04 Apr Coach's Corner: "Variety is the Spice…"This old adage pertains to athletic training more than we realize. The most recent studies of brain function related to skill development and memory suggest that to develop skills faster that are retained longer in our memory, we need to embrace variety in our training programs.Every time we try a new skill, our brain recognizes that we have used a new set of neural pathways. While sleeping our brains insulate the neural pathway used for that new skill by wrapping the nerves with myelin – the gray matter in our brains. This process is called "myelination." The thicker that insulation gets, the faster the electrical impulse travels, and the faster and easier we perform that particular skill. After a while, that skill becomes easy – what we commonly refer to as "muscle memory." Well, it's not happening in the muscles, it's myelination occurring in our brains.Myelination does not occur at an even pace, however. When the skill you were trying to develop is difficult, the brain recognizes this struggle and begins to myelinate. When the skill becomes easy, myelination slows down along that nerve pathway. In order to keep improving, you must always increase the challenge so the brain recognizes struggle and continues myelinating.Training Suggestions…Identify the skills you wish to learnBreak them down into the smallest parts, work on the smallest parts separately before putting them together (increasing the challenges)Example: driving to the basket for a lay-up might involve:1. a jab step fake2. ripping the ball from left to right3. getting your first step past the defender4. taking a power step and dribble to the hoop, lifting off with one leg and extending to full height with the opposite hand5. releasing the lay-up with wrist release action much like any other shotChoose several different sets of skills1. Dribbling2. Throwing fakes3. Shooting VarietyOver the course of a training session, focus on one main skill (wrist release) then add two other sidebar skills (dribbling and jab step fake)Check your email for a sample training session that embraces these techniques

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Coach's Corner: "Variety is the Spice…"This old adage pertains to athletic training more than we realize. The most recent studies of brain function related to skill development and memory suggest that to develop skills faster that are retained longer in our memory, we need to embrace variety in our training programs.Every time we try a new skill, our brain recognizes that we have used a new set of neural pathways. While sleeping our brains insulate the neural pathway used for that new skill by wrapping the nerves with myelin – the gray matter in our brains. This process is called "myelination." The thicker that insulation gets, the faster the electrical impulse travels, and the faster and easier we perform that particular skill. After a while, that skill becomes easy – what we commonly refer to as "muscle memory." Well, it's not happening in the muscles, it's myelination occurring in our brains.Myelination does not occur at an even pace, however. When the skill you were trying to develop is difficult, the brain recognizes this struggle and begins to myelinate. When the skill becomes easy, myelination slows down along that nerve pathway. In order to keep improving, you must always increase the challenge so the brain recognizes struggle and continues myelinating.Training Suggestions...Identify the skills you wish to learnBreak them down into the smallest parts, work on the smallest parts separately before putting them together (increasing the challenges)Example: driving to the basket for a lay-up might involve:1. a jab step fake2. ripping the ball from left to right3. getting your first step past the defender4. taking a power step and dribble to the hoop, lifting off with one leg and extending to full height with the opposite hand5. releasing the lay-up with wrist release action much like any other shotChoose several different sets of skills1. Dribbling2. Throwing fakes3. Shooting VarietyOver the course of a training session, focus on one main skill (wrist release) then add two other sidebar skills (dribbling and jab step fake)Check your email for a sample training session that embraces these techniques

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