My Skating Journey
I started inline skating as a new form of exercise! I’m really bad at it and terrified of hurting myself, but am using my knowledge of movement to force myself to intentionally work on something I’m not good at. Let’s talk about the stages of Motor Learning and how I’m applying them to help me learn!
Where my stretchy friends tend to go wrong with new things is getting excited, going hard for a few weeks without a risk management plan, and then hurting something and stopping. It’s a common cycle we get stuck in that leads to increased pain and less managed symptoms over time. Consistency with a plan is what allows us to build new skills, and building new patterns is actually quite predictable when you understand neuroscience and motor learning principles.
There are 3 main stages of learning any new skill:
Cognitive: Movement requires heavy thinking, lots of external feedback (coaching), and super uncoordinated. These muscle connections start to improve by 6-8 weeks of practice.
Associative: Movement improves gradually over time and mistakes are a little easier to correct on your own. Consider this stage your practicing stage where mistakes are expected, but you’re a little more coordinated than a baby giraffe.
Autonomous: Movement is smooth, natural, and thoughtless. A professional with years of practice would be in this stage. If we overthink in this stage, it causes problems. Whereas, in the cognitive stage, it helps us!
For me, I am asking for guidance from skating coaches, had my own personal hypermobility coaching session with Maeve, and am actively working on my stability deficits. I have a plan for skating to allow my muscles to adjust to something new without overdoing it. Protective gear is a must, and I’ve built a solid base level of strength and trunk control before even considering skating.
Healing is never linear, but consistency is key. For some, a new skill may have risks that outweigh the benefits. If you do choose to incorporate a new form of movement in your life, we are here to help you build a plan to help move through the ups and downs to allow consistency.
Stay tuned next week for Maeve’s newsletter on ankle stability! She’s been a big help as I’m working on this area for skating.
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This blog is written based on personal experience and is not medical advice. Always ask your doctor for individual concerns and support.