Practise beyond perfection to become more efficient

Practice might make perfect, but when you practise beyond perfection, you can become more efficient.

Researchers looked at how test subjects learned particular reaching movements using a robotic arm. They found that after perfecting the movements, the test subjects were able to complete the movements while expending far less energy than before.

The new finding has applications for athletes, musicians and for patients recovering from injury and illness (a stroke patient learning to walk again, for instance).