A Personal Account: Attaining Muscle Memory and Higher Mental Functioning

Abstract

Many articles have been written about elite performers that attain muscle memory and experience flow and zoneness. This article details how the author personally attained higher level performance and explains the feelings experienced during the process. A one-person study was designed to experience muscle memory and explore the mental aspects of putting. Twenty thousand attempts (strokes) were used. The design included four parts; a) Establish Baseline, b) Master Mechanics, c) Experience Muscle Memory, and d) Explore Mental Aspects. The conversion rate for the first 1,000 attempts during baseline was 58.3 percent and for the last 1,000 attempts was 90.4 percent. The concept of deliberate practice was used throughout the study showing performance increases. When experiencing muscle memory it was found to be boring and far from fun. When the mental aspects were explored the concepts of flow and pre-live generated enthusiasm and joy.