How to Learn Skills Faster

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May 17, 2021

Discover the science behind mastering physical skills and the biological factors at play. Learn how training techniques differ for various skills, and why post-training rest is crucial. Explore the cerebellum's role in enhancing flexibility and motor skills, and the benefits of mental rehearsals to boost performance. Uncover how caffeine impacts athletic abilities and techniques to alleviate cramps while training. Plus, find out the optimal repetition numbers for effective skill acquisition and the importance of feedback in learning.

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ADVICE

Performance Tips

Cool your palms periodically during exercise to boost performance.
Use the physiological sigh (double inhale, long exhale) to relieve side stitches.

INSIGHT

Skill Acquisition

Skills are open-loop (feedback after action) or closed-loop (continuous feedback).
Consider sensory perception, movements, and proprioception when learning.

INSIGHT

Sources of Movement Control

Movement comes from central pattern generators (CPGs), upper motor neurons, or lower motor neurons.
CPGs handle rhythmic learned behavior, upper motor neurons deliberate movement, and lower motor neurons action execution.

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This episode I discuss the science and practice of learning physical skills: what it involves at a biological level, and what to focus on during skill learning at each stage to maximize learning speed and depth. I also describe what to do immediately after a training session (note: this is different than the optimal protocol for cognitive skill training) and as you progress to more advanced levels of performance. I also cover the science of skill-based visualization which does have benefits, but only if done correctly and at the correct times. I discuss auto-replay of skill learning in the brain during sleep and the value of adding in post-training ‘deliberately idle’ sessions. I cover how to immediately improve limb-range-of-motion by leveraging cerebellum function, error generation, optimal repetition numbers for learning and more. As always, scientific mechanism, peer-reviewed studies and science-based protocols are discussed.

Read the full show notes for this episode at hubermanlab.com.

Thank you to our sponsors

AG1 : https://athleticgreens.com/huberman

LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/hubermanlab

Waking Up: https://www.wakingup.com/huberman

Timestamps

00:00:00 Introduction

00:00:31 Sponsors: AG1, LMNT & Waking Up

00:06:28 Skill Acquisition: Mental & Physical

00:08:40 Clarification About Cold, Heat & Caffeine

00:12:45 Tool: How To Quickly Eliminate the Side-Stitch ‘Cramp’ & Boost HRV Entrainment

00:16:08 Physical Skills: Open-Loop Versus Closed-Loop

00:18:50 Three Key Components To Any Skill

00:21:00 Sources of Control for Movement: 1) CPGs Govern Rhythmic Learned Behavior

00:23:30 Upper Motor Neurons for Deliberate Movement & Learning

00:25:00 Lower Motor Neurons Control Action Execution

00:25:26 What To Focus On While Learning

00:27:10 The Reality of Skill Learning & the 10,000 Hours Myth

00:28:30 Repetitions & The Super Mario Effect: Error Signals vs. Error Signals + Punishment

00:34:00 Learning To Win, Every Time

00:39:26 Errors Solve the Problem of What To Focus On While Trying to Learn Skills

00:43:00 Why Increasing Baseline Levels of Dopamine Prior To Learning Is Bad

00:44:40 The Framing Effect (& Protocol Defined)

00:46:10 A Note & Warning To Coaches

00:48:30 What To Do Immediately After Your Physical Skill Learning Practice

00:53:48 Leveraging Uncertainty

00:56:59 What to Pay Attention To While Striving To Improve

01:04:45 Protocol Synthesis Part One

01:07:10 Super-Slow-Motion Learning Training: Only Useful After Some Proficiency Is Attained

01:11:06 How To Move From Intermediate To Advanced Skill Execution Faster: Metronomes

01:16:44 Increasing Speed Even If It Means More Errors: Training Central Pattern Generators

01:19:12 Integrated Learning: Leveraging Your Cerebellum (“Mini-Brain”)

01:22:02 Protocol For Increasing Limb Range of Motion, Immediately

01:28:30 Visualization/Mental Rehearsal: How To Do It Correctly

01:33:50 Results From 15 Minutes Per Day, 5 Days Per Week Visualization (vs. Actual Training)

01:35:34 Imagining Something Is Very Different Than Actually Experiencing It

01:37:58 Cadence Training & Learning “Carryover”

01:39:00 Ingestible Compounds That Support Skill Learning: Motivation, Repetitions, Alpha-GPC

01:43:39 Summary & Sequencing Tools: Reps, Fails, Idle Time, Sleep, Metronome, Visualization

01:46:20 Density Training: Comparing Ultradian- & Non-Ultradian Training Sessions

01:49:24 Cost-Free Ways to Support Us, Sponsors & Alternate Channels, Closing Remarks

Disclaimer & Disclosures

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