The Body Has a Mind of Its Own by Sandra and Matthew Blakeslee offers the following lessons for martial artists:
1. It’s The Thought That Counts
Mentally rehearsing movements you have done previously can give you a distinct advantage in your training. The process of imagining a movement activates exactly the same brain regions that become active during real play. This means that executed and imagined movements are almost identical as far as the brain is concerned. For example, researchers found out that the level of performance after five days of motor imagery is equivalent to three days of physical practice. Adding one day of physical practice to five days of motor imagery is equivalent to practicing for five full days!
Although mental practice plays a powerful role in skill acquisition, motor imagery can only be beneficial if you have a minimum level of competency at a skill. Motor imagery cannot be constantly substituted for physical practice but rather performed in addition to and in preparation for it.
2. Seeing Is Doing
You can benefit by paying close attention to your teacher, your peers and Bruce Lee. The process of watching someone else perform an action automatically simulates the action in your brain. The higher your level of expertise in an observed skill, the deeper your level of perception of a skilled performance you witness.
3. Breath To Connect Mind To Body
Taking six breaths a minute, rather than ten, can set your autonomic nervous system which answers for heart rates, oxygen consumption, etc. in balance, leading to structural changes in your brain. The authors quote a study showing that long hours of breathing and mindfulness lead to an enlarged right frontal insula and left prefrontal cortex associated with feelings of joy and happiness.
