More information is necessary to properly answer this. In the absence of such information
the answer will be dependent upon what level of skill development, and what degree of time you are considering. At risk of sounding a bit philosophical: “a journey of 1000 miles starts with a single step” – so with any skill development people need to be at least allowed/ enabled to start to move in the right direction, and allowed to progress within any other limitations (e.g. time, style of input, individual capacity for movement etc) that may be associated with any given process.
A pilot research study (not mentioned elsewhere in the web-site while the potential for its ongoing development is currently being considered by MovES Ltd, and the research facility/ partner) has also been undertaken to start investigating this point. A single subject was asked to perform his own habitual method of lifting a box from the floor. During repeated lifting cycles both force-plate and kinematic data were collected. The subject then received some intensive coaching/ training from an experienced, and senior NMAHM® practitioner: this input was focused solely to re-organising the subject's preferred movement style towards the NMAHM® style, and limited to the early stages of the NMAHM® Patterning process. Although the subject was sufficiently interested in the process to ask questions, responses to these were deferred until post-measurement: the time taken in asking the questions was discounted from the total time taken for the instruction period. With the input, and 2-3 practical repetitions of each phase of development to be investigated, the total time taken was measured as 4 minutes. The subject had 3 practice runs, and then undertook lifting the box again applying what had been learned, and/or remembered from the input session. The results indicated that although the NMAHM® Patterning was not fully uptaken
to the degree taught, the subject had moved toward it and results from the 3-D Motion Analysis indicated that there was less strain (loading) on the lower back and knees than with the subject's preferred movement style. It is of course recognised that there will be limitations as to what may be validly extrapolated from this information, but anecdotally there is also much support that people begin to develop this learning quickly and experience a beneficial difference in applying even the early stages of the Patterning compared to their own, habitual style of movement. This usually occurs for the majority of people (both when applicable in clinical practice, and the manual handling training situation) on the first “comparative test” to which they are exposed between their own, “habitual” movement style, and the NMAHM®.
Common sense, and research into skills development indicate that the less time allocated to any subject, the lower the level of reasonable associated expectations will need to be set. And this is true of any movement, exercise, or manual handling system. It is also true to say that it would be at least unusual for someone to become reliably proficient in practically developing a skill without a certain amount of repetitions being undertaken, and without an appropriate degree (type and method) of feedback at least early in the process. The degree of development as an informed practitioner, and progress towards being autonomous may also be limited by time alone, and may be further influenced according to the training/ educational model employed within any input. |
