While stimulating the brain cells over the discussion re age and VO2 max, I re read a lot of my neurology books and journal publications.
I will try to summarize some basics about motor learning, how it is stored.
Motor control is our ability to move in space.
Motor learning is the study of the acquisition and or modification of movement.
While motor control focuses on understanding the control of movement already acquired (learning swimming technique), motor learning focuses on understanding the acquisition or modification of movement (refining technique.) Motor learning involves more than motor process. It involves learning new strategies for sensing as well as moving (e.g. the feel of the water) Thus, like motor control, emerges from a complex of perception-cognition-action process. This process of motor learning can be described as the search for a task that emerges from the interaction of the individual with the task and the environment. Procedural learning refers to learning tasks that can be performed automatically. This develops slowly through repetition of an act over many trials, and is expressed through improved performance of the task that was practiced. During motor skill acquisition, repeating a movement continuously under varying circumstances (eg drills) would typically lead to procedural learning.
There are several theories related to Skilled Learning. Basically, after a person learns a movement 4 things are stored in memory. A) the initial movement conditions, such as position and amount of force, sequence of joints. B) the parameters used in the generalized motor program. C) the outcome of the movement in terms on knowledge of results and d) the sensory consequences of the movement.
There are several factors involved in the consideration of movement training.
1. Feed back. There are 2 kinds. A) Intrinsic e.g. coming from the sensory systems as a result of the normal production of movement. This includes visual information as to the accuracy of the movement, as well as somatosensory information concerning the position of the limbs as one is moving. The person is able to tell say a coach how this movement feels. B) Extrinsic feedback is when another person asks the person to adjust the movement.
2. Feed forward. This occurs at a different level in the brain. It is when a person can draw on a past motor memory to reproduce that movement. If you ask a person to move their arms like they were swinging a baseball bat, then if they have done that movement they will be able to feed forward and reproduce the movement.
3. The brain does not process in a linear hierarchical manner. Processing is serial, parallel and multi-modal
4. Aspects of movement are ‘hardwired’. Synergies are coded in the brain through the ‘hardwiring of the groups of neurons. This is how the brain controls multiple degrees of freedom of the joints rapidly and efficiently. Simply put, neurons that fore together, wire together. For example when a person has a stoke and needs to re learn how to walk, they can through the process of feed forward and the pathways and muscle memory areas draw on that to gain movement back.
5. All movement relies on the sensory information in a “feedback” and a “feed forward” way. Feed back is especially important for the learning of a new movement. Movements are coded in the nervous system related to context and task.
I have lots more including the differences between Kinesthesia, proprioception and body awareness all important in this learning process.
However I think that this helps to illustrate why a person who has learnt to swim and has achieved a good skill level by swimming as a young person has the ability to swim well as an adult. I agree that the conditioning and training effects may not be there, but with training this will return to a degree, perhaps not quite to the same level. But that depends on the individual.
The individual’s overall state of being influences the nervous system’s ability to learn.
That is why late bloomers can learn and train and achieve.
Just my thoughts!
Parents
Former Member
I have been testing my 'theory' for the past 8 weeks with a group of 'new swimmers'. These are members of an adult competitive running group who want to do a triathalon. 3 were almost 'non swimmers' most had very little swimming experience ever. 2 were in a development masters group, and 2 come sporadically to the pool and do their 1km and get out.
By incorporating the way in which a skill is acquired and learnt through procedural learning and the use of knesthetic and body awarness training I was so happy with the results.
I used various dryland exercises on different pieces of equipment for 30 mins prior so the muscles and mind were focusing. I began with the ABC"s Air exchange, Body Balance and Coordination and timing. Each week I added another drill and skill level if the last one was mastered. I also worked the different energy systems and taught them how to change gears and speed up! (Which for endurance athletes is quite difficult, but by 8 weeks their ability to 'build to fast' in a 25m repeat was impressive.) An added bonus they all learnt, and were sucessfull at, kicking!
One lady, who at first was not comfortable with her head in the water, swam in a very tense and stiff 45 degree angle, needing a rest at each end, made dramatic improvements. I did a test set at the beginning, a 20 minute swim in a 25 meter pool. She managed 11x 50's in 20 mins. By the end of the 8 week session (water session was 90 mins) I repeated the test set. I took their total at 20 mins , but to demonstrate how much all 12 had improved, I extended the set to 30 mins. She did 11x50 in 16 minutes and did 22x50 in 30 mins. She held an excellent body position, was getting a body roll, had a much better stroke length and technique was dramatically better.
The improvements were literally seen in every swimmer, resulting in happy and motivated swimmers.
I have to say that this Conscious Awarness has reminded me to be more focused and aware. At workouts with my lanemates, we have been focuing on this and have all seen improvements. I have reduced my 100m repeats by an easy 4 sec improvement.
I should have been thinking of this all along, but as we go along each day, some things just get looked over. Thanks to the 'discussions' on other threads ;), I did some thinking about how we learn and training effects. So thank you to this board for stimulating my brain and improving my swimming, as well as others.
I have been testing my 'theory' for the past 8 weeks with a group of 'new swimmers'. These are members of an adult competitive running group who want to do a triathalon. 3 were almost 'non swimmers' most had very little swimming experience ever. 2 were in a development masters group, and 2 come sporadically to the pool and do their 1km and get out.
By incorporating the way in which a skill is acquired and learnt through procedural learning and the use of knesthetic and body awarness training I was so happy with the results.
I used various dryland exercises on different pieces of equipment for 30 mins prior so the muscles and mind were focusing. I began with the ABC"s Air exchange, Body Balance and Coordination and timing. Each week I added another drill and skill level if the last one was mastered. I also worked the different energy systems and taught them how to change gears and speed up! (Which for endurance athletes is quite difficult, but by 8 weeks their ability to 'build to fast' in a 25m repeat was impressive.) An added bonus they all learnt, and were sucessfull at, kicking!
One lady, who at first was not comfortable with her head in the water, swam in a very tense and stiff 45 degree angle, needing a rest at each end, made dramatic improvements. I did a test set at the beginning, a 20 minute swim in a 25 meter pool. She managed 11x 50's in 20 mins. By the end of the 8 week session (water session was 90 mins) I repeated the test set. I took their total at 20 mins , but to demonstrate how much all 12 had improved, I extended the set to 30 mins. She did 11x50 in 16 minutes and did 22x50 in 30 mins. She held an excellent body position, was getting a body roll, had a much better stroke length and technique was dramatically better.
The improvements were literally seen in every swimmer, resulting in happy and motivated swimmers.
I have to say that this Conscious Awarness has reminded me to be more focused and aware. At workouts with my lanemates, we have been focuing on this and have all seen improvements. I have reduced my 100m repeats by an easy 4 sec improvement.
I should have been thinking of this all along, but as we go along each day, some things just get looked over. Thanks to the 'discussions' on other threads ;), I did some thinking about how we learn and training effects. So thank you to this board for stimulating my brain and improving my swimming, as well as others.
