Muscle Memory What ? Part 1

Muscle Memory -. Muscle cells do not have a memory. Do they ?

 "Muscle Memory" in sports is when we  refer to the ability of our mind to remembers certain trained muscle movements. 
There are three problems which occur in  what some will refer to as Muscle Memory.
  1 - Don't let your memory use old or muscle memory of another sport. (Note, I said not to let your memory use old memories)
 2 - Developing new muscle memories
 3 - Communicating with the muscle memory to make changes; rather than  doing the movement you are learning for 100 or more times.(the old approach) (Shutterstock photo right)

“You have done that same movement over  a thousand times, since you learn  how to roll a bowl up the green" your coach tells you. "Your body certainly knows how to do it correctly, after all this time". Or a fellow Lawn bowler tell you “Let your muscle memory do the delivery”. So what is all this hype about Muscle Memory ??

 Clearly,  the muscle  do not perform  unless it receives instructions from the brain. But sometimes old memories or  previous training of muscles can be more of a problem than  trying to learn new Muscle movements. Lawn Bowls, an English sport has similar sports in Italy (Bocca), France (Petanque) and Canada (Curling); all are doing basely the same movement. Doing an arm swing to delivery the bowl, (ball or stone) while pushing outward (Body Movement)and having enough force to complete the throw.  

Peterborough Examiner

This summer I helped a second year lawn bowler with his style of delivery because even after two years he still was finding  that his muscle memory was actually using his delivery from the sport of Curling, which he did every winter. In curling, the delivery requires that you place your stone (bowl of curling) directly in front of you  (on the center line) and let the follow through (Line of Delivery) go to the broom ( object of the direction of delivery held by the skip)  Still, two years later, this lawn bowler was at times finding that he had a strange left of center delivery. It appeared that his arm moved across his body to the center (like in curling)  and because it was before his released of the bowl, he was not maintaining his line of intended delivery. (Sometimes this happen because the bowler looks to the jack and his body turns; but here it was a "old Muscle Memory". 

Every winter, I play Petanque (the french game of rolling a metal balll to a jack (cochon).  As my year begins, I find that I can not do a throwing takeout shot; because in summer's bowls' delivery my best results is when I am low to the green with  my arm swing. In Petanque  the takeout shot requires my delivery arm  tocome up to the heigth of my shoulders for a good takeout throw.

Bowling, Wikipedi

Same happen when we coach a new lawn bowls member who has been doing Alley Bowling during the winter. With them there is that tendency to do a round your body swing of their delivery arm. (starting behind your back and coming around to center in front of you). Of course, in Alley bowling the release is also when the ball is at the bottom of the arm swing; but where the circular movement of alley bowling is a method of keeping your balance which was needed for the hard throw; now your body movement  must be rather quickly stopped unless your foot crosses over the delivery line. (A fault in delivery during Alley Bowling)

So, as per the first problem of  "Muscle Memory" indicated above; you in starting a new sport, must be aware of old habits (Muscle memories) which are more inclined to become a major part of your lawn bowls delivery. These muscle movement  are really a problem which every Lawn Bowler has when after a winter activity they return for your summer Lawn Bowls season.

Jumping to number 3 (above) "Communicating with the memory"  When a child runs out in front of the car and your foot raises to the brake; did you say raise foot , push brake ? NO  If this thought and muscle movement of braking a car was to happens like that described above; you would be doing a conscious communication with your muscles. .

  Conscious thought  of an action is  talking to your body to have it do an required action. Subconscious control is your mind talking to your body in response to a danger or repeated action. Above, you saw the danger and you had a thought of stopping the car and your mind and muscles did the action without you having time to communicate. This subconscious thought or instinctive action instructs our body to do  the necessary movements because as a biologic computer has been programed to do it and we often find it happen as we cough, choke or even jump aside because of danger. We realize that our memory of muscle movements happen without our need to think of it and often refer to as "Muscle Memory"

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 If during a delivery you are thinking of a modified action which you believe is needed to occur; (example, put on more distance); and you are going to do a longer  forward step,  can the mind automaticly do a controlled delivery.  No it is "do as I say" (conscious) or "do as you have been taught"  " Muscle memory".  To have a subconscious muscle movement performed  because the mind has collected the necessary memory, and wishes  to access this previous developed memories the the conscious mind can not be busy telling the muscles what to do. The subconscious mind must be given control and allow to do it known movements. 

