Crawling (human)
Encyclopedia
Babies usually learn to crawl before they develop walking skills.
Crawls can refer to the specific gait or to any gait involving the arm
s and leg
s.
Crawling is used mainly:
s and knee
s. A typical crawl is left-hand, right-knee, right-hand, left-knee, or a hand, the diagonal knee, the other hand then its diagonal knee. This is the first gait most humans learn, and is really only practical during early childhood
, or when looking for something on the floor or under low relief
, though some often do so for personal pleasure. It can be used to move with a lower silhouette
, but there are better crawls for that purpose. This is the most natural of the crawls and is the one that requires the least effort.
crawl is almost identical to the regular crawl, but the feet
are used instead of the knees, which creates an arched or squatted body posture. This works as a faster crawl but requires more effort to maintain.
crawl is an upside down bear crawl. This is the most unnatural of the crawls, requiring the most effort, and is used in crab soccer
. The crab crawl starts by sitting down with the feet and hands flat on the ground, the hips are then raised off the ground and the chest faces the sky. Due to its inefficiency, it is more commonly used as a form of exercise than actual transportation. Crabwalking builds triceps endurance
and arm and leg strength, and is a recommended exercise of various school athletic departments and soccer organizations (such as USA Football). Because of its unusual appearance, crabwalking has been used in several horror film
s to suggest the demonic possession of a character. These have included The Exorcist
and The Unborn.
The crab crawl is also useful for descending steep slopes with poor traction. Its feet-first orientation ensures a low center of mass
to prevent tumbling, while the inverted posture allows one to see where he or she is going.
crawl is a military
-specific crawl. There are two versions, the leopard crawl proper and a modified version for when carrying weapon
s in the hands. This is a two-beat gait like a trot
: an arm/elbow
is advanced with the diagonal knee. This is designed for the smallest silhouette possible, and the body is often nearly or actually touching the ground, and although the elbow and knee are the main focus, most of the respective limbs touch the ground.
crawl is essentially a highly accelerated combination between crawl and leopard crawl. It uses the hands and the knees/feet depending upon the situation, while maintaining a silhouette almost as small as that of the leopard crawl. This is relatively fast gait but can take large amounts of energy.
Crawls can refer to the specific gait or to any gait involving the arm
Arm
In human anatomy, the arm is the part of the upper limb between the shoulder and the elbow joints. In other animals, the term arm can also be used for analogous structures, such as one of the paired forelimbs of a four-legged animal or the arms of cephalopods...
s and leg
Human leg
The human leg is the entire lower extremity or limb of the human body, including the foot, thigh and even the hip or gluteal region; however, the precise definition in human anatomy refers only to the section of the lower limb extending from the knee to the ankle.Legs are used for standing,...
s.
Crawling is used mainly:
- When he/she cannot walk because of being an infantInfantA newborn or baby is the very young offspring of a human or other mammal. A newborn is an infant who is within hours, days, or up to a few weeks from birth. In medical contexts, newborn or neonate refers to an infant in the first 28 days after birth...
or due to disability or being wounded or sick. - In very low places (caveCaveA cave or cavern is a natural underground space large enough for a human to enter. The term applies to natural cavities some part of which is in total darkness. The word cave also includes smaller spaces like rock shelters, sea caves, and grottos.Speleology is the science of exploration and study...
s, under a tableFurnitureFurniture is the mass noun for the movable objects intended to support various human activities such as seating and sleeping in beds, to hold objects at a convenient height for work using horizontal surfaces above the ground, or to store things...
, in a mineMiningMining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
, etc.). Sometimes underground miners need to crawl long distances during their work. - When searching for something on the ground.
- To get down to the ground in gardeningGardeningGardening is the practice of growing and cultivating plants. Ornamental plants are normally grown for their flowers, foliage, or overall appearance; useful plants are grown for consumption , for their dyes, or for medicinal or cosmetic use...
, for maintenance or other work-related purposes which require a good reach on the ground - For stealth (camouflage and quietness)
- To lower the field of vision
- As an exercise
- For fun or comical purposes.
Crawl
Crawling is a specific 4-beat gait involving the handHand
A hand is a prehensile, multi-fingered extremity located at the end of an arm or forelimb of primates such as humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs...
s and knee
Knee
The knee joint joins the thigh with the leg and consists of two articulations: one between the fibula and tibia, and one between the femur and patella. It is the largest joint in the human body and is very complicated. The knee is a mobile trocho-ginglymus , which permits flexion and extension as...
s. A typical crawl is left-hand, right-knee, right-hand, left-knee, or a hand, the diagonal knee, the other hand then its diagonal knee. This is the first gait most humans learn, and is really only practical during early childhood
Early childhood
For the video game rating with a similar age group see ESRBEarly childhood is a stage in human development. It generally includes toddlerhood and some time afterwards. Play age is an unspecific designation approximately within the scope of early childhood.-Education:Infants and toddlers experience...
