Mysteries of Muscle Memory

When you learned to write, you trained the muscles in your arm and hand to create letters. It took time and concentration to do this, but with repetition it became automatic. Your hand developed muscle memory; when you write your name, your muscles remember how to move without focusing on the process.

Dancing, yoga, gymnastics and weight training are examples of other activities that require enhanced muscle memory. We can make the learning process easier and help establish muscle memory by using a few simple techniques:

* Visual images
* Repetition
* Slow motion
* Micromovement

Imagery

Using a visual image is an effective way to train your body to perform a new dance step or exercise. The best visual images are those which are familiar and detailed.

In dance, visualizing a movement helps you perform the step. For example, if a dancer wants to make an S-curving motion with her body, she can visualize a fish swimming, a camel walking, or a snake crawling. Since the best visual images are familiar and detailed, visualizing the color, texture, shape and markings of the image make it more vivid and effective. Likewise, visualizing yourself correctly repeating a new dance step or exercise makes the learning process easier.

Many people find geometric shapes helpful. For example, you can imagine drawing a big circle to make learning a belly dance hip circle or circle step easier. A square is a useful image for learning a box step or hip square.

Repetition & slow motion

Repetition helps fix a new exercise or dance movement in your mind, so that the next time you perform it, you remember it more easily and perform it with less effort. Slow repetitions of a new exercise or dance step enable you to feel every nuance of the movement.

Rushing through a movement before youve completely mastered it skips over the important process of sensing every nuance of the movement; beginning dance students and exercisers often need to be reminded to slow down. Going slowly helps your muscles recognize precisely what the movement should feel like when performed correctly.

Micromovement

Micromovement means performing a movement in a very tiny way, using the least range of motion possible. For example, if you were writing the letter O ten inches high and then writing o in a script so tiny it could barely be seen, your O would require a much larger hand movement than tiny letter o, the micromovement. Using a tiny range of motion helps you sense subtle muscle movements which are occurring, but micromovements must be performed with awareness to get the full benefit. Going slowly helps.

Have fun with learning!

Select the movement or exercise you are working on, then answer the following:

Imagery: what animal, shape or object does it remind you of?
Repetition: what kind of music would help you when practicing this movement?
Slow motion: how many counts does it take you to complete one repetition?
Micromovement:what is the smallest range of motion you can use for the movement?

Ramona is the author of Dynamic Belly Dance, the Joyful journey of Dancemaking and Performing. See free belly dance videos, read book excerpts and order an autographed copy at http://www.DynamicBellyDance.com

Copyright 2007 - All rights reserved worldwide. Reprint Rights: You may reprint this article as long as you leave all of the links active, do not edit the article, give author name credit and follow the EzineArticles terms of service for publishers. Thank you!

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Soccer Team Strategies With the 3-4-3 System of Positional Set Up

3-4-3,
defense;
3, defenders,

These three are very confident that they can handle a lone striker or two forwards. They are also reliant on a good defensive midfield.

On the attack these players will play wide positions. On the defense these players will be more compact and allow the outside midfields to aid in the wider positions.

At times the inside mid-fielders will "show" for the ball. This creates an additional attack from the centre of the pitch as the mid-fielders become out-let players.

They are trying to convert the play by maintaining possession.

When there are only 4 midfielders the attitude is to feed the 3 strikers with the long ball from the back.

Midfield

4, mid-fielders are usually arranged as outside left, inside left, inside right and outside right.

The outside players are called, wingers or flank players and are also involved in striking the goal.

This would make this line up have a possibility of 4 strikers at any given time.

These wingers usually have the bulk of the running to do as they could carry the ball from the defending third and into the attacking third.

This also depends on the team strategy as outlined by the coaching staff.

The two inside mid-fielders are supposed to be the "play makers".

These are the individuals who are responsible for carrying out the plans the coach and players have designed and used as the methods of attack and goal scoring.

These positions have traditionally played these roles. However nowadays the play making comes from anyone and sometimes all the players at any given time.

These inside players have also been more defensive in their general on field play.

This defensive idea is to stop the opposition from creating attacking options.

They will then gain possession of the ball and and mount an immediate attack through their play making abilities.

Forwards

3, forwards,This is the first time in any formations that we discuss the possibility of three strikers.

This is a team who definitely has goal scoring in mind first.

They want to put pressure on their opponents by having a greater numerical advantage while attacking.

This team also forces the opposition to become more defensive. This is a tactical of aggression from this team.

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Learning from Tiger Woods

The August 14, 2000 issue of time Magazine features an article about Tiger Woods titled The game of Risk - How the Best golfer in the World Got Even Better. Although I have no specific interest in the sport of golf, I do have a long-standing fascination with the general theme of the article: how can someone learn to do something better?

Thats precisely what the Alexander technique is all about. And while Tiger Woods has probably never heard of it, its interesting that his quest for a better golf swing parallels in many ways the process F. Matthias Alexander - the developer of the Alexander technique - went through a century ago.

Alexander was a Shakespearean reciter who ran up against limitations in his ability to perform well on stage. At that time there were no microphones and speakers and so he had to fill an entire auditorium with just the power of his own voice. Like Woods he was very talented at his profession but he also knew that there was room for improvement. In particular, he found that his voice gave out during a longer performance and that he had a tendency to gasp for breath on occasion.

