Muscle Memory

Muscle memory is the ability of the mind to capture a particular activity or movement and can best be described as a type of movement with which the muscles become familiar over time. For instance, babies don’t have muscle memory for activities like crawling or walking. The only way for the muscles to become accustomed to these activities is for the child to learn how to do these things and then practise them with a great deal of trial and error. Gradually, as the child becomes a skilled walker, he falls less, is able to balance, and finally can incorporate other activities into his life such as running. 

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Although the precise mechanism of muscle memory is unknown, what is theorized is that anyone learning a new activity, or practising an old one has significant brain activity during this time. Most theories reckon that our muscles get accustomed to a particular process when the activity is performed repeatedly because of the neural pathway that develops due to repetition. The neural pathway helps us store certain muscle movements within the memory. Neurons send messages to neighbouring neurons in the form of electrical pulses across a synapse (a small gap separating neurons).

A neuron is built up of the cell body, the dendrites, and the axons. Dendrites bring information to the cell body and axons take information away from the cell body. These connections, or “wiring” in the brain is what gives the brain its unique structure and what allows the brain to operate in a coordinated way. While we are born with a complete set of neurons and some genetically “wired” connections, many connections between neurons are determined by a learning process. Learning organizes and reorganizes the brain. Brain development is related to the ongoing process of connecting neurons.

The number of neurons seems to be less crucial than the strength of the connections between neurons. Learning and memory are believed to result from long-term changes in synaptic strength. In the period of age between 0 and 5 years, the child’s brain develops fast which is signed by the fast development of branch nerves “dendrite” in the brain. Therefore, this is the time to optimize the stimulation process for the child’s motor system (regulate body to make a movement), sensory system (regulate body to feel a sensation), and teach knowledge as early as possible.

Muscle memory is an unconscious process because of the ability of the muscles to get accustomed to certain body movements. The walking child is gradually building neural pathways that will give the muscles a sense of muscle memory. In other words, even without thinking, the child is soon able to walk, and the muscles are completely accustomed to this process. The child doesn’t have to tell the body to walk, the body just knows how to do it, largely because neurons communicate with the muscles. Our muscle memory registers certain muscle movements and thus becomes an unconscious process.

The muscles grow accustomed to certain types of movement. Once you learn cycling or swimming during your childhood days you do not have to learn it again even after a decade long break. The more often you do a certain activity, the more likely you are to do it as needed, when needed. It takes a great deal of practise and repetition for a task to be completed on a strictly subconscious level.

The process of adding specific motor movements to the brain’s memory can take either a short or long time depending on the type of movement being performed. When movements are first being learnt, the muscles and other body controlling features (ligaments and tendons) are stiff and slow and can be easily disrupted if the brain is not completely focused on the movement. In order to complete the memorization, acts must be done with full attention. This is because the brain activity increases when performing movements, and this increased activity must be fully centred on the activity being completed.

Much of the motor learning in the brain is located in the cerebellum which is part of the brain in charge of controlling sensory and cognitive functions. After certain training exercises synapses get enhanced in the muscles which increases the speed impulses travelling from the brain through the nervous system in the muscles. Muscle memory comes from focusing on a single action or movement. For instance, when you have kicked thousands of field goals, exercise physiologists assume that the likelihood of being able to kick one during a football game is pretty good through muscle memory. You do not have to think. Your body already knows how to do it.

Another similar example is diving, which involves less concentration with experience in both diving and the route. It does appear though despite practise; attitude can interfere with muscle memory. Nerves can lead to clenched muscles that can’t quite perform, as they would probably do if you weren’t thinking about it. A sense of being unable to perform as you would wish, may also affect muscle memory. The processes are still complex, and the “confidence factor” needs to be considered in future studies on muscle memory.

There are two types of motor skills involved in muscle memory: fine and gross. Fine motor skills are very small skills we perform with our hands. Gross motor skills are those actions that require large body parts and large body movements. Muscle memory is fashioned over time through repetition of a given suite of motor skills and the ability through brain activity to inculcate and instil it such that they become automatic. As one reinforces those movements through repetition, the neural system learns those fine and gross motor skills to the degree that one no longer needs to think about them, but merely to react and perform appropriately.

When an active person repeatedly trains movement, often of the same activity, in an effort to stimulate the mind’s adaptation process, the outcome is to induce physiological changes which attain increased levels of accuracy through repetition. Individuals rely upon the mind’s ability to assimilate a given activity and adapt to the training. As the brain and muscle adapts to training, the subsequent changes are a form or representation of its muscle memory.

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Jeanne-Amé Laubscher

Jeanne-Ame Laubscher, BA (HMS), BA (HMS)(Hons), is a qualified Sport Scientist. She has also completed courses in child psychology and development, cognitive behaviour therapy and neurology. She is passionate about teaching babies and kids to swim. Waterbabies/Garsfontein Aquatic Centre is a modern, specific designed education centre and private practise in Garsfontein, Pretoria. Locally owned and directed by Jeanne-Amé Laubscher. She believes that we can be exposed to water and learn to swim from the day that we are born. Teaching your baby/kid to swim is one of life’s true pleasures and with a loving, gentle approach babies and kids can be introduced to water, helping them to develop a fondness for water that will last a lifetime. She has a passion for teaching kids and has written the book, Waterbabies, which is a more in depth look at certain aspects of muscle memory, reflexes and cognitive development.

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