Chinese mother: secrets of education. How Chinese mothers raise their children
Autogenic training Mikhail Mikhailovich Reshetnikov
Ideomotor autogenic exercises.
The essence of ideomotor exercises is that after mastering basic exercises, patients in a state of passive wakefulness (autogenic relaxation) perform ideomotor loss of a specific behavioral (for some phobias) or motor act (during rehabilitation therapy after paresis and paralysis). Initially, ideomotor training is not accompanied by real motor or behavioral acts, being implemented only at the level of ideas. The application of the method is combined with rational psychotherapy. The proposed method is based on the well-known position that the neurophysiological essence of mastering (reconstructing) any activity or behavioral act is the formation and strengthening of a reflex dynamic stereotype under the influence of the summation of traces of nervous excitation, leading to increased functional mobility and concentration of nervous processes. And since both external (accompanied by motor acts) and internal (imaginary) activity has general structure(L. S. Vygotsky, A. N. Leontyev), performing imaginary actions increases the effectiveness of formation internal plan external activities(or internalization). S. L. Rubinstein showed that there is not only a straight line, but also inverse relationship between what a person can do and his idea of his ability. These relationships are most clearly manifested in phobias - only the patient’s idea of the impossibility of any action or behavioral act keeps him, for example, from crossing the square with agoraphobia or entering the subway with claustrophobia, etc.
Rehabilitation therapy for paresis and paralysis should always include the use of ideomotor exercises, naturally, in combination with a set of other treatment methods (pharmacotherapy, massage, electrical stimulation, acupuncture, etc.). The essence of the exercises is to repeatedly imagine performing a “lost” motor act, 5-10 times a day for 1-3 minutes. At the same time, patients in some cases can quite clearly localize exactly where the conduction of the nerve impulse is interrupted, where the “obstacle” is located. Some data allow us to conclude that the use of these exercises contributes to a more successful restoration of nerve conduction, reduces the severity of atrophic phenomena and degeneration reactions in the muscles. The neurophysiological mechanisms of these exercises are based on numerous experimental studies that have shown that it is impossible to imagine any activity without causing contraction in those muscles that are involved in the actual implementation of the imagined activity. The pendulum experiment, which is widely used in psychotherapy to determine suggestibility, is based on the same effect.
Second modification this method It is recommended primarily for the treatment of phobias in cases where the cause of the disease has not been established. The treatment process combines sessions of rational psychotherapy and heterogeneous functional training with autogenic ideomotor exercises.
Patient A., 42 years old, engineer. I contacted him due to my fear of using the metro. For the last 2 months, he has been getting to work by tram, although it takes almost three times as long. I tried to get on the subway with my wife, even went down to the station, but was forced to immediately “run upstairs.” Associated symptoms are sleep disturbances, general anxiety, irritability, fatigue, heart palpitations and shortness of breath (when trying to enter the subway).
Completed a full training course (12 lessons). Starting from the 6th lesson, heterogeneous ideomotor training was carried out. After achieving a state of autogenic relaxation, the patient was asked: “Imagine, you left the house, walked towards the metro station with a calm, confident gait, feel it again - you are calm and confident. We entered the subway and went to the coin changing machine. We exchanged coins, dropped the coin at the entrance, and went up to the escalator. Once again we noticed that you are completely calm and confident, like all the people around you. You go down the escalator, don’t stand, but go down, because you’re in a hurry to get to work, you walk calmly, with a confident step etc.".
The patient performed such exercises daily 3-5 (in some cases up to 10) times a day. In total, he conducted about 100 (!) sessions of ideomotor autogenic training. Recovery occurred simultaneously with the end of the heterogeneous training course. Follow-up observation for 3 years - no relapses.
The third modification, having no significant differences from the second, is recommended primarily for inhibitory variants of sexual dysfunction. The case of patient O is quite typical.
