How to Learn Skills Faster

Introduction

• Episode focuses on skill learning, especially motor skills
• Applies to athletic performance, recreational exercise, weightlifting, running, swimming, yoga, and musical skills
• Discusses science-​​backed protocols for learning more quickly, embedding learning, and building up skills
• Covers mental visualization and its role in skill learning and consolidation

Acquisition of New Skills

• Two types of skills: open loop and closed loop 
  • Open loop: perform action, wait for feedback (e.g., throwing darts)
  • Closed loop: continuous action with moment-​​to-​​moment feedback (e.g., running, swimming)
• Three components of motor skills: 
  • Sensory perception: perceiving what is happening around you and within your body
  • Movements: actual movements of limbs and body
  • Proprioception: awareness of limb positions relative to the body

• Movement generated from central pattern generators (CPGs) in the spinal cord

  • CPGs control repetitive movements like walking, running, cycling, and breathing
  • After learning a movement, much of the work is handed off to CPGs
    Central Pattern Generators (CPGs) and Motor Neurons

• CPGs control learned behavior and rhythmic movement

  • Examples: walking, adjusting walking speed
  • Present in animals and humans
• Upper motor neurons control deliberate action and learning 
  • Engaged when learning new skills or performing unlearned movements
• Lower motor neurons control muscle movement 
  • Located in the spinal cord, send signals to muscles

Focus and Attention in Skill Learning

• Determine if a skill is open loop or closed loop
• Decide what to focus on: auditory, visual, or proprioception
• Allocate attention to specific aspects of the skill

Realistic Expectations and Repetitions in Learning

• Instant skill acquisition is a myth
• 10,000 hours rule is not entirely accurate; learning is about repetitions
• Adjusting focus and motivation can accelerate learning

Super Mario Effect Experiment

• 50,000 subjects learn to program a cursor to move through a maze
• Two groups with different feedback: 
  • “That did not work. Please try again.”
  • “You just lost five points. Please continue.”
• Results:
  • 68% success rate for the “try again” group
  • 52% success rate for the “lost points” group
• “Try again” group attempted more repetitions per unit time

Tube Test Experiment

• Generally done in mice or rats

• [Details of the experiment not provided in the transcript]
  The Importance of Errors in Skill Learning

• Experiment with rats/​​mice in tubes

  • Winning rat has a higher chance of winning again, losing rat has a higher chance of losing again
  • Not related to strength, size, or testosterone
  • Brain area in the prefrontal cortex responsible for this effect
• Stimulation of this brain area leads to more repetitions, more effort 
  • More repetitions per unit time for winners, fewer for losers
• Neurobiological explanation for learning a skill: perform as many repetitions as possible when first learning a skill 
  • Errors are important for learning, cueing the nervous system to change

Leveraging Errors to Accelerate Skill Learning

• Performing the maximum number of repetitions per training session is advantageous 
  • Errors cue the nervous system to error correction and open the door for neuroplasticity
• Errors open the possibility for plasticity, allowing the brain to change and improve performance 
  • Errors cue the frontal cortex networks and neuromodulators (dopamine, acetylcholine, epinephrine) for plasticity
• Making more mistakes makes the brain more plastic, allowing for better learning when the correct pattern is performed 
  • Dopamine is involved in learning, released when a motor pattern is performed correctly
  • Increasing dopamine levels before learning using pharmacology is not recommended, as it reduces the signal-​​to-​​noise ratio

Designating Time for Repetitions and Learning

• Designate a specific block of time for performing repetitions when learning a new skill

  • Focus on making errors and learning from them to improve performance and skill acquisition
    Importance of Errors and Repetition in Skill Learning

• Errors are key to learning

  • Failures open up the possibility of plasticity
  • Failures cue attention to the appropriate sensory events
• Coaches should allow athletes to pay attention to their errors without external cues 
  • Errors are necessary for attentional systems and plasticity
• Maximum number of repetitions per learning session is crucial 
  • Pay attention to errors and neurochemical rewards from successful performance

Post-​​Learning Period and Sleep

• After a skill learning session, do nothing for a short period (1–10 minutes) 
  • Brain replays the motor sequence of correct patterns of movement backward
  • Consolidation of skill learning occurs during this time
• Sleep is important for learning 
  • During sleep, the brain replays the motor sequence forward
  • Quality sleep is crucial for skill learning

Subsequent Training Sessions

• Subsequent sessions allow for expression of gains from previous sessions 
  • Perform better on subsequent training sessions
  • Opportunity to devote attention in specific ways

• Introduce post-​​learning sessions for more rapid skill learning
  Accelerating Learning through Attention and Errors

• Accelerating learning involves directing perception to specific elements of a movement

• Focusing on one specific aspect of a movement during practice can accelerate learning 
  • Example: Learning piano sequences without focusing on the sound produced
• Early practice sessions should involve making many errors and allowing the brain to go idle afterward 
  • Sleep is crucial for maximizing learning
• As skill level increases, attention can shift from one feature of the movement to another 
  • Example: Focusing on different aspects of a tennis serve (stance, grip, ball landing, etc.)

