ABSTRACT
The cerebral motor neurons in the cortex in the back of the frontal lobes send long branches called axons, which act like wires, down through the cerebral hemisphere, down though the brain stem, and into the spinal cord. These axons communicate with the nerves in the spinal cord that go down to the muscles that move our body. When these nerves are activated, they cause the muscles to contract. When performing athletic activities, one of the major types of brain motor programs that allows us to achieve our athletic goals includes the “how” motor programs. For example, the brain contains the programs that allow a person to know “how” to position-posture portions of their body as well as how to move the joints in their hands, arms, legs, and trunk, including the speed of joint movement, the duration of movement, the sequence of joint movements, and the force. Neurologists call these “how” programs the “praxis system.” This chapter describes the anatomy and function of these praxis networks as well as how we learn new athletic skills.
