It's all your Brains Fault!!!

[Ian_S]

Just seen an article on the BBC News Web site about some Stanford University research. They suggest:

"we are not capable of repeating exactly the same movement over and over again."

The Neuron study found monkeys trained to repeat simple movements produced slight variations every time.

The experts said training can improve the way the brain controls the muscles, but practice will never make perfect.

The article can be found here: Tests reveal 'hit and miss' brain

Seeing as archery is all about repeating the same shot sequence again and again, this could be seen as a bit of a blow

On the other hand it's the perfect excuse for not practising. After all we've got research to prove that practice can't make perfect

The other way of looking at it (well in my opinion anyway) is that those archers that get perfect or near perfect scores are doing something pretty amazing as they making their brains and bodies do something they aren't designed to do well.
So when you stick all the arrows in a tight little group in the middle, feel good about it!! After all you've achieved something a group of research monkeys couldn't do

[mk1]

That's OK - we're really only trying to minimise the differences between shots - not make them the same

[Kae]

lol, the similarities between the monkeys and us are very close, but our motor functions are much more advanced, so I would question how accurate this work is.

Now tell this to the Koreans, lol.

and practise making near-perfect is still good enough for most.

Kae.

[BobCat]

Originally Posted by Ian_S

The Neuron study found monkeys trained to repeat simple movements produced slight variations every time.

Hey whos been watching and studying me shooting!

[geoffretired]

That's very interesting IanS. It explains why I can't spell.I use different moves to get to the right keys and keep on messing.
Seriously though, it does explain why the sport can be so difficult. It also explains why it can be so interesting. Imagine what it woud be like if we were designed to be able to repeat movements with great accuracy and little effort.
On a slightly different level than the university study, it makes sense to me that our movements tend to vary even though our intentions are to repeat exactly.
If you think about your own shooting, all the moves are not given equal care nor are they seens as equally important. Most of the sequence is running on automatic and not given a precise route to take. Most of us who shoot at club level, I suspect, only really get serious when we are at the references. Even then the follow through can be observed to differ widely from shot to shot.
Interesting stuff, thanks for that.

[grantwomack]

One thing that the article fails to mention is that a "lack of consciousness" can help to make the task easier. Take a fairly simple task like bouncing your leg (you know, the quickly repetitive movement that everyone does if they've had too much caffiene, are highly strung or are in an uncomfortable situation). Start doing it while you are reading something. Then stop reading and think about trying to keep bouncing your foot at exactly the same pace you were before.

It suddenly becomes a lot harder.

I believe this is where we see "the zone" effect of shooting coming from. It's entirely unconscious, but executed perfectly.

[Kae]

Originally Posted by grantwomack

One thing that the article fails to mention is that a "lack of consciousness" can help to make the task easier. Take a fairly simple task like bouncing your leg (you know, the quickly repetitive movement that everyone does if they've had too much caffiene, are highly strung or are in an uncomfortable situation). Start doing it while you are reading something. Then stop reading and think about trying to keep bouncing your foot at exactly the same pace you were before.

It suddenly becomes a lot harder.

I believe this is where we see "the zone" effect of shooting coming from. It's entirely unconscious, but executed perfectly.

Cheers Grant, that was exactly the analogy I was looking for.

Wha' 'e said!

Kae.

[Flying Whale]

Originally Posted by Kae

lol, the similarities between the monkeys and us are very close, but our motor functions are much more advanced.....

I'm not sure you would stick with that assertion if you ever spent time at a meal table with my ex-house mate eating spaghetti with tomato sauce on it!

[Snarkhunter]

Originally Posted by geoffretired

Seriously though, it does explain why the sport can be so difficult. It also explains why it can be so interesting. Imagine what it woud be like if we were designed to be able to repeat movements with great accuracy and little effort.

Spot on, Geoff. Without the challenge there would be no sense of achievement when I got it right - however infrequently this is!

I know I'm never likely to win a major competition but the satisfation of a new personal best is more than enough to keep me interested in shooting.

[Jerry Tee]

Goes to prove what I have always said '99% of problems happen behind the nocking point'