Sensory memory is the ability to retain impressions of sensory information. It is a type of short memory that allows us to retain sensory impressions after the stimulus is captured. It is considered to be the first phase of the memory involved in recording information from the environment.
When skiing, our senses constantly pick up information and, because it is not possible for us to remember all the information, the sensory memory generates an instant ‘snapshot’ of the environment allowing us to focus our attention on the most relevant details. It consents retaining brief impressions of large amounts of information coming from our senses and is fundamental in the processes of attention and memory.
The explanation from neuroscience is that the memory of events is dispersed in the sensory areas and organized in the hippocampus, one of the brain structures responsible for memory. The sense of smell is the closest to the hippocampus and connected to the emotional system, so it is the one that lasts the longest in our memory.
If a sense is stimulated by evoking memory, other memories of other senses are triggered. A sound, a vision, or a tactile sensation opens up a world of skiing memories that bring us pleasant or unpleasant emotions. For example, the perfume of a certain sunscreen reminds us of a sunny day on the slopes, the soft texture of the snow or the splendid view of the mountains; all this triggers the memory of a memorable skiing day we spent. A visual stimulus of a slope can cause pleasurable haptic memory, such as the memory of sliding on fresh snow or displeasing if the evocation is based on having descended an icy path. In addition, the image of a place can bring us memories that allow experiencing a feeling of having seen it or been there; this is known as ‘déja vu’.
The types of sensory memory that are applied when skiing are echoic memory or auditory sensory memory, dedicated to auditory information in which certain sounds have the power to evoke past scenes. Haptic memory, or tactile memory, represents the sense of touch for tactile information. The haptic memory of a descent in deep snow allow us remembering the pleasurable feeling of the snow friction or, on the contrary, an unpleasant sensory memory if it was skied on pure ice. The iconic memory, also known as visual sensory memory, consists of capturing the environment by means of brief images that leave visual traces.
Verbalized sensations
Sensations, specifically in our feet, are the most reliable criterion in skiing. To verbalize is our ability to define those sensations in words and memorize them. It is a detailed description of the physical symptoms we experience by defining sensations that our movements create to associate them with words and concepts. Language influences skiing in real-time, employing particular words that indicate specific sensations, movements, and actions.
Verbalizing sensations facilitates their perception and collaborates in our mental action simulation, but previously we need to find personal references. Not verbalizing sensations tends to hinder the interpretation of our own skiing and for that, the use of words not only facilitates the access of sensations to our mind’s perception; it is also the way to be transmitted and understood by others.
Some skiers tend to verbalize constantly what they sense instead of only sensing it. This leaves them without real sensory contact with what they are currently experiencing. Attention should also be focused on our skis-snow connection, instead of just permanently thinking about what it is sensed with our body.
There are scientific studies that demonstrate a close connection between language and somatosensory processes. Words set the sensation by creating in our mind the image of the skiing we intend to reach. Using appropriate words is to be conscious of the correspondence between words and sensations. This word-sensation association raises the level of body consciousness and facilitates movements flow.
Each one of us should define our own reference words to relate them to the sensations we are trying to grasp. These may help: scraping the edges (skidding or braking); cutting the snow with the edges (carving); sinking the skis in the snow (stopping); floating in deep snow; guiding with the feet (steering); releasing the edges (edge change); flowing (letting go skis and movements); pushing against the snow (applying pressure); pressing the tip of the outside ski (turn initiation); easing (taking the pressure off)the inside heel; rolling the inside foot to the little toe (edge change); pointing the future inside knee (to facilitate turn initiation); inhaling at the beginning of the turn (outside leg contraction), exhaling at the end of the turn (legs relaxation); pedaling (short leg/long leg); squeezing the arch of the outside foot (applying pressure); releasing the arch of the inside foot (releasing pressure); retaining hips throughout the turn (centripetal posture); freeing hips at the end of the turn (creating a new centripetal posture).
According to these considerations, you can apply the following recommendations in your own skiing:
- Remember that when you are skiing, your senses are constantly picking up information.
- As there are lots of stimuli, it is advisable to focus your attention just to the most relevant details, avoiding sensory memory overloading.
- Every time you detect a specific sensation, define it with a name.
- As words incorporate bodily sensations in your skiing mental schema, try to create in your mind the image of the skiing you intend to reach by employing a specific sensations’ vocabulary.
