Tag Archive: Skills

All About Context

Please make trainers proud by correctly choosing to get up like the guy on the right.

     Most of the time I spend with clients is devoted to improving how well they move. Yes, I want them to lift more weight, move more quickly, or develop increased capacity to handle more complex tasks. But what underlies all of those things is good form. My clients know that I’m a stickler for …

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Perception-Action Coupling: Part 2

Andre Agassi's gaze is an amazing example of selective attention.

     In the previous post, Perception-Action Coupling: Part 1, I spoke about how there is a cyclical relationship between what we perceive and the movements that we make. I distinguished between tightly-coupled PACs, such as hitting a home run—the skilled batter’s swing accurately matching his perception of the incoming ball—and loosely-coupled PACs, when a batter …

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Perception-Action Coupling: Part 1

Roger Federer is a master at adapting to the conditions as evidenced by winning titles on every surface against players with different styles.

    Did you know that every movement you make depends on first perceiving sensory information? Think about it: you first look to see where the remote control is before reaching for it (the perception shapes the action). Likewise, performing an action will help shape your perception: the movement of your thumb over the buttons of …

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Thumbelina

Training Diaries Heading

     I’m constantly amazed at how little, seemingly-innocent movements can cause strains, twinges, and aches in even the most fit people.  Yesterday, I was trying unzip the inside pocket of my shoulder bag with the opposite hand and I felt a sharp pain in my thumb.  It’s so ridiculous; the same hand that can hold …

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