Understanding Muscle Memory: Part 2

[johnyandell]

What are your thoughts on Archie Dan Smith's article, "Understanding Muscle Memory: Part 2"

[arturohernandez]

Great followup! I actually experienced transference once. I was working on my forehand in a lesson and was trying to keep my hand on my right side (I am right handed). The idea was to actually keep it in front of my chest. I worked on this a few weeks. Then suddenly one day, I did the same on my one handed backhand. I just kept my racket in front of my chest as I turned. Then I would just hit the ball in front of me.

So the forehand practice transferred over to my backhand.

Now I wonder if the mass practice of one stroke also is a way to allow consolidation in other strokes. In other words, if I rotate from one stroke to another, I am giving a stroke a break. And during this break whatever I practice before becomes solidified.

Is that the topic for article 3?

[archiedan]

I do not know if mass practice of one stroke is a way to allow consolidation in other strokes. I know of no evidence to even venture a guess. Again, most of what I am proposing is really theory/theories based on research. There is also common sense and personal experience in there too. I also have gotten anecdotal experience from a few who have tried my proposed Muscle Memory Practice (MMP). All positive. I think this is important. It is easy to say anything, negative or positive. But real experience, while not a controlled trial, means something.

So here is some feedback I’ve gotten on Transference:

In my book I describe how “Transference” helped me. When I first started reading about this it surprised me. I mean if you only hit your FH for two weeks, how could your BH possibly improve? Well there is evidence to show it can. I wrote about it in my book, and, of course, this month’s article. Since then, I’ve heard from a few others. I’ve really become a believer (see below). I still I do not understand at all how serves improved but I do believe about the improved backhands. Here are two examples.

First from an Australian player, about a NTRP 4.5-5.0. For three weeks, he only worked on forehand cross courts and hit no backhands, volleys or serves. He did play one match a week, but otherwise did not break away from his ‘pure’ Muscle Memory Practice centered on a FH focus. Nevertheless, his backhand improved.

“my backhand has been smoking (although I have not practiced a single one for three weeks!), and my serve has been quite effortless”.


Next was a friend whose daughter was a Superchamp but had stalled out for several months and was not getting better, esp her forehand. They worked on it, using MMP for 1-2 weeks.:

“So, I think my daughter’s forehand has improved tremendously. We focused on it a lot, ignoring everything else. She is hitting a hard, deep, heavy ball now, unlike anybody else her age. She isn't perfect yet, but when she gets it going, she gives the Super Champ boys in her academy fits. We used the techniques in your book, obviously. What surprises me most is the Transference. Her backhand and serving has improved as well even though we did not work on it.”

[arturohernandez]

Next was a friend whose daughter was a Superchamp but had stalled out for several months and was not getting better, esp her forehand. They worked on it, using MMP for 1-2 weeks.:

“So, I think my daughter’s forehand has improved tremendously. We focused on it a lot, ignoring everything else. She is hitting a hard, deep, heavy ball now, unlike anybody else her age. She isn't perfect yet, but when she gets it going, she gives the Super Champ boys in her academy fits. We used the techniques in your book, obviously. What surprises me most is the Transference. Her backhand and serving has improved as well even though we did not work on it.”

It seems that this transference works when people already have a stroke established. I am really curious to see what happens when I try this out!

[don_budge]

Carry Over from "Muscle Memory Part One"...Super Article

Related to Post #17, by don_budge on 08-26-19 at 10:46 AM
-I really like your reference to Bill Tilden. I certainly can't say he practice Muscle Memory Practice (MMP), but how he had completely dedicated highly focused practice on just one stroke sounds completely consistent with what I am advocating.

-I love the "must be practiced until they are etched in stone" statement. This is what MMP is all about.

-Older and wiser is great. I am clearly getting better, although I am age 67, and I am not genetically a good athlete.

-Related to MMP principles and golf, I wonder if a more singular focus on a few key aspects of your golf game, for maybe a couple of weeks at a time, would be better for your overall game when spanned over a 3 month period. Disclaimer, I know almost nothing about golf - just a wild thought, so do not put too much into it. Philosophically, I believe in being open minded and trying new things, even if radical, esp when stalling out using the 'usual' methods, and the trial period is relatively brief, say a few weeks (and no harm to self or others etc). So, MMP principles applied to your golf practice???

-Agree with your statement " The point of taking a one hour lesson and how to break that down is an interesting one. What it should accomplish is to show the student how and what to work on in his own time." - see my reply to post #16

-Also, love the statement" nobody is going to outwork me". Ditto!!!

Thanks archiedan for the most interesting response. Also...big thanks for this all important series of articles. It is becoming more and more important as the conversation kicks in from the forum as well. There is so much to talk about here.

