First, that scene is a huge part of what makes the first Matrix fun. Thanks for reminding me of it.
Reading this reminded me of something that I've thought of a number of times but don't have fully worked out. (I.e., bear with me for a minute if I ramble.) We need a better way to describe the parts of (many) skills that lie between 'thought' and 'muscle memory'. (Maybe some researchers already have better ways?) The only sport that I was ever expert at was pool. For many years in my 20s, I played at least twice a day for anywhere from 1 hour to 3 hours each time. (I was in grad school. First stretch was post lunch, usually shorter. Second stretch was out at bars post evening work. How long depended on how many people I beat.) Eventually I reached the point where I would shoot, pick up the chalk, rechalk the cue slightly and already be walking to my next shot. I didn't really think about all this and it wasn't exactly muscle memory (as the grip, stance or swing is muscle memory). But I knew where the cue ball would end up, and I knew what my next shot (and ideally, two, three or more forward) needed to be and I would move towards that spot intuitively.
Wayne Gretzky has the famous quotation: "A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be." That's the thing I wish I could describe better. It's not pure thought (it's barely conscious thought at all, usually), but it's also not physical training only. It's both - combined with a very clear mental picture of the domain you're dealing with. (Cf. what people always say about Larry Bird "seeing the whole court" at all times.)
Reading this reminded me of something that I've thought of a number of times but don't have fully worked out. (I.e., bear with me for a minute if I ramble.) We need a better way to describe the parts of (many) skills that lie between 'thought' and 'muscle memory'. (Maybe some researchers already have better ways?) The only sport that I was ever expert at was pool. For many years in my 20s, I played at least twice a day for anywhere from 1 hour to 3 hours each time. (I was in grad school. First stretch was post lunch, usually shorter. Second stretch was out at bars post evening work. How long depended on how many people I beat.) Eventually I reached the point where I would shoot, pick up the chalk, rechalk the cue slightly and already be walking to my next shot. I didn't really think about all this and it wasn't exactly muscle memory (as the grip, stance or swing is muscle memory). But I knew where the cue ball would end up, and I knew what my next shot (and ideally, two, three or more forward) needed to be and I would move towards that spot intuitively.
Wayne Gretzky has the famous quotation: "A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be." That's the thing I wish I could describe better. It's not pure thought (it's barely conscious thought at all, usually), but it's also not physical training only. It's both - combined with a very clear mental picture of the domain you're dealing with. (Cf. what people always say about Larry Bird "seeing the whole court" at all times.)