An engineer, 38 years old, according to him, an exemplary family man, practically does not drink alcohol, he has never cheated on his wife, but while on a business trip, he met two women in a restaurant, one of whom was very pretty, the second - something unpleasant and, as it seemed to him, even ugly. The three of them drank a lot. The hope of spending the night with the “beauty” was not justified, as near her house she said goodbye and thanked her for pleasant evening. A friend herself offered to spend the night with her. When attempting sexual intercourse, which the patient, in his words, “tried to perform as a duty, since there was nowhere to go,” an erection did not occur. In this regard, the unlucky lover was showered with vulgar abuse about his manhood and put out on the street at 3 am. Upon returning from a business trip, when trying to have intimacy with his wife, there was also no erection.
After six heterogeneous sessions (only “heavy” and “heat” exercises), the patient was asked to carry out daily sensory reproductions of normal sexual intercourse in an autogenous state. It is recommended to abstain from sexual intercourse until a pronounced erection appears (an appropriate conversation was held with the wife). Complete restoration of sexual function occurred after 15 days.
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1. The concept of ideomotor training
Ideomotor training (IT) is a systematically repeated, conscious, active representation and sensation of the skill being mastered. Ideomotor training can be used at all stages of specialist training.
Active representation of actually performed motor skills contributes to their mastery, strengthening, correction, and acceleration of improvement.
The representation of movements can be classified as follows:
. as an ideal picture (sample) of real actions, which, being a program of motor activity, perform a programming function;
. as an image that helps the process of mastering movement and thus performs a training function;
. as an image that arises in the process of monitoring and correcting movements during their execution, as a connecting link and thereby carries out a regulatory function.
All three functions are characterized by synchronicity.
The mechanism of action of ideomotor training is expressed in the fact that due to the use of muscle potential, unconscious and invisible innervation of muscles occurs, the impulse structure of which corresponds to felt, imagined or imaginary movements.
The “vitality” or “reality” of the representation of an ideomotor motor act determines the volume of levels involved in “internal realization” and thereby the effectiveness of ideomotor training.
The following structure of ideomotor training, developed on the basis of these fundamental scientific positions, has also justified itself.
I. Internal update:
a) exposure phase (program of the lower stage of autogenic training; some exercises);
b) observational phase (observations) - an optical image of the motor cycle with special emphasis on the main points using film-video recordings or filmograms;
c) ideomotor phase (3-5 repetitions of internal representation in accordance with a written task).
II. External implementation:
a) imitation phase - elements of the ideomotor exercise are actually performed in a time sequence in general outline(“hint” of movement) or as if repeating something imaginary;
b) practical training phase (an exercise trained using the ideomotor method is performed practically).
2. The essence of ideomotor training
The essence of ideomotor training is as follows. Imagining the movement, the athlete seems to see himself from the outside. The ability to see oneself from the outside is a significant help for the training of athletes, and this ability must be developed.
Some athletes are better at imagining fixed images than overall movements. In addition to mentally representing their movements through visual representations, most athletes also use mental self-assessment of the kinesthetic sensations associated with the memory of performing a particular movement.
It is very important for an athlete to have in his arsenal the ability to develop and improve those sensations that correspond to the performance of a certain activity. And this is also a separate aspect of sports training. Many coaches help their students get to the point in advance. required level tension of the corresponding muscle groups. Athletes who need to improve their emotional state before going to the start line try to imagine themselves in responsible competitive situations. Those same athletes who, on the contrary, need to relieve excess tension, tend to see themselves resting or doing exercises in calm conditions Abramova A.N. Such a different psychology. - M.: Sovremennik, 2002, 28 p..
To understand the essence of ideomotor training, it is necessary to determine the difference between the mental representation of movements and the usual process of human figurative representations. Ideomotor training involves careful, targeted study and repetition of one image over a series of representations.
Visual and kinesthetic mental representations of real movements are recommended for gymnasts and acrobats, since it is very important for them to be able to realize and imagine the exact position of their body in space at any moment of the action. Mental repetition is used to help athletes, by reproducing visual and kinesthetic representations, better understand the technical features of performing a complex movement.