• Ultra-​​slow movements can be beneficial for enhancing skill learning, but only after some proficiency has been gained

  • Performing ultra-​​slow movements too early in learning can hinder progress due to lack of proprioceptive feedback and lack of errors generated
    Slow Movements in Skill Learning

• Slow movements can be beneficial once proficient in a skill

  • Allows for focus on specific aspects of the movement
  • Not effective for learning a new skill from scratch
• Introduce slow learning when success rate is around 25–30%
  • Not applicable to all skills (e.g., throwing a dart)

Metronomes in Skill Learning

• Useful for intermediate or advanced practitioners 
  • Helps generate more repetitions per unit time
  • Increases errors and successes, leading to more neuroplasticity
• Auditory metronomes can be used for various skills 
  • Sets a pace slightly faster than current rate to force errors
  • Anchoring movements to an external force accelerates skill acquisition
• Metronomes can be used for speed work in sports 
  • Trains central pattern generators to operate at higher speeds
  • Can extend the range of speeds for certain movements

Skill Learning in the Nervous System

• Attention can be focused on external or internal factors during skill learning 
  • Metronomes provide an external focus
  • Slow movements provide an internal focus

• Combining these approaches can lead to more effective skill learning

  • Understanding where skill learning occurs in the nervous system can help improve flexibility and range of motion
    Cerebellum and Range of Motion

• Cerebellum: mini brain located at the back of the brain

  • Involved in movement and non-​​movement functions
  • Receives input from senses, particularly eyes
  • Contains a map of body surface, movements, and timing
• Range of motion and flexibility 
  • Largely determined by neural innervation of muscles
  • Inhibitory pathways prevent muscles from stretching too far
• Increasing range of motion using the cerebellum 
  • Move eyes to the far periphery (left and right) to send a signal to the cerebellum
  • Expands the field of view and increases range of motion
  • Can be applied to any limb
  • Useful for warming up before exercise or skill learning

Visualization and Mental Rehearsal

• Mental visualization can help learn skills faster 
  • Not as effective as physical performance, but can supplement it

• Study by Ranginathan et al (2004)

  • 30 subjects divided into different groups
  • Found that mental visualization can lead to some gains in muscle strength and skill learning
  • However, not as effective as actually performing the skill or exercise
    Mental Rehearsal and Physical Training

• Mental rehearsal can improve strength and skill acquisition

  • Increases in finger abduction strength by 35% and elbow flexion strength by 13.5%
  • Not as effective as actual physical training, which can lead to improvements of about 53%
• Visualization engages upper motor neurons, similar to actual movement 
  • Upper motor neurons generate the command for movement, not the actual movement
• Proprioception and feedback to the cerebellum are crucial for learning and adaptation 
  • Actual physical engagement in behavior is necessary for optimal learning

Alpha GPC

• Can enhance power output and cognitive function

  • Beneficial for activities requiring force and power generation
  • Dosages: 300–600mg for power output, up to 1200mg daily (divided into three doses of 400mg) for cognitive effects
  • Notable effects on cognitive decline in older populations and Alzheimer’s patients
  • 14% increase in power output in one study
    Alpha GPC and Skill Learning

• Alpha GPC has various effects:

• Increases fat oxidation
• Promotes growth hormone release (small degree)
• Improves power output when combined with low levels of caffeine
• These effects can support skill learning by adjusting the foundation for executing repetitions

Caffeine and Skill Learning

• Caffeine can motivate and help execute physical training
• For cognitive learning, it’s better to spike adrenaline levels after learning
• For physical learning, take caffeine before training

Ultradian Cycles and Skill Learning

• Ultradian cycles are 90-​​minute cycles optimal for learning and attention in the waking state
• Physical practice duration depends on the activity and individual
• Focus on the density of training inside a session (maximal repetitions and failures)
• Improvement in skill may not be linear but will show progress with consistent practice