Bill Tilden may or may not have been practicing MMP. He had his own ideas. As in everything else though...he was well ahead of his time. That chapter on "The Value of Intensive Practice" is just a mind bender considering it was written in or about 1925. I remember my coach coaching me on that chapter as he did with all of Tilden's writings. Food for thought....he used to call it. Interesting how he caused me to thoughtful about some things for a lifetime.

But another title for your articles might be a parallel universe..."How to Practice Intelligently and With Purpose". My own quest is now "transferred" to the world of golf. I congratulate you on yours in tennis. Fascinating stuff. Looking forwards to more thoughts from you and the forum.

I shot 76 the other day and I cannot express how I felt afterwards. I was five over after the fifth hole and managed to play the final 13 in one under par. This is the results of hours and hours of intelligent practice to resurrect my golf game. The interesting thing is I know where the goal is. I have been there. I'm trying to find my way back. So I have a wealth of experience and I am now able to organise my thoughts and my practice to reach my objective. While I may not be practicing MMP verbatim, I am certainly using elements of it. Particularly now as I am working on elements of the swing that are inherent in all swings...big and small. Transference. By practicing a very specific move that will transfer into all swings. Interestingly this element has to to with transition. Transition is that point between the backswing and the forward swing. It is neither one or the other...or is it? It like the "Twilight Zone"...that mysterious point between day and night. A strange time when the lighting becomes skewed. How does one initiate the forwards swing? A key element in all tennis swings as well.

I must have read your first article four times. I have read and reread a lot of the comments in the forum. I firmly believe in the chapter by Tilden. I remember in my senior year at college that the summer before I spent hours learning how to come over the ball on my backhand. Playing number one singles woke me up to the fact that my backhand was not up to the task of what was being demanded of it. Keep in mind we were playing with wood racquets.

[arturohernandez]

Carry Over from "Muscle Memory Part One"...Super Article



Thanks archiedan for the most interesting response. Also...big thanks for this all important series of articles. It is becoming more and more important as the conversation kicks in from the forum as well. There is so much to talk about here.

Bill Tilden may or may not have been practicing MMP. He had his own ideas. As in everything else though...he was well ahead of his time. That chapter on "The Value of Intensive Practice" is just a mind bender considering it was written in or about 1925. I remember my coach coaching me on that chapter as he did with all of Tilden's writings. Food for thought....he used to call it. Interesting how he caused me to thoughtful about some things for a lifetime.

But another title for your articles might be a parallel universe..."How to Practice Intelligently and With Purpose". My own quest is now "transferred" to the world of golf. I congratulate you on yours in tennis. Fascinating stuff. Looking forwards to more thoughts from you and the forum.

I shot 76 the other day and I cannot express how I felt afterwards. I was five over after the fifth hole and managed to play the final 13 in one under par. This is the results of hours and hours of intelligent practice to resurrect my golf game. The interesting thing is I know where the goal is. I have been there. I'm trying to find my way back. So I have a wealth of experience and I am now able to organise my thoughts and my practice to reach my objective. While I may not be practicing MMP verbatim ..:

The other day I was complaining to a local pro about people having bad strokes despite hours of private lessons. A lesson is only one hour. The question is what happens between lessons. Intelligent practice!

I never understood this until today.

[archiedan]

Your comment that: “””Particularly now as I am working on elements of the swing that are inherent in all swings””” is really important and a topic I haven’t really emphasized in the articles. In my book I call it “Keystone Habits”. To use a paragraph from my book:

Keystone Habits are more important than all else. Keystone habits start a process that, over time, transforms everything”. This is described in Charles Duhigg’s excellent book, “The Power of Habit”. In it he tells how Paul O’Neill became CEO of the Aluminum Company of America, Alcoa. When he took over, Alcoa was having many problems. Within about a year, “Alcoa’s profits hit a record high. By the time O’Neill retired in 2000, the company’s net worth was five times larger than before he arrived”. It also “became one of the safest companies in the world”. So how did this happen? O’Neill believed that “some habits have the power to start a chain reaction, changing other habits… Some habits matter more than others… These are ‘keystone habits’ … Keystone habits start a process that, over time, transforms everything. Keystone habits say that success doesn’t depend on getting every single thing right, but instead relies on identifying a few key priorities…The habits that matter the most are the ones that, when they start to shift, dislodge and remake other patterns” (O’Neill, 2014, Chapter 4 para, 16-22

An example - in tennis think “Watch the Ball”. I doubt anyone could argue the importance of this. It is critical to everything in tennis! But has anyone ever spent a series of lessons solely focused and practicing nothing but “Watch the Ball”?!?!?

