How does Muscle memory works? How can muscle remeber tasks?
In: Biology
Okay. So humans can’t multitask. We do one thing at a time, thats it.
Muscle memory works in the brain, not the nerves or the muscle.
What we do is batch up tasks. Like a computer. It’s part of why driving is so stressful and hard to learn, but then when you learn it, it seems effortless.
It’s also the basis for most pro-level sports and athletics. As well as martial arts and other combative.
The tasks for backing up a car might be enter car, start car, put foot on brake, look over right shoulder, back up into street. By the time you’ve done it 1000 times your brain has just put all the instructions into a batch and runs through them without much thought.
By the same token, when you first pick up a tennis racket you have to consciously hold it right, consciously make sure it’s facing right for your swing/hit, make sure your feet are right, your body is balanced right, you can move your hip freely. By the time you’ve won 1000 games…your brain is just like “get the ball” and your body just does what it needs to do to get there.
Martial arts are the same way. You know how Kung fu and karate just look different? Even if you know nothing there’s a pretty clear visual distinction between the way they move. That’s taught. And comes from muscle memory. The first time you throw a punch you have to pay attention to every variable. Your instructor will correct you, balance wrong, foot out of place, overextended etc etc. Once you get all those right and repeated…you just punch.
Actually, back in the day I stressed so much about tying a belt right. I could not explain to you how to do it any more. But if I pick it up and tell myself to put it on, it will come out tied right. The brain is a crazy thing.
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