Explainer: Muscle 9 September 2013, by Damian Farrow

Scientists approach from a variety of perspectives based on the measurement and analytic tools they use.

Cognitive psychologists cite the centrality of the in any muscle memory (learning) that takes place. System theorists (the multi-disciplinary consideration of physics, biology, chemistry and maths) discuss the self-organising nature of the movement system and the importance of the environment in which Scientists approach muscle memory from a variety of we act. perspectives. Credit: Helgi Halldórsson/Freddi Neuroscientists discuss neural plasticity and the strengthening of synaptic connectivity as a function of repetitive firing through practice. Consolidation of such processes is "Muscle memory" is a frequently used term to a related issue with the role of sleep in describe the learning of motor skills, be they sport, motor learning a current hot topic. music, or everyday activity. But interestingly, Neurophysiologists attack the question from despite the widespread usage of the term, first principles: "Can muscles really drive controversy exists as to its accuracy. behaviour independent of the nervous system?" Muscle memory commonly describes the situation whereby people seem to quickly regain a previously under-utilised or "forgotten" skill. If I hear another person return from the snow resorts saying:

you wouldn't believe it, I haven't skied in 15 years and yet skied as if I had never left the mountain!

Well …

It's impossible to cover all the questions relating to muscle memory so I will limit this article to two key topics:

1. Do muscles really have a memory?

2. Why is it that skills such as skiing and bike-riding seem relatively easy to retain, while others such as Credit: tejvanphotos golf or playing music are not?

Flexing the definition In all cases, these scientific disciplines would

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generally reject the idea of muscle memory in the The most obvious difference is the sheer volume of literal sense that the term is generally used. practice one can achieve completing a continuous- type skill, such as cycling, relative to a more As a scientist interested in sports skill acquisition, discrete skill, such as hitting a golf ball. my definition of muscle memory is that it's a colloquial term used by practitioners to describe the Even if you hit a bucket of golf balls at the range complex process of learning and retaining a motor you may only complete 100 or so practice skill. repetitions. By contrast, going for a bike ride for an equivalent period of time would produce First, a skill needs to be learned. Then, once significantly more repetitions. learned, the question becomes: how well is the skill retained over time? This repetition value is a key reason why professional golfers hit as many as 600 balls in a Retention of a , which is an index of the practice session, or why musicians "over-practice" quality of the original learning, can manifest itself as each piece they are trying to consolidate. changes in: The context-specificity of the practice of such skills limb-segment coordination (preferred also varies. Practising at the golf range doesn't coordination patterns) provide the same environmental conditions faced the neuromuscular system used to perform on the course. In contrast, cycling practice is more the skill and how the various component likely to provide a closer coupling between the skill processes are activated, the amount of and the performance setting more of the time (so conscious used to control the skill stay off the fixed exercise bikes!). (noting that skills can be learned without conscious attention) Furthermore, the spacing of repetitions of different the knowledge structures used to guide but similar skills becomes critical. In the case of a their performance (such as tactical pianist, learning one complex finger sequence and awareness). then immediately switching to another may cause interference and result in loss of the first sequence Any or all of the above qualities may become practised. degraded or retained over the life-cycle of a motor skill. So the term "muscle memory" simplifies the It is even suggested pianists avoid leaving practice complexity of the processes involved in the learning and immediately tapping away on the computer for and subsequent retention of a motor skill. similar reasons.

A moving target Motor learning is considerably more than just muscle memory. It relies on the establishment of The retention of all motor skills is not equal. As complex neural networks throughout the human already mentioned, skills such as skiing and riding movement system fostered through considered a bike seem remarkably robust to , practice repetition in appropriate environments. whereas others – a golf swing or a series of discrete movements, such as when playing the Much is still to be learnt about these processes and piano – tend to dissipate more quickly. importantly how educators can improve the quality of motor skill learning and retention from childhood While the number of theories and strategies that through to sports expertise. can be employed to improve the permanency of a motor skill and protect it from forgetting is a This story is published courtesy of The significant field in its own right, some general points Conversation (under Creative Commons- can be made. Attribution/No derivatives).

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Source: The Conversation APA citation: Explainer: Muscle memory (2013, September 9) retrieved 26 September 2021 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-09-muscle-memory.html

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