He was able to pull the trigger and get his shot off faster than anyone else
The reason most likely has a lot to do with his superior long loop reflexes (Klawans, 1996)
Long loop reflexes are motor responses to sensory stimuli like all other reflexes. However they are not quite as fast as spinal reflexes because they process in the brain, but they are still some of the fastest responses in regards to our nervous system
What does this have to do with Gretzky?
A neurologist named Bill Tatton studied these long loop reflexes & Wayne Gretzky
He said Wayne Gretzky had the fastest long loop reflexes he had ever seen in his lab
Wayne Gretzky was able to identify a visual stimulus like an opening in the net or an open teammate and this automatically triggered a motor response to shoot or pass
A lot of hockey players have this ability, but the 🔑 was that his nervous system triggered this response faster
This phenomenon is also seen in great hitters in baseball
They are able to identify a pitch and trigger an accurate swing to hit the ball
This level of long loop reflexes are highly genetic, however athletes can be exposed to these reflexes through playing sport at a young age and working on making the quickest response to a stimulus possible
Every skill can be improved through long term consistent practice
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