I watched a TED ed video last night, which outlines how the nerves that carry the signals to our muscles get strengthened due to practice. This happens because of additional layers of fat, called myelin, deposited around the nerve fibres to prevent loss of information. This works much like insulation around an electric cable. The more we practice, the thicker the layer of myelin that is deposited around the specific set of nerves.
The talk also outlined the surprising power of visualisation, especially for honing skills that we already posses. It showed an experiment where basketball players were divided into two groups, where the first group practised shooting hoops for a week, and the second group merely visualised the act of landing shots into the basket, in vivid detail. It turns out that, after a week, both groups had shown the same level of improvement.
The advantage of practising visually is that it can help improve performance without the risk of physical injury. Considering there are limits to which athletes can practice physically, do top level athletes use visualisation to up their game way beyond what regular practice alone can deliver? Visual practice also unlocks so many possibilities in the lives of regular folks - it is now possible to play the guitar better while staring out of a bus window.
I wonder if the same technique could be used to related areas, such as improving will power. I have tried, with some success, to use this technique to wake up at a stipulated time in the morning - I picture in vivid detail, how I would scramble out of bed as soon as the alarm clock rings, going through the motions of waking, trying to imagine how every single muscle would protest, and groggy eyes would burn.
I am not sure if it was the power of visualisation, or my enthusiasm for getting this technique to work that finally got me out of bed. While I did wake up, I did not experience the same efficiency and sense of purpose about my movements as I had visualised. Just like any other skill, it seems like this would require a lot more practice (the title of this post could both be interpreted as both a noun and a verb). I am going to give visualisation a fairer shot at trying to improve certain aspects of my life. One effective application I can readily think of is for delivering presentations.
The talk also outlined the surprising power of visualisation, especially for honing skills that we already posses. It showed an experiment where basketball players were divided into two groups, where the first group practised shooting hoops for a week, and the second group merely visualised the act of landing shots into the basket, in vivid detail. It turns out that, after a week, both groups had shown the same level of improvement.
The advantage of practising visually is that it can help improve performance without the risk of physical injury. Considering there are limits to which athletes can practice physically, do top level athletes use visualisation to up their game way beyond what regular practice alone can deliver? Visual practice also unlocks so many possibilities in the lives of regular folks - it is now possible to play the guitar better while staring out of a bus window.
I wonder if the same technique could be used to related areas, such as improving will power. I have tried, with some success, to use this technique to wake up at a stipulated time in the morning - I picture in vivid detail, how I would scramble out of bed as soon as the alarm clock rings, going through the motions of waking, trying to imagine how every single muscle would protest, and groggy eyes would burn.
I am not sure if it was the power of visualisation, or my enthusiasm for getting this technique to work that finally got me out of bed. While I did wake up, I did not experience the same efficiency and sense of purpose about my movements as I had visualised. Just like any other skill, it seems like this would require a lot more practice (the title of this post could both be interpreted as both a noun and a verb). I am going to give visualisation a fairer shot at trying to improve certain aspects of my life. One effective application I can readily think of is for delivering presentations.
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