The primary goal in pro-active shooting is the development of the ability to execute a task at a subconscious level.
This is very different from muscle memory where the objective is to “burn” the path of execution into the muscles through repetition until it becomes second nature.
The critical difference between the two from my understanding is the use of inputs during the execution of the task.
From my understanding muscle memory relates to simple execution where inputs are not considered in the execution, hence if things are not quite as expected, the execution fails. If everything as expected, things tend to be very smooth and fast.
In subconscious execution, the inputs and environmental conditions are taken into consideration while performing the task purely at a subconscious level.
An example that illustrates the difference would be the use of a clutch in a vehicle with a manual transmission.
If the activity of using the clutch were performed purely on a muscle memory level, you would only be able to drive the car that you had the execution path “burned” into your muscles smoothly for. Driving other cars would lead to burned out clutches and jerky rides.
People who have learned the activity on a subconscious level, have taught themselves to feel for the clutch engagement point and engage it smoothly. When this person steps into a different vehicle, they can generally drive it smoothly after a few rough/jerky starts.
The good news is that subconscious execution may be slower in specific cases than pure muscle memory, it can take into account environmental factors and probably end up being significantly faster in the average case.
The interesting question that deserves it’s own article is the inputs used during subconscious execution of a task.
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