, or when looking for something on the floor or under low relief
Relief
Relief is a sculptural technique. The term relief is from the Latin verb levo, to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is thus to give the impression that the sculpted material has been raised above the background plane...
, though some often do so for personal pleasure. It can be used to move with a lower silhouette
Silhouette
A silhouette is the image of a person, an object or scene consisting of the outline and a basically featureless interior, with the silhouetted object usually being black. Although the art form has been popular since the mid-18th century, the term “silhouette” was seldom used until the early decades...
, but there are better crawls for that purpose. This is the most natural of the crawls and is the one that requires the least effort.
Bear crawl
The bearBear
Bears are mammals of the family Ursidae. Bears are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans, with the pinnipeds being their closest living relatives. Although there are only eight living species of bear, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern...
crawl is almost identical to the regular crawl, but the feet
Foot
The foot is an anatomical structure found in many vertebrates. It is the terminal portion of a limb which bears weight and allows locomotion. In many animals with feet, the foot is a separate organ at the terminal part of the leg made up of one or more segments or bones, generally including claws...
are used instead of the knees, which creates an arched or squatted body posture. This works as a faster crawl but requires more effort to maintain.
Crab crawl
The crabCrab (posture)
The Crab is the name given to a body position sometimes seen in basic gymnastics, yoga, and breakdancing. The body is supinated so that the back faces the ground, the legs are bent like sitting in a chair, and the arms extend straight backward. Only the feet and hands touch the ground, and the...
crawl is an upside down bear crawl. This is the most unnatural of the crawls, requiring the most effort, and is used in crab soccer
Crab soccer
Crab soccer , or crab football , is an informal sport for two teams. Players try to kick an inflated ball into a goal to score points. The game can be played with a regular soccer ball, but often is played with a cage ball. At the end of the game, the team with more points wins...
. The crab crawl starts by sitting down with the feet and hands flat on the ground, the hips are then raised off the ground and the chest faces the sky. Due to its inefficiency, it is more commonly used as a form of exercise than actual transportation. Crabwalking builds triceps endurance
Endurance
Endurance is the ability for a human or animal to exert itself and remain active for a long period of time, as well as its ability to resist, withstand, recover from, and have immunity to trauma, wounds, or fatigue. In humans, it is usually used in aerobic or anaerobic exercise...
and arm and leg strength, and is a recommended exercise of various school athletic departments and soccer organizations (such as USA Football). Because of its unusual appearance, crabwalking has been used in several horror film
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
s to suggest the demonic possession of a character. These have included The Exorcist
The Exorcist (film)
The Exorcist is a 1973 American horror film directed by William Friedkin, adapted from the 1971 novel of the same name by William Peter Blatty and based on the exorcism case of Robbie Mannheim, dealing with the demonic possession of a young girl and her mother’s desperate attempts to win back her...
and The Unborn.
The crab crawl is also useful for descending steep slopes with poor traction. Its feet-first orientation ensures a low center of mass
Center of mass
In physics, the center of mass or barycenter of a system is the average location of all of its mass. In the case of a rigid body, the position of the center of mass is fixed in relation to the body...
to prevent tumbling, while the inverted posture allows one to see where he or she is going.
Leopard crawl/High crawl
The leopardLeopard
The leopard , Panthera pardus, is a member of the Felidae family and the smallest of the four "big cats" in the genus Panthera, the other three being the tiger, lion, and jaguar. The leopard was once distributed across eastern and southern Asia and Africa, from Siberia to South Africa, but its...
crawl is a military
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
-specific crawl. There are two versions, the leopard crawl proper and a modified version for when carrying weapon
Weapon
A weapon, arm, or armament is a tool or instrument used with the aim of causing damage or harm to living beings or artificial structures or systems...
s in the hands. This is a two-beat gait like a trot
Trot (horse gait)
The trot is a two-beat diagonal gait of the horse, where the diagonal pairs of legs move forward at the same time. There is a moment of suspension between each beat....
: an arm/elbow
Elbow
The human elbow is the region surrounding the elbow-joint—the ginglymus or hinge joint in the middle of the arm. Three bones form the elbow joint: the humerus of the upper arm, and the paired radius and ulna of the forearm....
is advanced with the diagonal knee. This is designed for the smallest silhouette possible, and the body is often nearly or actually touching the ground, and although the elbow and knee are the main focus, most of the respective limbs touch the ground.
Tiger crawl
The tigerTiger
The tiger is the largest cat species, reaching a total body length of up to and weighing up to . Their most recognizable feature is a pattern of dark vertical stripes on reddish-orange fur with lighter underparts...
crawl is essentially a highly accelerated combination between crawl and leopard crawl. It uses the hands and the knees/feet depending upon the situation, while maintaining a silhouette almost as small as that of the leopard crawl. This is relatively fast gait but can take large amounts of energy.