By developing your ability to visualize certain situations, after a while you will find that you can easily reproduce them in your memory. Instead of memorizing groups of individual images, and only then creating whole pictures from them in your mind, you, on the contrary, can see immediately full picture actions in their development, and, if necessary, isolate individual frames from it.
The following factors contribute to achieving success in ideomotor training: ideomotor training should be carried out only in a state active work; mentally movements must be reproduced in exact accordance with the rhythm of real actions.
The technical skill of an athlete largely depends on how he knows how to use the laws that govern the presentation process. Patterns:
1. The more accurate the mental image of the movement, the more accurate the movement performed.
2. Ideomotor is only a representation in which the mental image of movement is associated with the athlete’s muscular-motor sensations.
3. The effect of mental ideas increases noticeably when they are expressed in precise verbal formulations.
4. When learning a new movement, you need to imagine performing it in slow motion.
5. When mastering a new movement, you should imagine it in a position that is close to actually performing this movement.
6. During the ideomotor representation of the movement, it begins to be realized so strongly and clearly that the athlete begins to move involuntarily.
7. Before performing the exercise, you should not think about end result.
3. Ideomotor training and adjustment to action
Direct preparation for sports movement has a mainly psychological orientation. It is mental readiness in a short time direct preparation for movement is more subject to change than functional or technical.
There are two stages in direct preparation for movement. The task of the first stage is to improve functionality athlete and body performance. At this stage the following means are used: walking, running, jumping. This is the so-called warm-up.
The task of the second stage is to establish optimal relationships between the structure of the upcoming movement and the activity of the central nervous system.
To draw up individual ideomotor programs, it is necessary to know what thoughts should be occupied by the athlete’s consciousness. For most athletes, the central place in their mental activity is occupied by the idea of the upcoming movement and tactical action.
When developing individually effective ideomotor programs, a number of points should be taken into account:
In the initial phase, in the process of performing some basic exercises, the internal “readiness for imagination” should increase and the intensity of the influence of internal and external interference should decrease;
Athletes who are often distracted and easily disturbed can speak the contents of the program onto a tape and listen to the recording before ideomotor training. This will make it easier for them to concentrate and imagine what they heard;
The number of repetitions in ideomotor training (2-5) depends on the level of preparedness of the athletes and the training objectives. More complex motor skills are practiced through shorter repetitions per session, with shorter breaks between sessions;
The information that an athlete receives during training must be formulated clearly and unambiguously, and must be accompanied by explanations of how to perform the exercises.
Many works indicate that effective improvement can only be achieved with a combination of ideomotor and physical training. At the same time, the influence of ideomotor training on the formation of skills is most effective when the student is previously familiar with exercises and actions or has certain motor experience. At the same time, individual studies (D. Jones, 1963; A. A. Belkin, 1965) show that through ideomotor training alone, one can deeply master a new exercise (a completely unfamiliar action) without first performing it. But only certain highly qualified athletes have this ability. A number of studies have found that ideomotor training makes it possible to identify errors or redo an already learned motor skill, and can be accompanied by an effect if the mental execution of an action is not accurate and thorough enough.
4. Principles of ideomotor training
The process of teaching the ideomotor method must be built on the basis of well-known didactic principles: consistency, accessibility, individualization. In addition to them, the following special principles must be taken into account:
1. The principle of motivated interest, which involves instilling in athletes a serious attitude towards the method.
2. The principle of universal efficiency. Ideomotor training is effective in many aspects: teaching technique, setting up for a performance, education creative attitude to the training process.
3. The principle of dominant efficiency. IN to the greatest extent the training effect manifests itself in mastery spatial characteristics movements, then temporary.
4. The principle of delayed effect. The first lessons using this method do not give results. This occurs due to the lack of programs for representing movement and connections in the cerebral cortex.
5. The principle of individuality. Options for ideomotor adjustment depend on the individual psychological differences of the athlete. Athletes with strong nervous system usually begin ideomotor performance of the movement immediately before the start. With a weak nervous system, this is done much earlier, and it is used more often and much more effectively.
6. The principle of meaningful effectiveness. The greatest real training effect of movement representation is achieved by ideomotor reproduction in muscle-motor images of the key moments of the action, its effective essence.
