For your consideration
Whether your goal is winning on the street or the playing fields of Eaton, a common feature of both is the requirement to execute skills cold.
This stands in contrast to most practice methods where a number of repetitions are usually executed, and the gain in performance is tracked.
All well and good, but what is being tracked? Arguably, it is the ability to perform after multiple reps.
Another way of practice is possible. Known as "Random Training", this method has been shown to increase retention of execution ability.
It works by practicing different skills every repetition. For example, instead of practicing five freestyle draws at seven yards, instead:
1) Draw freestyle at seven
2) Pressout freestyle at seven
3) Draw SHO at seven
4) SHO low ready to extension at seven
5) WHO low ready to extension at seven
Now, if you draw freestyle at seven on rep #6, your earlier freestyle draw has had time to be "forgotten" from short term memory.
This rep now forces you to "remember" how to execute-cold.
As an analogy, take practicing the multiplication table.
The first time you solve 8x5 your brain has to retrieve the memory.
But if you immediately practice 8x5 again, your just parroting the same answer. But, solving several problems before returning to 8x5 gives you practice at
retrieval. Practicing retrieval seems to be the key to creating long term memory ( what is commonly called "muscle memory" is an aspect of that).
In testing, subjects shooting free throws using simple repetition versus Random training scored better on the test at the of the practice session. But, when
brought back days later and tested again, the subjects using Random practice methods scored higher on the test.
Another practice scheme that strengthens retrieval execution is called "Variable Training".
Here, on each repetition some parameter of the drill is changed.
Range to target, number of rounds fired, size/aspect of the target, and shooter movement would be examples.
Drawing and firing one shot at seven yards would be followed by firing at three yards, then ten etc.
The training effect here is making the skill execution more stable, by practicing more varied conditions.
You're already ahead of me, aren't you?
"What about combining Random and Variable practice?"
Yep.
BTDT. It was quite different. Usually my practice sessions leave me with a pleasant buzz. This left me feeling that my nervous system had
been...stretched-into odd shapes.And it was fatiguing, mentally.
Source: Dr. Richard Magill "Motor Learning and Control"