Ever take a golf lesson, practice, think you have it, but it's not working a couple of days later? Happened to me last time I paid for a lesson.You and I don't retain all details when learning brand new tasks. Here's why... The brain's working memory holds only small bits of new information. Steps just learned for a great golf swing sequence easily spill out of the working memory during activities you engage in before you're back on the course.
Interestingly, you can use mental rehearsal to raise performance.
Just think, if someone teaches you to use video software or to play a solo on your sax, running through a routine in your mind, sometimes benefits you more than doing it. When I learned that golf swing, evidently I lost some information... so next day, I practiced incorrectly. If you physically go through a skill incorrectly, you can hamper learning in future lessons... I can see why now!
The secret -- envision the whole new task as soon as possible. Thirty minutes of mental practice works well. Mental practice helps you and me remember since the process is picked up by your brain's basal ganglia. The more you practice, the stronger the memory. And once you "have the skill," you can improvise and even adapt to new situations.
Matthew Hutson, Psychology Today author, suggests three tips for optimum mental rehearsal:
1. Stick to Vivid Detail Try to remember your own body movements and visualize as accurately as possible.
2. Adjust Your Speed When beginning, go slowly through process so you can focus on detail. If you're an excellent golfer, quick works best.
3. Watch and Discover Take time to observe others who perform well.. Careful observation activates the brain's motor skills as if a person were performing the task.
See possibilities to rehearse new skills on your next plane trip or as you wait in the doctor's office? Thoughts?
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