From my shop log: I let my students use power hammers on day one, against most advice.

I mean, maybe it's just me, but I think feeling the machine's rhythm early on builds better hammer control later, even if folks say it spoils hand skills.

4 comments

4 Comments

the_harper1mo ago

Risky moves often pay off.

sarah_nguyen321mo ago

Seriously, getting that muscle memory early must speed up the whole learning curve.

joel_jones1mo ago

In my guitar lessons last year, my teacher warned that rushing muscle memory can cement errors. For instance, learning a chord wrong means your hands repeat the mistake every time. Then you waste months unlearning it, which actually sets you back. But if you slow down and nail the correct form first, doesn't that build a better foundation? I watched my friend learn to type by focusing on accuracy, not speed, and she improved faster. So maybe early muscle memory isn't the quick fix people assume.

ellis.faith23d ago

My buddy tried to learn pottery on a wheel way too fast, and it was a mess. He got the basic motion down quick, but his hands learned a weird, shaky grip that he could never fully fix later. It actually reminds me of what @joel_jones said about cementing errors with chords. That early speed just locked in bad habits, and his later work was always a bit off. Sometimes rushing the machine step means you skip learning how your own hands are supposed to feel.