Radio Signal (Or 2 signals)

The problem is that the Subconscious mind  can not do an action if the Conscious mind is busy telling the body what to do.Like a radio tuned to two stations, the mind's performance (subconscious) is destroyed or overridden by your physical  (conscious) attempt to change or correct an action. We  must accept that all we are doing is confused the mind with instructions. In order to place an importance on an action it is just in need of a thoughts. Otherwise, we are actually stopping the subconscious mind from having  a total control.

When learning something new and repeating the same taught movement, yes we need conscious thought telling the muscles what to do.  In the second part of this blog I will show how to communicate with only the subconscious mind as you ask it to perform change or  to improve our performance. Such communication must be like telling the office secretary (our subconscious mind) to do a job, and then leaving her/him to actually doing it as they know how to do it.

Now to point 2 (above) "Developing new Muscle Memories" When we start coaching a new member we do steps by steps instruction of movements. Maybe we develop this teaching by using steps or sections and discuss what we must verify before going on to the next step. (Example of (pre-delivery "Mat Routine"), After a club coaching session and during the following week  the student has practice these steps on "  how to do a good delivery". 

With the Muscle performance finished, the coach moves onto Line, weight and other aspect of the delivery variables.  In a good coaching session the student is not just shown "This is what you do" but as the several weeks of coaching pass they will also be given Muscle Memory routines.  In these communication of the body with the muscles, your communication with your body is more than to perform the actions over and over; but also how to develop and use the muscle memory.. No you do not  communicate with your muscles, like a thought when communicating with the subconscious,  but by develop the correct muscle movements and  improving or correction of bad movement while always repeated the right action. As a reader, think of your memory of your delivery moveements.  Do you see the memory? If you read about the psychoneuromuscular theory it will say that your thoughts have caused the mind to send a signal to those muscles.  Much as a secertary told to do a letter and photocopies will go see if the photocopier is available before starting the letter. The mind checked if the muscles are ready. And even more the Basketball player sitting on a bus is actually practicing his shot.

Muscle Memory – Athough, you did those movements over a thousand times and you still see a mistake, or lack of proper performance and attempt to correct  the muscles movement. You  consciously worked to instruct the muscle on what not to do and how to improve that performance.  With all these actions, there are muscles doing different pushing and pulling actions with different forces as you learn a specific movement. Sometimes, some muscles are given control of certain actions while others are instructed to relax and do nothing. Often, as we repeat the movements many times, with our corrections and improvements, we are building, slowly, what is the subconscious memory. When you have the thought of a good delivery, your subconscious mind will know how the many muscles cooperate and instruct the muscles to work together. But the subconscious must be allowed to do it own thing.

If in lawn bowls, you were to construct a piece of equipment which could throw the bowl up the green with the same weight and in the same line; you would think that the bowl would go to the same location every time.  Yes, maybe if there was no influence in the release the energy ? However, if we look at archery, where such a device is used to throw the arrow, (the compound bow); we find that very small but stilled unexpected involved action will influence the final action and the final movement and result. 

Looking at Archery, we see that  the strung bow; (pullies and sights) is holding the same energy and that at the time of release of the string, should send  the arrow with the same controlled movement every time.
 So why does an Olympic archer never get a perfect score of 900 or 1200 with the competition of 90 or 120 arrows. (10 spot x 90 is a perfect 900 point score) Photo right Archery 360

We would think that it is easier in Archery because the muscles are not performing any force but are simplely holding of the force or tension. The muscles are therefore disciplined to continual doing this work until they are instructed to relax. Hold the tension in the bow too long and  at one point the archer will start to shake as the muscles can no longer continue to hold that force. So the duration of action is important. (In bowls this duration effect  is seen as after a three game competition your body is tired and your delivery  percentage of perfection becomes lower.)    

What is the hard part of Archery is when the actions of the muscles is told to release the arrow and  all but a few certain muscles are told to relax.  I often thought of this like musical chairs, where all the kids run to get a chair when the music stops; there are some kids (muscles) which are too slow, and are fighting to catch up (get a chair) All the muscles should work or relax at the same time but they don't.

