Think Fast!
Think Fast!
By Shane Sauer
Think about the last time you were on a road where you couldn’t pass and the driver in front of you was going too slow for your liking.
Did you assume that the driver was an “old man in a hat”?
It’s a common assumption that as we age, we slow down. And while this is true in part, let’s look a little closer to see how minimizing a loss of reaction time and speed is actually within your control.
To understand complex things, models can be very helpful. One of the best models for this subject was created by United States Air Force Colonel John Boyd (think Maverick from Top Gun) and is called the OODA loop:
Observation - Receive information from your senses
Orientation - Understand that information based on your history
Decision - Choose the best action
Act - Perform that action
When broken down into these components, it becomes clear that there are things you can do at any age to work on your reaction time and speed.
Most people don’t consider training their senses, but I've already demonstrated how you can improve your hearing. Retraining the sense of touch is one of my favorite tools for helping people move and feel better. Professional taste-testers prove that taste and smell are skills that can be honed. And next week I’m going to go over vision with you! So… observation is definitely a skill you can maintain and improve.
Orientation is all about continued learning and memory processing. Being open to new ideas and understanding your preconceived notions can give you the flexibility to change your orientation in any situation. Plus, you can use the tools from my memory blog to put that information to work quicker!
Have you heard the saying, “don’t let perfection get in the way of good enough”? That’s all about being decisive. When it comes to speed and reaction time, this is key. Because the OODA Loop is a loop, there are multiple decisions that occur and you’ll have the chance to correct minor errors. In situations that require speed, hesitation rarely leads to success. Many games can give you the opportunity to train this skill.
Action is about your body’s ability to move quickly. By observing athletes at any age, I think we can all agree that training helps improve this skill. If you’d like to try some simple exercises, this tension/relaxation drill is great for improving your ability to move quickly. I also recommend the game Letter Ball to help you at all levels of the OODA Loop!
There’s no denying that ageing affects your reflexes. Even the best athletes hit their peak and see their skills diminish over time. But there are many current examples of how proper training prolongs those athletes’ professional careers and continued training can keep them at high levels of skill beyond that. The same is true for you. If you want to stay sharp, keep working on your skills!
If you’d like some help identifying what training would give you the most benefit for your effort, consider joining me for an Injury Prevention Screen or a Full Neuro- Evaluation.