Muscle memory can be best described as a type of movement with which the muscles become accustomed to over time. For example, newborns donât have muscle memory for activities like crawling or walking, (Ellis-Christensen, 2012). The only way for the muscles to become accustomed to these activities is for the baby to learn how to do these things and then practice them with a great deal of trial and error. Gradually as the baby becomes a skilled walker, he falls less, is able to balance and is finally able to incorporate other activities into his life such as running and jumping.
 This process is achieved by building neural pathways that will give the muscles a sense of: muscle memory. In other words, even without thinking, the child is able to walk, and the muscles are completely accustomed to this process. They do not have to tell the body to walk; the body just knows how to do it, this is down to the neurons which communicate with the muscles and say, âwalk now;â as quoted by Ellis-Christensen, (2012).
 This term is known as, âMuscle memoryâ and is an unconscious process. The muscles grow accustomed to certain types of movement. This is extremely important in different types of training for sports. The more often you do a certain activity, the more likely you are to do it as needed.
 Physiologists know that any skeletal muscle activity that is learned can become essentially automatic with practice. Muscle memory is therefore a common term for neuromuscular facilitation, which is the process of the neuromuscular system memorizing motor skills. We know that repetition is the mother of skill and that practice makes permanent. After repeating the same movement over and over again, the movement seemingly becomes second nature. Itâs like weâre not paying attention but of course itâs all coming from the same region of the brain that controls everything.
 Morley (2012) noted the theories that explained motor learning were developed at the beginning of the 20th Century. Dr. Edward Thorndike who was a pioneer in the study of motor learning and he conducted various experiments that showed subjects required very minimal training in completing tasks that were learned decades before. These experiments led Thorndike and other scientists to determine that learned motor skills are stored in the memory section of our brains.
 âWe all use muscle memory techniques in our everyday life. Whether it is riding a bicycle, typing on a keyboard or entering a common password or pin number, we have taught our muscles to carry out these commands without putting much thought into them. It takes a great deal of practice and repetition for a task to be completed on a strictly subconscious level. For professional sports players it may take hundreds of hours of practice and repeated shots for the brain and muscles to perform at a world class level;â (Morley, 2012).
 The process of adding specific motor movements to the brainâs memory can take either a short or long time depending on the type of movements being performed. When movements are first being learned, the muscles and other body controlling features (such as ligaments and tendons) are stiff and slow and can be easily disrupted if the brain is not completely focused on the movement; as quoted by Morley (2012). In order to complete the memorization, acts must be done with full attention. This is because 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 the part of the brain in charge of controlling sensory and cognitive functions. Stay tune for part 2, tomorrow, until then, God bless!
Coach Keven đ
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