eli5 :How does your brain communicate with your muscle to know exactly how far to throw a football to hit a target?

Question

eli5 :How does your brain communicate with your muscle to know exactly how far to throw a football to hit a target?

In: Biology

Answer 1

Your brain is an *amazing* computer. It is able, with training, to do advanced calculus on a subconscious level. It plots the trajectory, and sends a signal to your muscles to contract and relax in the correct order and intensity to get the job done.

Now, just starting out, you can barely do it at all. When you are a little kid, you can barely toss a ball. But with every single attempt, every time seeing something fall, every time watching the arc of a ball, your brain is rewriting the pathways it uses to correct for errors. Each time, it gathers more information and adjusts accordingly.