The secret to picking locks

[Mothrog]

Back on topic, I just don't get how randomly practicing while doing other things like watching tv, etc, will help me improve my skills. Aren't you just playing in the dark then? Pot luck?

I tried it, and if I do it long enough, I do pick open a lock eventually that way, but I have no idea how I did it since I wasn't really paying attention. If I pay attention, then that becomes my point of focus and I can't watch tv or other stuff at the same time.

Am I missing some thing here?

I think it depends on you whether or not practicing while doing other things will help you. Some can pay attention to both at the same time, and some can pat their heads while rubbing their belly. Personally, I was never one of them, so that method of practice was never terribly effective for me. But, if you can multitask well, I can see how it could be of great use. If you can manage to pay enough attention to learn something while doing other things, you'll probably get more practice in then others, particularly if you run into a lock you want to toss across the room out of frustration.

[f0ku5]

I have used both types of practicing: the passive (while watching tv or even just having my thoughts somewhere in the sky) and the focused, concentrated one. And I think that while the latter is essential to progress in picking (especially when you encounter new types of pins/profiles etc.) the passive practicing will help you develop your skills nonetheless.

During the first hours of driving instruction the instructor will keep you concentrated so that you can develop the basic skills. Some time later he will use all his dirty tricks just to distract you from concentrating on your instruments. As only then you can fully master driving. And while driving is not exactly picking I would even go as far as saying that *sometimes* my mind can even stand in the way of successful picking.

[srm]

Practice! yep you're right! I hav3e not had the chance to practice over the last few weeks and my skills have deminished considerably!

[p1ckf1sh]

During the first hours of driving instruction the instructor will keep you concentrated so that you can develop the basic skills. Some time later he will use all his dirty tricks just to distract you from concentrating on your instruments. As only then you can fully master driving. And while driving is not exactly picking I would even go as far as saying that *sometimes* my mind can even stand in the way of successful picking.

You are right on track there with a nice example.

There is somehting Raimundo once called muscle memory. There see to be parts in the brain that "remember" the kind of movements after they are done often enough. This can not be overcome by cncentrating on it and doing it a few times, it must be done often to get it into the synaptic connections. This is something you can easily verify to be true if you are used to driving stick-shitft cars and get into an automatic. Usually in a stick you keep your let foot n the clutch and use the right one for throtle and brake. The muscle memory for the foot has learned how to handle these pedals. The left one has learned how to handly the clutch (pushing fast and hard, releaseing smoothly). Now, if you get into an automatic with this neural setup it is best to ignore yur left foot completely. Because, if you do use it to brake you will notice that no matter how hard you concentrate on braking gently you will ALWAYS push the brake too hard and braking will be jerky.

The same is true for me when I used to drive indoor carts occasionally. Gettings used to slam the throttle in the cat wiht my right foot, it took a few minutes to accomodate this experience once I was back in my car. I was alawys slamming the throttle there as well.

Another aspect of that "passive training" is of osyhcological nature. If you are just learning and spend two hours of picking straight and concentrating hard on it with no success coming forth from it, it will discourage you. You will think, trying hard for two hours should yield some kind of success or improvement and because you don't notice it you might thikn picking is not for you. If you do these two hours while watching a movie you don't notice how time pass but you get the same amount of training into your books.

f0cu5, Niedersachsen would be Lower Saxony I think, not Saxonary...

[cL4y]

i pick when im in the shower

[Bud Wiser]

I can see how "passive" practice can help develop a *feel* for tension and the pins! This could be muscle memory, I never heard that term before.

Getting the *feel* of the lock is certainly at least 80% of the battle right?
At least for most locks.

[unbreakable]

I can see how "passive" practice can help develop a *feel* for tension and the pins! This could be muscle memory, I never heard that term before.

Getting the *feel* of the lock is certainly at least 80% of the battle right?
At least for most locks.

Getting a feel for locks is a big part of it, I have to agree, maybe even more than 80%!!

[p1ckf1sh]

Gosh, I just re-read my post about muscle memore (a few above this one) and I am embarassed. I'm off to find a spell-checker for Firefox.

[Bud Wiser]

Gosh, I just re-read my post about muscle memore (a few above this one) and I am embarassed. I'm off to find a spell-checker for Firefox.

I use Spell Check Any Where!
http://spellcheckanywhere.com
free trial too! You can use it on any program! I love it, but even having it, I fiend dthat it werks best if I actauly use it

[LockNewbie21]

I don't need it.. as i find myself to be a genious of grammer and sentence structure.

I mean theres not really anybody than con top my genious.. heck I invented the period



Waffels....

[twilhelm]

I don't need it.. as i find myself to be a genious of grammer and sentence structure.

I mean theres not really anybody than con top my genious.. heck I invented the period



Waffels....

ow... my eyes!!

[Sesame]

Back on topic, I just don't get how randomly practicing while doing other things like watching tv, etc, will help me improve my skills. Aren't you just playing in the dark then? Pot luck?

This is an excellent question. We can learn a lot from sports training here. What has been called active practice in this forum is always the first step. Let's use karate as an example. First you learn to throw the perfect punch. The arm twists as it extends, the bones in the first two knuckles line up with the arm, the pelvis (he he, pelvis) twists and drives the punch. Then, once you have the concept, you practice it a few thousand times so that it changes places in your brain. It moves from active to passive. However, passive is a poor description because passive action (or more accurately, muscle memory action) is way faster and finer-tuned that active (or focused) action can ever be. Ask any athelete or musician. The first time you throw that punch in earnest it surprises the heck out of you. You ask yourself, "Where did that come from? I've never thrown a punch that fast in my life." You see, you have to get the front of your brain out of the picture. Send it on an errand. Hang some underwear on your brain's door knob. The point is that to do anything physical you have to practice so many times that it becomes rote. They have a word for this. Inculcation. Inculcation. Inculcation.

[Sesame]

Now that you mention it, waffles do sound good.

[ldnlksmth]

especially if you're going to do it professionally... practice with distractions. I was lucky that when I was training to be a locksmith, I got the mechanical actions down by locking myself in my office with the windows and doors closed, I could concentrate and pick as long as my heart desired. don't mean to brag, but I got very good at it.

When I got into the feild, I couldn't pick to save my life. there was always someone watching me, or work going on around me, and I got distracted.

So when I get home, I put on the TV, talk to my wife, help the kids with their homework, all that stuff, while picking. Seperate the mechanical action from the thought process, and you will become an EXCELLENT picker over time.

[Romstar]

Every once in a while I get the feeling that I am sharing a forum with a bunch of necropheliacs.

I mean come on, did anybody happen to notice when this thread started? It was over two years ago.

Romstar