ACtion Magazine - September/October 2013 - (Page 38)
Last Watch
Muscle memory
Elvis Hoffpauir
Advertiser Index
I
’m not thinking about nostalgia for Road Runners or GTOs, but rather an activity
repeated so often that “muscle memory” is created – a sort of harmony between mind
and body that allows the activity to be performed efficiently without really thinking
about it.
I became interested in the concept through my wife’s experience in martial arts. More
than 20 years ago, a friend (a black belt who co-incidentally looks a lot like Chuck
Norris) talked us into taking a Taekwon-Do class with him. Today my wife is a sixth
degree black belt who teaches the art and I’m…not (although I am a proud fan).
In Taekwon-Do, along with many if not all other martial arts, the student must
practice a series of prearranged movements commonly known as a “form” or, in the case
of Taekwon-Do, a pattern.
This enables the student to practice by themselves once the form is properly
memorized, because through years of repetition it ingrains the movements into the
muscles, thus allowing a martial arts practitioner to react without thinking. This is known
as reflex. It’s akin to instinct, but self-taught instead of being pre-programmed by the
Great OEM.
Muscle memory plays a role in all of our
lives, including our work and hobbies. Using
a keyboard, turning a wrench, swinging a golf
With practice, ‘seeingclub, playing a piano, solving puzzles like a
Rubik’s Cube, taking out the bad guys on
thinking-doing’ becomes
your Xbox – all of these bring muscle memory
‘seeing-doing’
into play.
One company, CSE Software Inc. which
markets simulator training for a number of
industries observes, “sometimes employees
just need to practice the actual movements that allow them to execute tasks. That’s the
thinking behind what’s referred to as muscle memory… Interestingly, muscle memory
is more a phenomena of the brain rather than actual muscles, which is one reason why
workplace simulation can be used so effectively.”
Another company, Simlog, offers personal simulators for a wide variety of heavy
equipment operators. Simlog’s website notes, “In the world of heavy equipment, part
of that learning means memorizing how to use levers, joysticks, and even pedals in a
coordinated way to control the attachment at the end of the boom…But after a while,
the ‘seeing-thinking-doing’ gradually becomes ‘seeing-doing’ because your muscles seem
to ‘know’ and ‘remember’ just what to do. What you’re learning now is speed, i.e. how
to perform the task carefully and quickly.”
There can be a downside to muscle memory. Just as practice can make perfect,
repeating a task or activity many times the wrong way can engender bad habits or
disappointing results and have to be un-learned.
But when everyone in your business makes it a habit to do the right thing in the right
way, both company safety and efficiency can benefit from muscle memory. ❆
Elvis Hoffpauir,
Editor -in-Chief
You can reach Elvis at elvis@macsw.org
38
ACTION • September/October 2013
1-800-Radiator & A/C................................2
AGS Company ........................................37
Air Parts, Inc. ..........................................26
Arizona Mobile Air ....................................8
Austin Baker Industries, Inc..................19
Behr-Hella ...............................................11
Delphi ......................................................31
DENSO ...................................................39
Depo/Maxzone .......................................17
Ford Motor Company .............................13
Four Seasons .........................................40
Geniune Parts/NAPA ..............................15
Johnson Manufacturing Company .......33
Kysor/Bergstrom, Inc ............................35
MACS Worldwide .............................23, 27
MEI Corporation .......................................9
Neutronics ..........................center spread
Omega .......................................................5
RTI ...........................................................25
Schrader..................................................23
T/CCI/Que ................................................36
Trans/Air Mfg. .........................................32
TSI Inc./SuperCool ...................................3
TYC/Genera.............................................29
Universal Air Conditioner ........................7
To request information from our
advertisers, visit www.macsw.org and click
on the ACTION Reader Reply button.
Connect with MACS and the digital edition
of ACTION™.
http://www.macsw.org/imis15/MACS
http://www.macsw.org
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of ACtion Magazine - September/October 2013
ACtion Magazine - September/October 2013
Contents
Outlook
Freeze Frame
Virtual View
Leonard’s Law
Cooling Corner
Member Profile
News & Updates
Special Update on R-1234YF
Technician’s Operating Procedure
Emergency Business Plans
Association News
Quick Check
New Products & Services
Last Watch
ACtion Magazine - September/October 2013
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/macs/action_20170708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/macs/action_20176
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/macs/action_201706
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/macs/action_201705
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/macs/action_201704
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/macs/action_201703
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/macs/action_20170102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/macs/action_20161112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/macs/action_20160910_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/macs/action_20160910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/macs/action_20160708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/macs/action_napa_2016spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/macs/action_201606
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/macs/action_201605
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/macs/action_201604
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/macs/action_201603
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/macs/action_20160102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/macs/action_20151112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/macs/action_20150910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/macs/action_20150708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/macs/action_napa_2015spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/macs/action_napa_2015spring_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/macs/action_201506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/macs/action_201505
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/macs/action_201504
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/macs/action_201503
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/macs/action_20150102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/macs/action_20141112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/macs/action_201409
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/macs/action_20140708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/macs/action_201406
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/macs/action_201405
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/macs/action_201404
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/macs/action_201403
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/macs/action_20140102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/macs/action_20131112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/macs/action_20130910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/macs/action_201307
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/macs/action_201306
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/macs/action_201305
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/macs/action_201304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/macs/action_201303
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/macs/action_20130102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/macs/action_20121112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/macs/action_20120910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/macs/action_201207
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/macs/action_201206
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/macs/action_201205
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/macs/action_20120304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/macs/action_20120102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/macs/action_20111112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/macs/action_20110910
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com