[don_budge]

Your comment that: “””Particularly now as I am working on elements of the swing that are inherent in all swings””” is really important and a topic I haven’t really emphasized in the articles. In my book I call it “Keystone Habits”. To use a paragraph from my book:

Keystone Habits are more important than all else. Keystone habits start a process that, over time, transforms everything”. This is described in Charles Duhigg’s excellent book, “The Power of Habit”. In it he tells how Paul O’Neill became CEO of the Aluminum Company of America, Alcoa. When he took over, Alcoa was having many problems. Within about a year, “Alcoa’s profits hit a record high. By the time O’Neill retired in 2000, the company’s net worth was five times larger than before he arrived”. It also “became one of the safest companies in the world”. So how did this happen? O’Neill believed that “some habits have the power to start a chain reaction, changing other habits… Some habits matter more than others… These are ‘keystone habits’ … Keystone habits start a process that, over time, transforms everything. Keystone habits say that success doesn’t depend on getting every single thing right, but instead relies on identifying a few key priorities…The habits that matter the most are the ones that, when they start to shift, dislodge and remake other patterns” (O’Neill, 2014, Chapter 4 para, 16-22

An example - in tennis think “Watch the Ball”. I doubt anyone could argue the importance of this. It is critical to everything in tennis! But has anyone ever spent a series of lessons solely focused and practicing nothing but “Watch the Ball”?!?!?

In tennis and golf I call it "The Power of Ritual". These are games of ritual. The belief in repetitive motions. Like prayer.

Watch the ball. Fundamental number one. Your points are adding up. 365 in a row...every shot is 365 consecutive imaginary balls in a row. Follow through. The first 50 balls of the 365 ball set could be to only watch the ball. The second 50 could be the exact position of the feet. You really are making too much sense. Great comments. Thought provoking conversation.

I wonder what percentile of the population at large are capable of such "practice". One percent?

[don_budge]

The other day I was complaining to a local pro about people having bad strokes despite hours of private lessons. A lesson is only one hour. The question is what happens between lessons. Intelligent practice!

I never understood this until today.

Do you know what Arturo? I'm beginning to feel the same way. Thinking about archiedan's articles and the ensuing conversation are igniting bells going off in my brain. Today in my yard...35 meter pitch shots.

I had ten balls and I would use the following points of concentration for the ten going out and the ten going back. Or I kept on repeating them until my body was synched with my brain. The last ten were for reinforcement. At the end I was hitting this shot on auto pilot and did so for some ten or fifteen minutes for reinforcement.

1 Watching the ball.
2 Measuring shoulder turn
3 Initiating forward swing with rotation of the shoulders and delaying the arms until the shoulders were parallel to the ball (pointing at the target)
4 Rolling of wrists downwards at ball
5 Contact point

Just an idea...food for thought. How does this translate to tennis? Use your imagination. Cross court forehands? What are the elements of a good cross court forehand? Make a list and take it to the court. I have been thinking of keeping a diary.

[arturohernandez]

Do you know what Arturo? I'm beginning to feel the same way. Thinking about archiedan's articles and the ensuing conversation are igniting bells going off in my brain. Today in my yard...35 meter pitch shots.

I had ten balls and I would use the following points of concentration for the ten going out and the ten going back. Or I kept on repeating them until my body was synched with my brain. The last ten were for reinforcement. At the end I was hitting this shot on auto pilot and did so for some ten or fifteen minutes for reinforcement.

1 Watching the ball.
2 Measuring shoulder turn
3 Initiating forward swing with rotation of the shoulders and delaying the arms until the shoulders were parallel to the ball (pointing at the target)
4 Rolling of wrists downwards at ball
5 Contact point

Just an idea...food for thought. How does this translate to tennis? Use your imagination. Cross court forehands? What are the elements of a good cross court forehand? Make a list and take it to the court. I have been thinking of keeping a diary.

1 Watch the ball
2 Coil, shoulder to knee is one nice cue someone gave me
3 Focus on the contact out in front
4 Imagine I am rolling the ball if it is topspin
4 Hold contact as long as possible as racket continues forward, think of facing the target, so I kind of try to stay facing cross court so the ball will not hook out of the court
5 Follow through


Not as simple as yours but those are mine for a cross court forehand

[ferli001]

Hi Dan and all, I haven't read through the entire thread, been a little busy of late but I will catch up with all these comments and learn from them, for sure. I just wanted to ask Dan --if he/ you know about Cal Newport's book Deep Work. I think there are so many resonances between your approaches and understanding how to best practice and create the conditions for "deep" (or muscle memory) work. Take for example "Deep work: professional activities performed in a state of distraction-free concentration that push your cognitive capabilities to their limit. These efforts create new value, improve your skill, and are hard to replicate." While Newport primarily focuses on "knowledge workers" I think you are both understanding the differences between deep concentrated work vs shallow, distracted, diluted busyness --whether this is in the work place or on the courts. Cheers!

[glacierguy]

Mentioned yesterday to a local pro that as I'd been serving every day for the last week I was hoping for some "muscle memory" effects - he said he "hated" that term, and preferred something along the lines of "neural pathway reinforcement".

[johnyandell]

Sure! It's not the name that counts!

[glacierguy]

Yes, I think the ship has sailed on the name - we all recognize "muscle memory". I was just surprised, he was quite animated about it!!