It is great that she is able to shoot and amazing that she can do it so well with that handicap.

Frank had a problem with his eyesight after he had that seizure a couple of years back and struggled with his shooting because he could not see the back wall clearly. Then the Goddess told him to ignore what he was seeing and just let his muscle memory take over. She reminded him he had been shooting and practicing for many years so he should just rely on the that. After that reminder, he had no more problems, was able to shoot like his old self and has been doing so ever since.

Sounds like Lois is able to do the same thing. She is in good company.

This is a main reason why all new students and veterans need to practice. Those new to shooting or those who have had an extended layoff have to develop their muscle memory so their shooting will become on a subconscious level.

Question: What exactly is "muscle memory"?

If you learned to ride a bicycle as a child, I’m certain you could get on a bike today and pedal away even if you haven’t rode a bike in 10 years or more. I’ll bet you can get into your car on a dark night and easily slide the key into the ignition without looking or thinking about it. This is because you developed the muscle memory associated with the task.
Muscle memory is a neuro-physiological function. Scientists call it "kinesthetic memory" or "neuro-muscular facilitation" when speaking about sensory-motor learning. In laymen’s terms it is simply training yourself to perform a physical task automatically. It is the input and output of your brain working together to produce the desired outcome. In the case of a controlled shooter it is grasping the dice correctly and throwing them down the table with perfect arc while keeping the dice on axis.
Developing muscle memory begins with seeing –thinking-doing. This is what happens when you are first leaning dice control. You start your throw by looking at the dice and thinking about your grip as you pick them up. Then you think about the movement of your arm as you get ready to toss them followed by thinking about the correct moment to release them.
But after a while, with a lot of practice the "seeing-thinking-doing" gradually becomes "seeing-doing" because your muscles seem to "know" and "remember" just what to do. During the practice your muscles aren’t really memorizing anything (memories can only be stored in your brain). Instead, what you see with your eyes is interpreted by your brain in the form of nerve signals to your muscles to make that perfect toss of the dice. Once you develop muscle memory it becomes an unconscious effort to grip and throw the dice with a controlled throw.
There is a saying that “Practice Makes Perfect.” This statement is false. The correct statement wording should be, “Perfect Practice Makes Perfect.”

If you are not gripping the dice and throwing them correctly when you practice your muscle memory will not learn the correct throw. Instead it will train you to make the same mistakes when you get to the table. Computer programmers use the term GIGO which means Garbage in Garbage Out which simply means you can’t expect good results when you input bad information into the computer. Since your brain is the most sophisticated computer in the world you have to make sure you are inputting the correct information, (practicing the perfect throw) in order to get the desired results at the tables.

Question: How long does it take for muscle memory to kick in?

Developing muscle memory varies from person to person but most experts feel that y9ou can develop it in 21 – 30 days with daily practice. You don’t have to have a marathon practice session each day to train your muscle memory. In fact several short sessions are much better than one long session. The reason for this is because when you are not practicing your brain can take the time to assimilate the information you input during your practice sessions. A short practice session right before bedtime is ideal. When you sleep at night your mind replays the day’s events while your body is relaxed and your brain can take the information from your practice session learn from it. If you can’t practice before sleeping the next best time for a practice session is first thing in the morning while your mind and body are refreshed.

It doesn’t matter when or how long you practice but it is important that you practice every day for the first 21-30 days. This is the only way you will start to develop muscle memory. After the initial time you will still need to practice to fine tune your throw and to keep in form. You can’t just practice for 21 days put the dice down and then expect a good roll when you visit the casino in a month or so.

The best advice to follow is this: If you get up and feel like practicing; Practice. If you get up and don’t feel like practicing; Practice anyways.

Great Bill!

Dominator

This is a good post Bill.

A great example of muscle memory kicking in, is the Sunday morning tosses that we see with the Primer students.

After the brain processes Saturday’s information, we see some vastly improved results on Sunday morning.

NFF

Great reminder A 10

Also good to know that a world class instructor like Goddess is available to give such great advise in and out of class.

Pit Boss

Kudos to Lois for continuing to do what she loves and letting nothing stop her!!

That shows tremendous character! 😎

I’m a fan! 😀

Lois you keep going lady. Talk about shooting with passion, you both are an inspiration to us all, thank you ❗