Muscle Memory

Muscle Memory

You may be familiar with the term “muscle”.

 

Memory, whether reading from golf magazines or general golf textbooks, is the word that often used for golf learning. If you want to be good in golfing, you have to practice until your muscles remember it without thinking about how to hit, how to turn around, or what kind of weight to transfer.

 

Muscle memory is a term that is widely used and understood. In medical or physiological term, it would be more accurate to use the word “motor memory” because the muscles literally have no memory. It only performs contraction and relaxation by receiving a controlling from the motor area of cerebral cortex and integrating from many other parts of the brain to allow the muscles to work delicately and automatically.

 

In medical aspect, surgery can help to transfer the muscle attachment to change its function, for example, in patients with radial nerve injury, patients who are unable to straighten their fingers. Surgical treatment by transferring the insertion of the flexor muscle with the ligaments of extensor muscles. Thus, the patient will be able to straighten his fingers. At first, you may need to practice the feeling of wrist flexion first and practice more often for controlling it to extend your fingers automatically. Moreover, the transferring of entire muscle that used to flex the knee in the inner thigh (Gracilis muscle) to the upper arm (in the case of a patient who cannot bend the elbow and cannot be applied by other treatments) is performed. Its origin is connected to the shoulder and the insertion is attached to the ligament of elbow flexor muscles. After that, the blood vessels and nerves are connected to this muscle (called Free Gracilis muscle transfer). When the nerve works well, this muscle can control to to the elbow flexion.

 

From above example, it can be clearly seen that the important function of the muscles is contraction from stimulation through the nervous system only. When muscles contract itself, it will pull both origin and insertion together. It doesn't matter where the muscles were originally or have any functions.

 

Memory

 

          Memory has ability to store information and restore it back.

 

Process of memory

It relies on the information that enters to the brain from various sensory receptors, such as images from the retina, sound through the organ of the inner ear (Organ of corti), recognizing the different positions of the limbs and joints in any position through proprioceptive sense.

Memory storage depends on many areas of the brain, which includes the the consciousness to stimulate the brain function. Thus, it will be able to store the memory.

 

Type of memory

 

1.         Sensory memory: the ability to remember information sent in the brain for a short time, such as looking at an object and then shifting the eyes to another area. The image remains stable for approximately 250 ms, then it will be faded in less than 1 second, which is replaced by the incoming signal of new image. For the audibility, it is remembered for less than 5 seconds if there is no repeated stimulation.

2.         Short-term memory: it is a memory of 10 seconds to 2-3 minutes, such as remembering telephone numbers, reading reviews. It can be remembered in a short time if there is no repeated stimulation.

3.         Long term memory or permanent memory: it can be remembered for days or years, such as remembering one's name and familiar surroundings.

 

Mechanism of memory

Short term memory

From previous studies

 

1.         By using electrical stimulation of the cerebral cortex for 1 minute, it was found that the stimulated area still has an electrical potential for a period of time. After the stimulus has stopped, called a reverberating circuit, which is short-term memory, it will disappear when a new circuit has come.

2.         By stimulating the brain for 2-3 minutes and then repeat the stimulation again, the neuron intensely responds more than normal, known as post titanic potentiation, it appears temporary changes in neuronal synapse. This causes short-term memory.

 

Long term memory

 

1.         Structural changes in the synapse revealed that the terminal fibrils at the synapse have increased with age. However, the brain's neurons work less. For example, in blind animals, the number of terminal fibrils at the visual brain area is reduced. Previous studies suggest that the permanent memory mechanism is caused by the alteration of shape and number of synapses. It may change permanently. However, an increase the nerve synapses will transmit nerve signals more easily. The repetition of the memory results in the good memory and it is difficult to forget.

 

2.         Biochemical changes

 

2.1       Animal experiments showed that active neurons produce more protein and RNA. Administration of Actinomycin D, which inhibits RNA production, temporarily reduced memory in rats.

2.2       Growth hormone trial increases the ability to learn and influences to permanent memory.

 

2.3       Thyroid hormones affect memory formation. Importantly, children who lack this hormone will be mental retard.

 

There are two types of long-term memory.

 

1.         Reflexive (Implicit) memory is a memory that occurs automatically without thinking. This type of memory comes from training or often repetition. It is related to physical functioning skills (called muscle memory), such as playing sports, golfing, driving, and working in everyday life.

2.         Declarative (Explicit) memory is a memory that must be thought under consciousness and attention in order to retrieve the stored information and explain it in words, as well as describe, compare, or interpret.

 

Conclusion for Golfers

 

1.         You must research for information from reading golf textbooks, watching TV, or a golf instructor to get experiences and change the physiology of the brain (not just muscle part).

2.         You should practice frequently for effective learning. You should study with a golf instructor how to adjust your body for a better swing, such as stretching exercises, practice balancing, and strengthen muscles.

3.         You should practice for feeling remembering, such as golf landing, backswing, downswing, impact, and fall through. Moreover, you need to check each position by looking at the mirror or taking a VDO. Closing eyes practicing being able to perceive the feeling of different positions is also important (most of us receive the sensing from the eyes, so the perception of different parts of the body is quite low). You should practice in various positions until getting used to.

4.         You should practice step-by-step and repeat until short-term memory is achieved. The repeated practicing should be continued for at least 3-4 weeks and then practice for the next step. The disadvantage of those who do not understand about memory is that they practice many things at the same time and mix them together, resulting in a confused short-term memory. That makes playing golf unable to control the swing.

5.         Golf tips sometimes don't work, and it is dangerous for your swing. Some golfers have new tips that suggest the opposite information. Those can cause confusion and uncertainty. Many golf tips are not suitable for all golfers. Thus, we have to choose which one is really useful because the shape, strength, flexibility of each golfer are different.

6.         Frequent inappropriate practice will lead to getting used to it. This can make more difficult to correct. For example, a golfer who has been playing for a long time but has a bad swing, it will be more difficult to correct. They need to start again over each step until a short-term memory is achieved first. New corrections may not lead to play golf well as before. if there is intention, you should be patient and practice until you have the right swing and the results will be much better, such as Nidfaldo took 2 years for correcting his golf swing.

7.         You should always check the swing and practice regularly because there will be changes in the swing later, which is related to physical and mental condition.

8.         When a golfer has practiced to Reflexive Memory or Muscle Memory, you must plan the game about golf club choosing, golf ball position, and hitting. After that, muscle memory will be used. Thinking about swing or how to get score will loss muscle memory. If you practice routinely, it will lead to a memory about your swing that you can do it automatically. Finally, the result will be more certain than thinking about a swing that could be miss.

 

From Smart Golf Magazine