Now, second part.  What if you have to  make a correction or improvement of these muscle movement ?. In Archery, the tension part of the arrow delivery is not changed but for the release it is necessary to change how the muscles work together as they relax. (Arrow error left and right are usually the finger's muscles not doing a good method of relax, while up and down is usually a result of the holding hand's wrist and/or shoulder)

One year, during my  beginning  of the Lawn Bowls season, I found that my ankle was being damaged and hurting very much after a practise. The reason for this was  that I was doing something wrong in my forward step and I knew as a coach the detail of the problem. Also, I learned from a Level 3 coach how to change what I are doing; but it took all one summer of losing my accuracy and quality of the delivery, to fix the mistake. If you practice the same mistakes for a few years it may take that long to correct it.

  Of course, my problem was fixed on how I stepped into the line of delivery and now I was instructed to again to learn  to do a proper delivery..  This information is to make the point that bad habits can not simply be corrected without  a major change. Some coaches  will teach and say "Do things right at first and bad habits won t develop".  The change, which cost me a summer of lawn bowls competition was a lesson in how   to communicate with the subconscious mind, or recreate the " Muscle Memory". Like doing a housecleaning and throwing out the old memories and now as I relearned the correct movements I praised my self and planted them in memory by recalling them as I sat on the bus. Sort of like the Basketball player mention above. Fixing errors if not done correctly  with  both minds involved (conscious and subconscious) only leads to total confusion. On the bus was my Subconscious practice.

Back to Archery. Most important here was that to shoot a good arrow my mind had to learn  to completely relax and not be busy telling my body things that I did not want to do wrong. Thinking before the release of the archery arrow I was busy controlling how to Stand still, to balance and do a smooth action release.  All of  these thoughts were instructions to the mind (conscious control ) which was preventing the " Muscle Memory" (subconscious) from performing  a good  arrow flight. I had to think of something else and let the subconscious mind do the release.

 In lawn bowls this happens too.  Place your frontal foot badly and your balance goes left or right as you move through your delivery action. If  your wrist fights with your body to do a good delivery and your body  wants to balance itself (so you don't fall over) by doing a tight wrist movement, your bowls will go left or right. Did your balance problem happen because you attempted  to change something (conscious thinking) which causes a confusion of the conscious mind or was it the subconscious mind feeling the danger of "lost of balance". Bowls is both physical force and mental (thought) (wanting to do a good delivery) which must be balance and in harmony.

 It is interesting to use Youtube.com to watch good indoor lawn bowlers and notice their  delivery tricks,The point is not the trick but how they have transfer from conscious to subconscious control of their delivery to add and use their trick. Like, you may see how it  seems that they  freeze in there body forward movement  for a second.(Did they remove delivery weight ?)  I believe this is a tell of their subconscious mind's control. As they add on distance you will notice a more heavy forward movement on the delivery. At this moment of return of the body to it's conscious control they have stopped their delivery action.. Then taking control (conscious) after the delivery  they know to allow their body to continue it forward movement and other actions. And ofcourse the mind"s eye still follow the bowl to the jack.

 Forward movement  of the indoor lawn bowling carpet bowler can not be considered a "muscle memory" unless you think that they can feel how much pressure their forward foot puts on the carpet. I believe this is the end of their "Zone" delivery, when they return to reality. I suggest the study of the Youtube video of 2016 indoor final between two of England's great. Nick  Brett and Robert Paxton. (Skip Forward over the beginning enterainment to the actual Indoor Bowls Finals play)

I mention that I believe this stopping of forward movement
is the end of their subconscious delivery and this can be clearly seen in a Petanque video of Mark Wildeboer where he communicates with the subconscious by seeing (in his mind) the image of the thrown takeout shot going to the target. His left foot shows his thought has he goes to the target and repeats the second viewing of the image. In this Petanque video, the mind first see the image, second see the modification or precise of shot image and in the third action releases to the subconscious to do the shot.  Being now in their zone and in a period of a "total void". (Good petanque  video of the 2012 Final (in French) between Thialand/France with very difficult playing surface)

