New research into the muscles of world-class athletes and performance artists has revealed that a small number of “general motor skills” elevate these experts above regional-level and novice competitors. This discovery has intriguing implications for competitive sports and musculoskeletal health.
Contrary to the widespread belief that athletic motor skills are highly specific to individual sports or activities, this research identifies fundamental traits associated with world-class performance across various athletic disciplines.
Revolutionary Findings in Muscle Efficiency
Dr. Praneeth Namburi, a Research Scientist at the MIT.nano Immersion Lab, led the study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). “We discovered that world-class experts across fields minimize inefficient elastic tissue motions compared to regional-level athletes and non-experts,” says Dr. Namburi.
These inefficient motions, such as physiological tremors, contribute nothing to the net effect of muscles on body segment movement, effectively wasting valuable time and energy. Using a combination of motion capture, accelerometry, and ultrasound imaging with deep learning and optical flow analysis, Dr. Namburi and his team tracked both external body movements and the motion of internal elastic tissue during a simple reaching task performed by athletes and non-experts.
“While it may seem intuitive that experts’ muscles move differently from those of intermediates and non-experts, it is less obvious that muscle motions of experts in different disciplines would differ from non-experts in the same way,” says Dr. Namburi.
Implications for Training and Health
This development follows Dr. Namburi’s personal exploration into general motor traits, inspired by his ballroom dance lessons. “Highly skilled athletes are re-purposing the elastic mechanisms we all use in everyday activities like walking—they just do it more frequently and reliably than most people,” he explains.
The research could benefit athletes and performance artists by promoting sustainable training habits and reducing healthcare costs. “For example, it could alert athletes when their movements are less than optimal, helping to reduce injury risk, or it could potentially aid in identifying those with naturally efficient movement—what we often refer to as talent,” says Dr. Namburi.
Broader Educational and Societal Impact
Dr. Namburi emphasizes the potential for this research to transform how motor abilities are developed. “This approach differs from how we teach reading: we don’t simply hand children books; instead, we teach them the alphabet, words, and grammar. Similarly, a deeper understanding of the physiological foundations of general motor abilities would help us create more effective programs for developing movement skills,” he notes.
The study suggests that expert levels of these general motor skills can be achieved through personal training. “With only a few minutes of tremor-based biofeedback, intermediate-performing athletes reduced their tremor rate and muscle-interface speed to expert levels—albeit by slowing the movement, showing that these indicators are not strictly fixed,” says Dr. Namburi.
“Achieving world-class levels of efficiency in elastic tissue motions through training is like sourcing high-quality ingredients for cooking,” adds Dr. Namburi. “While premium ingredients are essential for a delicious dish, they must still be used skilfully to create an exceptional meal.”
Future Directions and Research Presentation
However, Dr. Namburi advises caution in interpreting these findings. While reducing inefficiencies can lead to world-class movement quality, this alone is not sufficient for elite performance. The research was conducted using the facilities at the MIT.nano Immersion Lab and will be presented at the Society for Experimental Biology Annual Conference in Antwerp, Belgium, on July 8, 2025.
This groundbreaking study not only opens new avenues for athletic training but also offers insights into improving everyday motor skills, potentially influencing how society approaches physical education and rehabilitation.