7. The principle of verbalization. Pronouncing or clearly verbalizing the main points of an action enhances the training effect of imagining the movement.
8. Dosing principle. It is advisable to mentally repeat the task 5 times, and complex tasks once.
5. Tasks and means of ideomotor training
When organizing ideomotor training with athletes, the following tasks are solved:
Problem 1- to create among students a sustainable interest in ideomotor training, the desire to fully use it in the training process.
A) Means of conversation. Guidelines: Explain to students that the quality of the exercise performed depends mainly on the image of movement that develops in the person’s mind. main reason errors in technique - incorrect or vague idea of movement. Athletes who cannot focus their attention on the details of movement technique are unable to listen to their body. Their training comes down to mindless mechanical repetition of exercises.
B) Tools - analysis training sessions. Methodological instructions: it is necessary to find out how the athlete understands the direction and significance of each lesson and exercises performed. The athlete must understand that when mechanically, thoughtlessly repeating a movement, mistakes are often reinforced. Perceptions are distorted. We need to teach the athlete to listen to himself, feel his muscles, and control his condition.
C) Means - analysis of a special warm-up. Methodological instructions: it should be clear to the athlete that very often they perform it fussily and hastily; there is not always time for trial attempts.
D) Means - comparison of existing motor concepts with the optimal standard of movement. Methodological instructions: recall that subjective muscular-motor ideas only contribute to the successful formation of a skill when they contribute optimal option technology.
Problem 2- teach athletes to find the main points in movement.
Means: explanation with analysis of filmograms, graphic sketches, film loops and other visual aids. Demonstration and independent execution of actions. Athlete's self-report.
Problem 3- development of students’ skills to evoke muscle-motor ideas and sensations.
Means: self-analysis, self-control. Mentally performing exercises and actions.
So, the brain is the organ where the program for future movement is formed, and the rest of the body’s systems, primarily the musculoskeletal system, carry out the intended program. The quality of the final result of our activities depends on how successfully the programming and execution systems function, and on how well they are interconnected.
In order for mental images of the future movement to be embodied extremely effectively, it is necessary to use them correctly. Moreover, use it completely consciously, actively, and not just rely on the processes that nature has endowed our body with. Representation, as a mental process, obeys certain laws.
The first position is that the more accurate the mental image of the movement, the more accurate and “purer” the movement performed.
The second position is that only such a representation is called ideomotor in which the mental image of movement is necessarily associated with the muscular-articular feeling of a person.
Mental representations can be "visual". In this case, a person sees himself as if from the outside, as if on a TV screen. It must be well understood that such “visual” representations have very little training effect. Indeed, in this case, impulses generated in the brain are almost not transmitted to the muscles that must perform the intended movement. Therefore, the work seems to go in vain; there is not enough activity in the corresponding muscles. This can be verified by experiment with a hanging load. Mentally imagine yourself as if in a “mirror”, “look” at yourself from the side and try, looking at that “mirror” weight hanging on the side, to imagine that it is swinging - it will turn out much worse.
The discrepancy between the programming organ - the brain and the performing apparatus - muscles and joints is especially noticeable when observing the naked body of someone sitting motionless or lying with eyes closed person. In those cases when he thinks ideomotorally, “passes through” ideas about movement “through himself,” microcontractions and microrelaxations are quite clearly visible in his muscles. If the ideas are purely visual in nature, then no micromovements occur in the muscles, although it seems to the person that he is “passing” mental ideas through his body. Consequently, by observing a person’s muscles during ideomotor training, one can easily find out to what extent his mental ideas about a particular technical element achieve the goal.
The third point - studies by a number of authors, in particular A. Puni, Yu. Z. Zakharyants and V. I. Silina, E. N. Surkova and others, have proven that the effect of mental ideas increases noticeably if they are expressed in precise verbal formulations . You must not just imagine this or that movement, but at the same time pronounce its essence to yourself or in a whisper. In some cases, the words must be spoken in parallel with the presentation of the movement, and in others - immediately before it. Practice tells you what to do in each specific case. The fact that words noticeably enhance the effect of mental representation can be easily seen during an experiment with an object hanging on a finger. If you don’t just imagine that the load begins to swing, say, back and forth, but start saying the words “back and forth” out loud, then the amplitude of the oscillations will immediately increase.