In basic lawn bowls teaching, two actions are an influence on the weight  of your delivery. The arm swing and the body's forward movement as you keep your balance and deliver the bowl. If you wanted to be adding on or taking off distance during a delivery we must modify one of these two delivery influence. Here, the indoor bowlers have used the control of the forward movement.   The third influence on your delivery weight is the condition of the playing surface. On outdoor greens we sometimes used this to change the weight.as we decide to use a "virgin green" as our line of delivery and know it will slows your bowl. (From blog of Three subconscious Mind exercises)

Lets go to archery again.  Why..?? Because your muscle memory and your subconscious body control is like that fully strung archery bow, ready to be released with its tension. It is ready to send the arrow and we are hoping or expecting that everything is going to work perfect as we release the arrow.
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First,  the indoor lawn bowls carpets are very fast and require a very fine adjustment of delivery speed; there must be something which the elite can develop to have a Constance delivery distance, and then do a add-on or take-off of weight.  We will see in their style that in  this fast mat indoor game and  with  a natural delivery: they  have developed an action of holding their body forward movement back as if they have completely stopped.

If this is how these indoor lawn bowlers, ( on a very fast carpet green) control  their forward movement and have the ability to put-on and take-off  the delivery distance; it has been taught to the subconscious mind over time and practice.

 In watching the first couple of ends, of the youtube video, you will see that when they want to place a back bowl that quick stopped movement is absence from their delivery. There is still a stop and restart but the body is allow to flow foward a bit  more as one movement.


 In part two of this blog we will see how we can  send a  signal of  a feeling to the bowler's subconscious which allows the mind  to analysis the delivery movement and get this fine extra distance added or taken off.

If this same individual bowls outside on slow greens they will find that the subconscious mind, or their "Muscle Memory" of their delivery must be re-directed every year as they go from indoors to outdoors or visa versa.


 If  at the "lay the bowl down" moment the indoor carpet bowler wants to have finish their forward movement, they must have some trigger which they develop with the subconscious mind. Like a outdoor lawn bowler, the bowler gets one distance their "Natural Distance" when they stops the forward movement at a certain place. Maybe, they can not really feel how much weight they are to put on their  forward foot, or not allow any weight to be put on the forward foot.

 And if  want to then have an "add-on" they gets  another distance by feeling  a slight different pressure on his sole of his foot.  By attempting to develop this method, the subconscious mind begans to react to indicator which eventually the bowler can forgot about.   I am sure that it is difficult for an individual to feel that pressure, and during the learning stage of delivery the "Action and Consequence" is really teaching the subconscious mind. Eventually the individual will not be looking for the feeling the different levels of foot pressure which is for the wanted control. 
Eventually, as the "Muscle Memory" of the subconscious ability to detect this forward movement change, the individual in their mind;  simply indicates the location in the head where they wants the bowl to stop. The same arrives on outdoor deliveries because after we have developed the action and control we simply allow the subconscious mind to feel or adjust everything to get that distance with that delivery.  So in the end of such development, both indoor and outdoor deliveries are now a manner of wanting the bowl at a certain place in the head.

Concentration is important.  As you step to the mat or are on the mat and you hear voices behind you, it is sure your mind is listening unless you have trained it to not hear anything. But if you have removed all sound and interruption; then what can go wrong. 
In archery  you want to do a good release when the arrow is aimed at the center of the target. In bowls you want to do a good delivery when you begin your delivery. Both are allowing the subconscious mind to take control and do that proper action.

“Be the target” the archery coach says “Be at the target and draw the arrow to you” or “Be the arrow and fly your mind to the target”  is the Archery relax the mind and let the subconscious do it work.  This is not different than Pre-visualize the  delivery of the bowl. “See the bowl rolling to the head” Be in harmony with the bowl as it rolls to the head”. Eventually you will only be thinking of where you want the bowl to arrive and forgot you are delivering the bowl.

 Your body will do the work and your subconscious mind will feel all the signs and perform the muscle controls and memory. In the second part of this blog I will help you communicate information to the subconscious mind. No not think it (conscious mind) but have the subconscious mind know it needs to be controlled.

You must feel this zone presence.  In an earlier blog about the  subconscious, "Three Subconscious mind Exercises"  the exercises are only to know when you no longer thinking, and  being in this " absence of mind state" you are  allowing the subconscious mind and your body to do the action.  This is in the zone .

