Doing mental versions of physical motions can be almost as good as practicing the real thing. Throughout history, several famous pianists have employed this mental rehearsing technique. For example, both Vladimir Horowitz and Arthur Rubinstein would play the piano in their head to practice (in addition to actually playing).
Why does this work? Scientists have found that most of the same neurological regions are stimulated by mental exercise and physical practice. The brain can actually barely tell the difference between a strong mental stimulation and an actual physical motion. So next time you don't have your violin or soccer ball, just visualize.
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