Fourth position - starting to learn new element technique, one must imagine its performance in slow motion, just as we see when showing film film shot using the rapid method. Slow development of a technical element will allow you to more accurately imagine all the subtleties of the movement being studied and will eliminate possible errors in time.
Fifth position - when mastering a new technical element, it is better to mentally imagine it in the position that is closest to the real position of the body at the time of performing this element.
When a person, engaged in ideomotor skills, takes a pose close to the real position of the body, many more impulses arise from the muscles and joints to the brain, which correspond to the real movement pattern. And it becomes easier for the brain, which programs the ideal ideomotor idea of movement, to “connect” with the performing apparatus - the musculoskeletal system. In other words, a person has the opportunity to more consciously practice the necessary technical element.
This is why simulators that allow you to take a variety of poses are so useful, especially where movements often occur in the air, after lifting off from support points. Having been in a state of a kind of weightlessness, a person begins to better feel the subtle elements of movement technique and better imagine them.
The sixth position - during ideomotor planning of movement, it is sometimes carried out so strongly and clearly that a person begins to move involuntarily. And this is good, because it indicates the establishment of a strong connection between two systems - programming and executing. Therefore, such a process is useful - let the body, as it were, by itself be included in the execution of the movement that is born in consciousness. I saw this picture most often when training with figure skaters. Standing on skates with their eyes closed, they unexpectedly began to move smoothly and slowly following mental ideomotor ideas. As they said, they are “led.”
That is why, in cases where ideomotor ideas are not realized immediately, with difficulty, it can be recommended to consciously and carefully associate ideomotor ideas with the corresponding body movements and in this way connect the mental image of the movement with the muscles performing it.
A few words about the so-called imitations. By imitating, performing, as if in a hint, a real movement or part of it, a person helps to form a clearer idea of the technical element he needs, going, so to speak, from the periphery, from the muscles, to the center, to the brain. So imitation of a variety of movements, which can often be seen during warm-up, is a good help in preparing to perform one or another difficult exercise.
But when imitating, you need to consciously connect the movements being performed with their mental image. If simulations are carried out formally or if you think about something else, imitating actions will not bring any benefit.
The seventh point is that it is wrong to think about the final result immediately before performing the exercise. This is one of the fairly common mistakes.
When concern for the result occupies a dominant position in the mind, it displaces the most important thing - the idea of how to achieve this result. So it turns out that, for example, a shooter thinks that he needs to get into the top ten, this thought begins to interfere with accurate ideas about those technical elements, without which it is simply impossible to get into the top ten. That's why he doesn't hit it. “I overdid it, I really wanted it,” they say in such cases, forgetting that in order to achieve the desired result, one must not think about it, but rely on mental images of those actions that lead to this result.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Ashmarin B.A. Theory and methodology of pedagogical research in physical education(a manual for students, graduate students and teachers of institutes physical culture). - M.: Physical culture and sport, 1978, 224 p.
2. Zabelsky S.Yu. System of bioeconomical psychomotor health promotion. Innovations in the training of specialists in physical culture and sports: Stavropol: Service School, 2005, 24 p.
3. Lobzin V.S., Reshetnikov M.M. Autogenic training. M., 152 p.
Ideomotor act
The theory of ideomotor acts has existed since the 19th century, and has now been confirmed by a body of research. The point is that any human movement is preceded by the idea of this movement, which causes involuntarily arising rudimentary motor impulses. It is not necessary to perform an action for such impulses to appear. When we just imagine our own movement, characteristic nervous excitations arise in the cerebral cortex. This phenomenon is called ideomotor act.