In the photo (left) from the Hong Kong International Bowls Classic Women Pairs Final  and see how the lawn bowlers actually pre-visualize  the line during their delivery movement. Pre-visualizing this line when on the mat is a method of telling the subconscious of your expected result. (More in part 2 of this blog)

In Archery, when doing pre-visualizing of my arrow,  I once projected myself (mind or presence) to the target, did a great release and  found my presence or mind was still at the target when the arrow hit.  I almost had a heart attack as the striking sound  of the  arrow rang through me like the arrow hitting me.  Over time I got use to this scare and then worked to relive the experience more often. This is by some called "Being in the zen-zone", because a part of Zen in archery is to become one with the archery equipment. 

 In bowls you must use your post delivery feedback to communicate to your subconscious mind your  satisfaction and  even your analysis of what happen and the resulted in the delivery of the bowl to that area. This positive feedback of your delivery will secure your subconscious mind to do the same.  Muscle Memory will seem a natural occurance because you allow your mind to do the work.

Maybe, you finished to the left or right in the head and are telling your body that your balance is to blame or you did a small wrist twist .  This is like saying to the subconscious mind. “Opps, you didn't control the placement of the frontal foot” or “You must keep your body from twisting when you deliver the bowl”. It is just a thought but during the delivery your post-visualization allows you to actually see what occured.  This thought or post-visualization is done in the few seconds as you begin to leave the mat. 

You must in your pre-delivery routine use this feedback information to communication with your mind  and remains the subconscious mind that the problem is to be controlled in this, the next, delivery. Check out the blog of Dec 2012 "The zone and Previsalization " or " Instintive and previsalization "

Summary,  lets look at the whole routine.  What ever is your routine  1,2,3,4,5 or “there, there”.  Relax, do it.  Let your mind go to the spot where you want. See the body movement and the roll of the bowl in your mind (pre-visualization). Do it again with intention of going farther with your mind as your again see in your mind the delivery and roll. (it is here you communicate your feedback correction) 

  See in your mind that foot being placed correctly in front, or the delivery without the wrist twisting. On the third 12345 delivery you have actually let the bowl go.  You are not doing the actual movement but have allowing what some call "Muscle memory" or I suggest is a subconscious body communications  to do everything and you are in a void of thought.  You are in the  Zin-Zone.  No it won t be long.  But you will learn to feel that short microsecond  void when you were not thinking of anything.  In time you will stay longer in the zone and like Tiger Wood in the blog on his being in the zone.  You will be surprised to see the bowl has left your hand and on it way and even surprise as to where it arrives.

Leaving the zone is as important as entering it.  Re visualize the delivery.  Was there something that happen during the roll of the bowl.?  Maybe the green has a unique area which you must avoid or maybe the bowl's wobble tells you about your bowl grip.. Even the sound of the bowl leaving your hand or arriving on the green are all feedback information which the subconscious will place in your re visualized replay of that delivery.  In good bowlers you will see this still analyzing the shot as they leave the mat in a sort of "looking to the sky " daze.  This is hard but important because it is the feedback which the subconscious needs.  Positive rewarding feelings, simple correction thoughts and finally Leave the Zone.. RELAX.. Give your mind a break. Relax between bowls.

This has been a long read but in your actual delivery of a few seconds all this has passed and still you had the great feeling of a good delivery and the presence of being in the zone. 

 But muscle memory with out subconscious communication or the zone; -  all is just an Archery bow with stored energy doing work. To hit the center of the target or have that perfect bowl  will  certainly happen again and again as you practice to use all the aspects of mind, body and pride.   A new area of bowls where the body is a muscle of delivery and the mind and you are a united performance of thought. Harmony and oneness.(Shutterstock photo right)

Because this blog is for a blind bowler who heard the expression of “muscle memory” during a national competition, I will follow it with a second blog of how difficult it might be to communicate to your subconscious mind if you do not see the actual delivery of the bowl to the head.  Actually, the subconscious communication  is earlier and visual bowlers should try blind bowling to see and correct their faults and weakness.

This blog will look at removing unnecessary instructions to the mind,  which only serve to prevents  the smooth and united (natural) muscle movements you want.  We will talk about being in the Zone,  and how by using your subconscious your body will perform a learned movement with extreme precision and smoothness.  All as the athletic develops  a fine tuned communication with the mind and muscles.