Neither his doctors nor his vocal coaches were able to help and so he set off on his own, using a system of mirrors to monitor his performance in order to see precisely what was causing his difficulties. If he were living today, he would probably use videotapes of himself to see what was going on.

Thats what Tiger Woods did in order to improve his swing. I knew I wasnt in the greatest positions in my swing at the Masters, Woods said. But my timing was great, so I got away with it. And I made almost every putt. You can have a wonderful week like that even when your swing isnt sound. But can you still contend in tournaments with that swing when your timing isnt good? Will it hold up over a long period of time? The answer to those questions, with the swing I had, was no. And I wanted to change that.

The article notes that Woods has become ...an obsessive student of the game who reviews videotapes of old tournaments for clues about how to play each hole. Alexander too was an obsessive student of his performance and in the end his obsession paid off not only in providing a solution to his voice problem, but later in the discovery of a process that could be taught to others who wanted to improve the quality of their physical functioning.

What is most remarkable about Woods, the article continues, is his restless drive for what the Japanese call kaizen, or continuous improvement. Toyota engineers will push a perfectly good assembly line until it breaks down. Theyll find and fix the flaw and push the system again. Thats kaizen. Thats Tiger.

And thats Alexander, too. Never content with the progress he had already made - first in solving his own voice problem and later in developing better ways to teach others, and to train teachers in his technique.

Woods first instructor, Rudy Duran, commented that he has the ability to stay in the present during a tournament and focus on hitting one shot at a time.

Alexander, too, discovered that in order to change his way of speaking he had to learn to stay focused on what he was thinking and doing in the present. Much of what Alexander Technique teachers do to help their students with today is teach them how to develop this skill for themselves.

Its no wonder that so many leading performers in the fields of acting, music, and dance have studied the Alexander Technique and have publicly endorsed it. It turns out that this ability is also very useful for people who dont consider themselves to be performers but whose performance of activities in their daily lives has put harmful stress on their bodies, often to the point of causing pain such as backache or stiff shoulders and necks.

Learning how to monitor your thoughts and actions in real time is a valuable skill for anyone to master.

Robert Rickover is a teacher of the Alexander Technique living in Lincoln, Nebraska. He also teaches regularly in toronto, Canada. Robert is the author of Fitness Without Stress - A guide to the Alexander Technique and is the creator of The complete guide to the Alexander Technique at http://www.alexandertechnique.com.

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Reasons To Own A Boat

Reasons to own a boat:
There are many advantages to owning a boat. Relaxation, time spent with friends and family, and enjoying nature are only a few reasons why owning a boat is so wonderful. In my opinion, the best reason to own a boat is that it simply that it improves the quality of life. Once you board your boat and set off on the wide open water, your worries seem to fade away. It makes you feel like almost as thought you are in another world. Boating becomes a way of life for you and your family. Take advantage of all the benefits that boating has to offer.

Enjoying family and friends:
Running errands, bringing the kids to school, picking them up from practice and working long hours are all part of a normal week for most people. You need some recovery time from all of the hustle and bustle of everyday life. this also brings your family together for shared quality time. this is also a great opportunity to teach your kids something new, whether it is fishing, boating lingo, or exploring nature. Pull them out from in front of the video games and get them out there to enjoy the great outdoors. There are numerous activities that your family can enjoy on a boat. The kids as well as yourself can enjoy tubing, skiing, fishing, swimming or just cruising along on the calm waters. You will enjoy each others company, laugh, talk, and make memories that will last a lifetime.

Endless waters:
When you are on your boat, there is always somewhere new to go. With 2/3 of the planet covered with water, there is bound to be a river, lake, bay, or ocean that you havent explored. If you think that you dont live in an area where you will use a boat often enough, think again. Most people live within an hour of a navigable body of water. So look up your local marina, and find out where the closest body of water is to you. If it is a small river, see where it leads to. If may be a 20 minute boat ride to a lake you have never been to.

fun and stress relieving:
After working you tail off all week long, you deserve some recreational leisure time. Boating has proven to relieve stress and tension. When you are floating away from the shore, it feels as if you are floating away from your worries and troubles. They are not welcome out on the peaceful water. With endless activities and opportunities that boating has to offer, it can be so much fun. Once you decide what you will be using your new boat for, choose the type of boat that is right for you.

affordable recreation:
Many people think that to be a boat owner you need to be raking in the big bucks. That isnt true. You can finance a boat for around $200 a month. You can save that if you give up going out to dinner a few times a month. Owning a boat can be affordable if you budget your money. There are many money saving tips for boat owners. In the long run, owning a boat will save you money. Think of how much you spend on family vacations. If you own a boat, you can go anywhere that the water will take you. If you have a cabin and bathroom facilities, a weekend trip to somewhere new is always exciting for the family. Now you dont have to pay for a hotel, and you can bring your own food.

Now that you have decided that you cant go another summer without a boat, visit SellUrBoat.com to search for your new boat. It wont be long before you are watching the sun set over the lake that you and your family just spent the day on.

Kristy Bateman is the writer for Earl's Blog on SellUrBoat.com. These articles are unique and helpful to anyone interested in learning about boating and or fishing. Please visit SellUrBoat.com to view a variety of unique articles from Kristy. SellUrBoat.com is The Simplest Solution to Buying and Selling 'Ur' Boat.

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