It has been established and repeatedly confirmed that the repeated presentation of performing a motor skill increases the speed of its development and the “purity” of execution, as well as the tone of the muscles involved in the movement. This effect occurs due to micro-contractions of muscles during an ideomotor act. This knowledge is the basis ideomotor training, which consists of a systematic, conscious and active repetition in the imagination of an action and the sensations associated with it.
Ideomotor training is used not only in sports, but also in art and some professional fields. It can be used at any stage of learning - when mastering a skill and improving it.
Types of images for ideomotor training
The images imagined during ideomotor training are divided into external (visual) and internal (kinesthetic). These images can be presented in the first person - both visual and kinesthetic, or in the third person - only visual. In first-person projection, a person imagines his actions and sensations - visual, auditory, tactile. In third-person projection, one imagines that one is observing oneself or some character from the outside.
To master motor skills performed independently in individual types sports, kinesthetic images from the first person are most effective. This means that a person imagines himself in action, imagining his exact movements and sensations while performing the skill. If you cannot immediately restore such an image, you can start with a visual representation of yourself or another person from the outside, and then move on to a kinesthetic image.
Principles of constructing ideomotor training
For best progress, a combination of ideomotor and actual training is needed. In the case of freediving, regular training on the water is also necessary because in this sport important role plays physiological adaptation to swimming while holding your breath and to hydrostatic pressure when diving to depth.
Let us formulate the basic principles of constructing ideomotor training for the most effective training.
1. Find a comfortable place/position/condition and get ready for the workout.
What is important is the motivated interest of the practitioner, his readiness for active imagination, reducing the intensity of internal and external interference, as well as attention to them.
2. Clearly formulate and communicate the task.
Information must be formulated clearly and unambiguously. Verbally reciting the main points of an action - out loud or silently - enhances the training effect of the ideomotor exercise.
3. Find - yourself or with the help of a coach - your own goals and approach to training.
The content of the ideomotor training program will depend both on the composition of the skill and the level of its development, and on the individual psychological characteristics of the practitioner. These same factors should be taken into account when determining your training regimen. If an athlete wants to improve the clarity of his performance, he can perform ideomotor exercises immediately before the start. If the task is to master or improve a complex skill, then mental training is practiced more often - not only before performing actual movements, but also as an independent exercise.
4. Learn to break a skill into elements and imagine yourself in the place of the standard.
To create a good verbal representation of actions, it is important to be able to see the main points of a skill and divide it into its simplest elements that can be accurately described. Watching the standard of optimal technique - a demonstration by a trainer or a video of performances by masters, you can both keep your attention on watching and imagine yourself acting in the place of the standard or together with it.
5. Expect the best results after some time of regular practice.
Programs for representing movements and neural connections in the cerebral cortex are built gradually. Moreover, at the stage of mastering an ideomotor exercise, the practitioner will have to learn to direct active attention to the areas of the body involved in performing the skill, to involve the imagination in imagining the feeling of movement in these areas, as well as accompanying sensations - visual, tactile.
6. Train little and often.
When training motor skills, the optimal number of repetitions is from 3 to 5. Very complex complex movements may be advisable to actively and in detail imagine once. Multiple mental repetitions of actions tire the nerve centers; Because of this, kinesthetic images lose clarity and become disordered. During one session, it is better to do several approaches with a small number of repetitions.
Ideomotor relaxation
Knowledge about the ideomotor act is also applicable to relaxation. Techniques can be offered aimed at both achieving an immediate effect while holding your breath, and at regular relaxation training. These techniques will help you quickly achieve optimal condition before diving and master relaxation of muscles that a person is not used to controlling. For example, during freediving courses the question is often asked: “How can I relax my chest/stomach/throat?” This aspect requires separate consideration and, of course, will be the topic of our future publications.
Ideomotor exercises are mentally performed exercises. Their use is based on the well-known position of I.P. Pavlov that “... it has long been noticed and scientifically proven that once you think about a certain movement (i.e., a kinesthetic idea is meant), you, involuntarily, without noticing it, produce it.” Ideomotor performance of exercises leads to less pronounced physiological changes in the body than during the actual execution of the movement: to the appearance of action currents in the muscles, to the activation of respiratory activity, blood circulation, metabolism, etc.
