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Showing posts from January, 2016

The Do's and Don'ts of Feedback

The third time’s a charm right? Hopefully this third blog post about motor control and feedback will be my best yet. As I alluded to in my previous blog on the stages of learning, this blog will be about feedback. I am going to talk about the different types of feedback , as well as how to optimize feedback for better learning . Lets start by looking at the different types of feedback. There are two main categories of feedback: 1.     Task Intrinsic Feedback – performance related feedback that is available to the learner directly through their sensory system.   An example of this type of feedback would someone who is catching a ball knowing where the ball is because they can see it with their own visual system. 2.     Augmented Feedback – performance related feedback that is provided by an external source; it adds to or enhances the task intrinsic feedback. This category is further subdivided: a.     Knowledge of Results (KR) – feedback that is related to the outcom

Neuromuscular Adaptations to Training

Coming on the heels of Conor McGregor’s recent UFC victory, the world has taken notice of his unique training style that stresses the fluidity and primitive nature of human movement. Practices such as MovNat, Ido Portal’s Movement Culture, and Animal Flow are just a few of the many up and coming training styles that stress fluid and intuitive movement. These training styles focus on making movement efficient, adaptable, instinctual, and practical. To better understand how these training styles work, we need to understand how the body adapts to movement training. Lets start by defining a few terms. -        A motor unit is a motor neuron (nerve) and all of the muscles fibers that it innervates (communicates with). -        The neuromuscular junction is the place where a motor nerve synapses (meets) with a skeletal muscle fiber. Essentially, the neuromuscular junction is what connects the nervous system to the muscular system. -        A neurotransmitter is a chemi