In the last blog we looked at the idea of being fully immersed in a task, or in a state of flow, and what we can do to create conditions that make it more likely for us to experience this enjoyable state. Another version of this could be seen in the state of “play” where we focus less on intense or serious training of movements. Instead we improvise, explore and experiment. You might already be familiar with this kind of exploration from other skills like writing or creating music and have not thought of it in terms of movement, or you are a movement expert of some kind (say a soccer player or traditional ballet dancer), but usually stick to your training routines. If this is you, you might like to read on to see what benefit “play” might bring to your chosen activity.
Let’s look at a couple of examples where “play” or improvisation and exploration with regard to movement have been formally studied. I think most of us will remember watching kids when they first learn to use utensils to eat. Kids often explore any number of different ways of accomplishing this. There is a lot of what scientists call “movement variability”. They might first place the food on a spoon with their fingers and then eat it off the spoon. Or they might bend right over the plate to shorten the path between the spoon and the mouth. Through many many trials they discover the best way of using utensils for them. In this example, exploration and improvisation lead to learning new movement patterns and optimising them.
A second example of gaining benefits from experimenting with movement comes out of rehabilitation research looking at people who have to relearn particular movement skills. For example, people living with weakness and/or stiffness on one side of their body as a result of stroke may need to learn how to eat with a knife and fork again. Researchers have found that when “play” is involved in relearning movement (gamified movement), people “rediscovered” a greater number of shoulder and elbow movements.
The mechanism through which “play” enhances movement is likely to be an increased production of a special protein in the brain that causes nerve cells to branch out more. This creates greater connections and works to remodel the brain (see earlier posts on neuroplasticity). One potential upshot of this is increased synchronised activity in parts of the brain that organise thought and parts of the brain that coordinate movement. In addition, “play”, in comparison to repeated routinised practice, is very, very motivating and likely leads to greater attention, enjoyment and increased practice.
Regardless of the exact way in which “play” might make us better movers, here are some practical takeaways from all of this:
- Allow your kids to experiment and “play” with movement, with language, with music etc to preserve the joy of the activities and to gain more than what they can gain from hours of guided practice.
- If you are a physical therapist, consider this for your clients whether they are athletes recovering from injury or people living with motor impairments as a result of neurological compromise.
- Watch (your) kids “play”ing with movement, language etc to rediscover the joy of experimenting.
- Every now and then, step away from the routinised practice of your chosen skill or activity and improvise: Rugby-kick the ball around between mates and find different ways of kicking it with your foot; chuck out the script when sitting down for your next music practice and play some random notes, maybe in a random position with your arms/fingers?
If you are keen to learn more about how your focus, or where and how you pay attention, impacts on your movement over the next couple of months, keep an eye on this spot, follow me or subscribe to the blogpost. To work with me one-on-one to apply some of these principles to your own life and movement, message me for a free call. I look forward to hearing from you.
References (for the extra keen)
Alberti et al. (2022)
Beaty et al. (2015)
Mubin et al. (2022)
Pellis et al. (2015)
Pinho et al. (2014)
Richard et al. (2020)