Ideomotor exercises are used primarily in the absence of active muscle contractions during paralysis and parabiosis in the form of sending impulses to perform missing movements.
When appropriate, they are combined with passive movements (performed by the instructor of therapeutic physical culture or the patient himself.) The sending of impulses that occurs in this case ensures the activation of the activity of the corresponding nerve cells and can promote the regeneration of damaged peripheral nerves, the rapid restoration of impaired motor function, and the acceleration of the elimination of parabiotic conditions in various parts of the reflex arc. Sending impulses can be combined with electro-gymnastics. In this case, the patient, synchronously with the electrical impulses causing muscle contractions, sends volitional impulses to these same contractions. It should be noted that in some cases, when the current strength is insufficient to cause muscle contraction, in the presence of a functional break, with a combination of electrical and volitional impulses, the patient can “find” the lost movement and perform muscle contraction.
Ideomotor exercises are consciously used in creative activity: “A thought or idea born in the brain involuntarily, as if by itself, causes a motor reaction, which is why such phenomena are called ideomotor acts. Good level preparedness for a performance is manifested in the fact that the performer can clearly imagine the entire process of his performance in his mind. However, this does not always happen. Performing a performance movement without first realizing it is a very common mistake among musicians, actors and dancers alike. Mastering new types of movements could happen much faster if beginning artists knew about the benefits of ideomotor acts. At the moment of their execution, the same electrical impulse is born in the cerebral cortex as during real movement, which leads to the strengthening of neural traces of brain memory. Experienced musicians, dancers, actors, and athletes widely use such mental rehearsal work, which helps them achieve good results with less actual physical effort. When performing ideomotor exercises, it is necessary to observe following conditions. 1. Form the movement first mentally and only then perform it in real action. To perform a movement in the ideomotor plane, you need to sit quietly, relax, close your eyes, enter an autogenic state or a state of meditative immersion and mentally perform the movement, if possible pronouncing it to yourself. If there are errors in the actual action, you should return to the programming part of the movement and correct it. 2. Mental ideas must be passed through the motor apparatus, causing corresponding sensations in it in the form of convoluted movements. 3. The precision of the movement is helped by pronouncing it loudly. For example: “Place this chord firmly on the fingers with the whole hand,” “In this phrase, emphasize the word “never” as much as possible,” “When performing the fouette, “keep the point.” 4. Performing an ideomotor movement should begin at a slow pace, subsequently alternating it with a slow and fast pace. 5. When performing a movement in a real plan, you should not focus on overall success or failure of a performance, but on specific actions leading to the desired result. For example, “Here PLAY more strictly and rhythmically”, “In this place make more hand swing.” Such self-orders indicate self-control skills and the necessary control of one’s actions on the part of an external observer. Even when the action is well mastered, ideomotor exercises should not be stopped, since they allow you to maintain the programming element of the movements in proper form. The ability to perform an action in your mind before starting public speaking represents a more rational type of work compared to what psychologists call the “trial and error” method. In this case, the action is first performed, and then the performer sees that he did something wrong. In this case, control is exercised not before the action, but after it. An error is comprehended and noticed that can no longer be corrected. Through repeated repetitions, you can achieve the desired result, discarding movements that do not lead to the goal. But, working in this way, the performer must remember that every incorrect and inaccurately executed movement leaves its trace in the programming part of the brain, which remains in the neuromuscular memory of the motor system. Able nervous tension caused by stage excitement, these traces can easily become uninhibited, perk up, and ruin the performance. One of the common mistakes that performers who master ideomotor concepts make is that at the moment of its execution they are in the position of an outside observer, in which the brain knows how to perform this or that movement, but the desired program of action does not transfer to the performing level , i.e. the level of specific movements. This gap can only be bridged by passing the right movement through the entire muscular-motor system, causing the necessary sensations in it.”
I often use ideomotor exercises in classes with children with cerebral palsy. To do this, before performing any movement, I suggest the student “do it” mentally; the effectiveness of ideomotor exercises is great. Try it! All the best!