Neuroplasticity & Proprioception
Neuroplasticity
When snowboarding, the brain sends messages to the muscles to relax or contract which, in turn, will move a bone in a joint. The complex inter and intra-muscular coordination required for a beginner turn or a frontside boardslide all begins in the brain’s motor cortex. The more practice the brain has at sending this message to the same muscle group, the quicker reactions become. Therefore, repetition of movements is needed for the messaging pathways to become more efficient and the movements to become seamless and more autonomous (see the Stages of Skill Acquisition).
Regardless of whether the movement was performed as intended, the movement will become more ingrained. For students learning completely new movements, repetition is the key. In this stage, the accuracy of the movement is less important. Being able to identify inefficient movements in students as they progress, ensures that they develop positive movement patterns. For more experienced riders, if they’ve developed inefficient habits it can take a lot more focus and time to make changes.
Proprioception
Muscles also have proprioceptors, which are like little sensors in the muscle fibres to measure when muscles are contracted and flexed, or relaxed and stretched. This provides confirmation for the brain that the body is actually making the desired movement, for example: when pulling the toes up inside the boots. When movements are made using muscles that a rider is less accustomed to using, these proprioceptors are not as quick to deliver the message. This is why students tend to look down at their feet as if to make sure that the movement is happening.
The best way to develop efficient neural pathways and proprioception is through practice. Ensuring students are getting ample time to recreate the accurate movements with guidance and feedback, both when they’re doing it correctly, and when they need to adapt it will lead to better learning.