Pracitce helps the brain and the mind 1
We tend to think of elite athletes as being gifted with
natural talent—some innate quality that just makes them better at swimming,
running, football, or gymnastics. Sure, we all know they practice a lot, but we
often see this as honing or developing a natural skill or talent to a
world-class level.
Scientists continue to investigate the relative importance
of genetic factors in athletes’ superior abilities, both mental and physical.
An Australian study looking at road cyclists found that professionals
outperform recreational cyclists in their inhibitory control—the ability to
regulate strong or automatic responses and suppress irrelevant information.
Inhibitory control is thought by many to be an inheritable or stable trait, so
it’s possible that this superior control does indeed come down to an athlete’s
genetic makeup. However, practice not only changes athletes’ bodies; it also
changes their brains.
While human brain development is over by around the age of
25, our brains continue to change throughout our lives. Depending on our
experiences, including the memories we revisit and the skills we practice, some
synaptic connections (connections between neurons) become stronger, while
others wither away. This ability of our brains to change is known as
plasticity.
Learning a new skill can be hard at first, but the more we
do something, the stronger the neural pathways associated with that skill
become, and the task becomes easier. If we practice enough, we may even begin
to run on ‘autopilot’—with our actions becoming automatic and unconscious. And,
as you’ll know if you’ve ever ‘overthought’ a tricky dance or sporting move,
interfering with this unconscious process can actually worsen performance.
Take my 13-year-old grandson, for example. He’s an elite
athlete in slopestyle skiing, a sport that involves tricks, jumps, and terrain
park features like rails, boxes, and jibs. To stay on the Snow Australia
Emerging Talent Program, he must maintain high standards in school and in
public. His journey into slopestyle skiing started with hours of watching
YouTube videos of professional skiers performing tricks. But watching alone
wasn’t enough. He spent countless hours on the trampoline, practicing the movements
and jumps before trying them on the snow. This dedication has allowed him to
perform complex tricks with ease, as his brain has created and strengthened the
neural pathways needed for these skills.
Every day after school, he heads to the trampoline in his
backyard. He meticulously practices spins, flips, and grabs, translating what
he’s seen in videos into physical movements. Initially, each attempt is
awkward, and he falls more often than he lands. But with each session, his
brain learns. The neural connections involved in balance, spatial awareness,
and muscle coordination strengthen. Over time, these tricks become second
nature, allowing him to focus on perfecting his form and adding new variations.
His commitment to practice, even when it’s difficult, has made him one of the
top young athletes in his field.
On the other end of the spectrum is my brother, who was the
Canadian doubles tennis champion for his age group (over 75) and now teaches
tennis and English as a second language to newcomers to Canada. My brother
didn’t start playing tennis until he was in his twenties, teaching himself the
game through sheer determination and hours of practice each day.
In his early years, my brother spent many evenings after
work on the tennis court. He studied the movements of professional players,
mimicking their serves and volleys. He practiced relentlessly, hitting balls
against the wall when he couldn’t find a partner. Over time, his brain adapted.
The motor skills required for tennis became ingrained in his muscle memory. His
footwork became quicker, his reflexes sharper, and his ability to anticipate
his opponent’s moves almost instinctual.
Even now, in his seventies, he practices every day for at
least one or two hours. This continuous engagement keeps his brain sharp and
his skills honed. He has also found joy in teaching, sharing his love for
tennis and language with others. Teaching tennis involves breaking down complex
movements into simple steps, a task that reinforces his own skills while
helping newcomers learn the game. Similarly, teaching English requires patience
and creativity, engaging different parts of his brain and keeping his mind
active.
Stories like these illustrate how practice and dedication
can reshape the brain, enhancing both physical and cognitive abilities. Elite
athletes, whether young or old, understand that their success is not solely due
to natural talent. It’s the result of consistent effort and a willingness to
push through challenges. This practice changes the structure of their brains,
making them more efficient and skilled over time.
When a difficult skill like creating a ski jump or mastering
a tennis serve is new, it demands a lot of conscious effort and attention. This
is especially true for novices, who need to think carefully about every small
part of the movement involved. With extensive practice, many parts of the
action become automated, freeing up attention to focus on decision-making or
fine-tuning performance.
For instance, one study looked at the brains of novice,
expert, and elite archers performing a simulated archery task. The novices
showed widespread brain activity, especially in the frontal areas related to
controlled planning. In contrast, experts showed reduced activity in these
areas, relying more on specialized processing in particular parts of the brain.
This shift from general to localized brain activity allows experts to make
decisions quickly and efficiently, using less energy than novices.
A similar process occurs in athletes like my grandson and
brother. As they practice, their brains become more specialized, allowing them
to perform complex tasks with less conscious effort. This not only improves
their performance but also enables them to learn new skills more easily.
Practice can even change the brain’s structure. For example,
London cab drivers preparing for the difficult “Knowledge of London”
test were found to have an enlarged posterior hippocampus, an area important
for spatial memory. Similarly, professional divers showed a thicker cortex in
areas related to spatial information, and rock climbers, basketball players,
badminton players, and speed skaters showed expansion in the cerebellum, which
coordinates muscular activity.
While genetic factors may influence an athlete’s potential,
the importance of deliberate, focused practice cannot be overstated. Both my
grandson and brother have demonstrated that through consistent effort and a
commitment to learning, it’s possible to achieve extraordinary levels of skill
and intelligence, regardless of age. Their stories are a testament to the
brain’s incredible plasticity and the power of practice.
Originally Published on https://boomersnotsenior.blogspot.com/
