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Imagine you were observing an animal whose behavior you didnt know anything
about...
One clue would be repetition of the same basic movement pattern, with random
variation...
If you saw the animal repeating the same movement without any variety, you might
think it was working, stressed or anxious.
Now imagine the animal going through the same basic movements, but with some
random changes - instead of just walking back and forth, it sometimes turns, jumps
or changes speed.
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On the opposite end of the spectrum, imagine the animal doing movements that
were completely random.
That wouldnt look like play either, it would probably look like the animal was
insane.
So, play is some kind of pleasurable combination between repetition and variation
(or maybe work and insanity).
It is interesting to note that this formula is used in many forms of serious training.
Strength coaches often use an array of exercises that are the same but different.
The program is composed of a few basics (squats, lunges, pushes and pulls) with varying
constraints (equipment,resistance, set/rep schemes, grips, foot positions, etc.)
I think this is one of the reasons why balls inspire so much playful behavior in the
animal kingdom.
Even if you are always trying to do basically the same thing with the ball - catch it,
or throw it, or keep it away from someone else - the ball always moves a bit
unpredictably, interjecting random variation into a repetitive activity.
First, reproduction of some pattern with random variation, and then, selection
among the different patterns, according to some criteria.
Repeat this process over time, and whatever pattern you are reproducing (organisms,
internet memes, clickbait articles) will start to evolve in the direction of being better able
to satisfy the selection criteria.
Karl Popper pointed out that the scientific process of knowledge acquisition is in
some ways similar.
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We make hypotheses or theories that try to explain some phenomenon, and then
put that hypothesis to the test by experiment.
Conjectures that pass the test of criticism, get accepted as provisional truths and
reproduced in the writings of others, until they are criticized again and eventually fail
a test, which invites new modified conjectures and new tests.
The result is that our theories, evolve to get better at explaining what we see.
Each movement can be used as a kind of hypothesis about its ability to accomplish
some desired function.
The sensory feedback tests the hypothesis: did we accomplish our goal or not?
Over time, we come up with movements that are better able to satisfy our functional
goals.
For example, when babies reach for something, they find out whether they get what
they are reaching for.
They are trying to reach a toy over their head, and all of a sudden they roll.
Because progress like this is often unplanned, it's a good idea to make some random
movements from time to time to see what happens.
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The word play is associated with behaving in a way that is childlike, silly, or infantile...
Thats a bit unfortunate, because it suggests that a playful approach, would not be a
good way to solve adult problems.
False!
What if we substitute a slightly different word for play like tinker or experiment?
Imagine how you might go about fixing a problem with a complicated machine like
a computer or a DVD player.
You dont know exactly what is causing the problem or how to fix it, but you might
succeed by just kind of randomly messing around with ways to get the computer
working again - fiddling with the controls, turning it on and off, playing with different
settings, etc.
This is what a kid would do to solve a computer issue, and it works better than what
many seniors would do, which is to consult a manual, have someone else do it, or give
up.
They might go to the range and start playing around with different grips, different
swing paths, or attentional cues.
This creative tinkering process doesnt have a strict plan, it is just a way of exploring
possibilities and waiting for something to fall into place.
I think this tinkering attitude often explains how we actually succeed at improving
movement and pain.
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We dont always know exactly what is wrong or how to fix it, but by playing
around with different options, sometimes we arrive at a destination without really
knowing how we got there...
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