Repeating skills made Martin Clarke one of the best players in the game

In this week’s Gaelic Life Column John Morrison explains muscle memory and how repetition of skills will make you a quicker and better player.

“Once actions are memorised, muscles must be trained to act in a quick fluid manner in a gym or on the playing field.

“When players do strength and training exercises, they enhance the synapses in their muscles which increase the speed that the impulses travel from the brain through their nervous system to their muscles.

“This is key as it lowers the time between when the brain decides to complete a movement until when muscles actually start to move.

“Simply put their speed of thought is quicker so muscles move quicker in implementing the player skill.

“Remember bad habits, for example poor form, can seriously damage the associated skill muscle memory which has been established.

“So, in order to learn the new skill which will replace the old habit they must practice the skill for as long last it takes the ‘new’ skill to re-bed itself into the muscles. This is like re-learning to walk after a knee operation or a stroke.”

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