance; we are without thought of what is happening until it has finished. It is in this total 'Void of thought" that the athlete feels their mind return control by the Conscious mind. So we learn to insert a "TAG" into the "Muscle Memory" as a thought or image just prior to its execution of our muscles and let that thought influence the "Muscle Memory Performance". In part two of this blog topic, the individual's visual or audio nature identifies the "Tag" as a sound, word or phrase while if Visual it is an image.
I have yet to find any other method of change to a subconscious instinctive action. However, like your physcial practice takes several occurances of the action; so also does the Mental practice of inserting a thought and allowing Muscle Memory to progress. Otherwise the control of the muscle action will be return back to the conscious mind. In order for our performance to be uninterrupted and allow to finished we must not let the thought pass in our mind to a request for action.
With practice of having these "Tags" or quick thoughts during our performance, the muscle memory is developing a change without destroying what it has already learned. Eventually, that thought will not be needed and it is soon be forgot as part of the Pre-Performance Routine. Sometimes we do keep the "Tag" because we can continue to use the "Tag" as we expand on the change which it was used to initiated.
For example we start with a memory of "A following the bowl to the jack" image which we watch as a memory; and we learn we can also change this memory image to one for a farther jack and add an similar action to verify or know the jack distance. In the same way that our eyes develop the feeling of muscle tension as it views a moving object and then modify the action in preparation to catch that object. We must learn to allow the Subconscious mind to begin working on another wanted change by the "Muscle Memory".
Why use a "Tag"..?? Like a clothing shopping client who has just found what they would like to buy and now looks at the "Price Tag" to know if it is worth the expenditure; similarly, the "Muscle Memory Tag" also allows the decision of whether the thought will be the cause of the interruption of the performance. In changing the Muscle Memory Performance by a muscle performance by your conscious mind, also has started a change of the sequence of events of your Muscle Memory. The "Tag" because it does not involve a muscle action but a thought will only first show you the duration of the thought is too long because you lose your "Void". (The Muscle Memory does not complete the sequence) The only damage is that it causes doubt but you can remove the "Tag" and within days your Muscle Memory is back to it expert performance.
. A simple thing like tapping your foot before starting you "Muscle Memory Performance" as a "Tag" does nothing to interrupt the performance but still allow you to discover if your new change is better or not. In a "Lawn Bowls Change", like changing your "Line of Delivery" from the far bank "marker" to a visual location "spot"on the green in front of you; such a "Tag" could be to repeat a couple times "Look at the spot then the marker" and then final finish by looking at the bank "Marker". This will not change your "Muscle Memory" because your looking at the marker is your normal action as you start your Muscle Action. changes nothing. And you have that "Post Performance" point of reference of the mark on the green to see how your bowl left your delivery in line.
To the shopping client (above) if the price was too expensive they simply leave the item; so also if the thought duration is too long the subconscious leave control of the muscle to the conscious mind. But with that "Tag" you can still walk away from the attempted "Muscle Memory Change" and return to your original "Line of Delivery" reference point.
The interruption of the "Muscle Memory Performance" often will give us a bad result as we will see later in the sport of Petanque. Simply said. Think of the muscle action or a thought of something you want to know (like your successful takeout shot (petanque) and the conscious mind will stop your "Muscle Memory" and take control of your performance. But it is a thought in which you can stop thinking about it (a quick thought); then you let Muscle Memory finish it's original performance.
Important is to understand in Muscle Memory changes or recovery it is only 15 minutes practice sessions and then take a 15 minute rest and never more than 2 practice session at a time; because you don't want that playing with Muscle Memory to become a new Muscle Memory action until you know it is what you wanted. One summer it took me all of the summer to regain my muscle memory after I tried to change something which was causing me pain in my ankle.
What tag to use or suggest to use. Andrew is a winter curler and the common error of curlers coming to lawn bowls is the need for a "Tag" because the curling ''Muscle Memory" which has a wrist movement during the curling delivery. Especially as the new season of Lawn Bowls gets start and the individual who has just left a week or so ago their Curling season. Two problems exist here. Is the change by Andrew to soon. Should he allow a couple of week practice to see if his Lawn Bowls experience allows his new sport and Muscle Memory to re-connect. And second problem is why Andrew wants this change. Did someone suggest that a closer point of reference on a Line of Delivery was better?, Or is Andrew moving into "Post Delivery Routine where he is checking where his bowl rolls over the green in front of him; and in evaluating it path to the head is preparing his Post-Mat evaluation.
In the 2nd part of this blog I will explain some of the self-education a coach will be required to do as they help an athlete make changes or correction to their Muscle Memory and some of the dangers of the athlete changing their "Muscle Memory".
If "Tags" are to be used then the student or athlete to-be must be instructed in the introduction of "Tags". The coach must know whether the individual is Visual or Audio aware as the "Tag" should be chosen from their mental strength and their sport experience. It would be better for an athlete to simply prefect their delivery and make no "Muscle Memory Changes then to made an attempt to improve their delivery with a Muscle Memory change and interrupt their muscle memory performance. As previous mention, a major change in the delivery can sometime take a year or two before the "Muscle Memory" performance is back to what it was. Stats the week of May 1st as this blog is written.
No comments:
Post a Comment