Quadrupedal Movement
““You need to spend time crawling alone through shadows to truly appreciate what it is to stand in the sun.”
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The Benefits of Quadrupedal Movement
Benefits of Quadrupedal Movement
QUADRUPEDAL DEFINITION
Quadrupedal means using all four limbs for walking or running. One of the first actions of locomotion that we'll ever undertake as humans is a crawling motion – moving on all four limbs across an even or uneven surface, usually around six months to 1 year old.
QUADRUPEDAL MOVEMENT FOR CHILDREN
Studies have shown that babies who spend more time in a prone position (on their stomachs) when awake achieved rolling, belly crawling, crawling on all fours and sitting milestones sooner [1]. Other studies also report that babies who had spent time belly-crawling were more proficient crawling on hands and knees than infants who had skipped that phase. [2]
The left side of the brain is responsible for controlling the right side of the body. The right side of the brain is responsible for movement in the left side of the body. Cross-body and crawling activities are excellent ways to exercise your mind and body, with memory retention improving in infants that move this way. [3]
Crawling ability is linked to spatial memory (the ability to record information about one's environment and orientation) development. [4]
The experience of movement we observe even at the earliest part of our childhood is essential. In one study, the brain activity of 14-to-16-month-old babies was recorded while they watched videos of crawling and walking. The brain activity was highest when the babies watched crawling videos, and stronger brain activity was detected based on their own experience of crawling. [5]
But whether we crawled much as children or not, it's often neglected once we leave childhood. By the time we are adults, many of us have entirely "forgotten" how to crawl.
QUADRUPEDAL MOVEMENT FOR ADULTS
There are some fantastic mind and body benefits of quadrupedal movements, such as crawling, both for adults and older children, which many people overlook.
First and most importantly, quadrupedal movement helps to improve your body's balance and range of activity. In short, being able to move very quickly on all four limbs helps your body transition more dynamically between two very different states of movements – think of moving very quickly from a crouching position to a standing position, or vice versa.
For that reason, quadrupedal movement is a foundational skill taught in many martial arts and other pursuits such as parkour. It's also one of the staples of the Primal Play Method. You've heard the term "cat-like reflexes". Well, imagine being able to pounce like a cat, moving your body at a moment's notice on all fours with remarkable agility.
The amazing Kenichi Ito could be referred to as the Usain Bolt of Quadrupedal sprinting - he has the Guinness world record for running the 100m on all fours in just over 15 seconds. [9]
MOVE LIKE AN ANIMAL
Quite simply, learning to crawl is one of the best ways to develop fluid transitions between movements. For example, I play with a full range of quadrupedal actions based on animal locomotion. For example, learn to walk like a cat or a crawl like a bear. Get low and compact to navigate tight-fitting areas and hard-to-reach locations.
Secondly, it's hard to deny the full-body workout potential of quadrupedal movement. When you're on all fours, you're hitting your quads and shoulders, as well as your core and legs. Don't just move forward, experiment with quadrupedal movement backwards, sideways, on diagonals and in random directions too.
MOVING FOR THE MIND
Finally – and this is probably the most surprising benefit of quadrupedal movement – you are exercising your mind regarding improving cognitive function every time you crawl. That's because the two sides of the brain are responsible for controlling opposite sides of the body. As you move front-to-back, back-to-front and side-to-side, your mind is processing these challenging signals.
There is significant evidence that movement and memory are linked. [6] Both sides of the brain are communicating. Over the long-term, quadrupedal movement could become a cognitive boost, a way to improve memory, focus and productivity. It can enhance proprioception too. Research looking at quadrupedal movement in adults [7] in the journal Human Movement Science concludes that:
"Performance of a novel, progressive, and challenging task, requiring the coordination of all 4 limbs, has a beneficial impact on cognitive flexibility..."
It's too easy to dismiss quadrupedal movement as something only a baby does. However, as anyone who's ever watched a baby crawl, or anyone who has tried to do it themselves as an adult, knows, propelling yourself forward in a crawling formation takes quite a bit of coordination, focus and power.
Functional movements such as quadrupedal movement patterns help prepare our body and mind for everything we encounter along our movement journey.
For more ideas on how you can incorporate crawling into your training, try a Crab Walk or a Bear Crawl and for some more in-depth programming, check out Darryl's bestselling Animal Moves Book.
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References:
[1] Kuo, Yu-Ling, Hua-Fang Liao, Pau-Chung Chen, Wu-Shiun Hsieh, and Ai-Wen Hwang. 2008. “The Influence of Wakeful Prone Positioning on Motor Development during the Early Life.” Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics : JDBP 29 (5): 367–76. https://doi.org/10.1097/DBP.0b013e3181856d54.
[2] Adolph, K E, B Vereijken, and M A Denny. 1998. “Learning to Crawl.” Child Development 69 (5): 1299–1312. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9839417.
[3] Herbert, Jane, Julien Gross, and Harlene Hayne. 2007. “Crawling Is Associated with More Flexible Memory Retrieval by 9-Month-Old Infants.” Developmental Science 10 (2): 183–89. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-7687.2007.00548.x.
[4] Clearfield, M W. 2004. “The Role of Crawling and Walking Experience in Infant Spatial Memory.” Journal of Experimental Child Psychology 89 (3): 214–41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2004.07.003.
[5] Elk, M van, H T van Schie, S Hunnius, C Vesper, and H Bekkering. 2008. “You’ll Never Crawl Alone: Neurophysiological Evidence for Experience-Dependent Motor Resonance in Infancy.” NeuroImage 43 (4): 808–14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2008.07.057.
[6] Madan, Christopher R., and Anthony Singhal. 2012. “Using Actions to Enhance Memory: Effects of Enactment, Gestures, and Exercise on Human Memory.” Frontiers in Psychology 3. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00507.
[7] Matthews, Martyn J, Mohamed Yusuf, Caron Doyle, and Catherine Thompson. 2016. “Quadrupedal Movement Training Improves Markers of Cognition and Joint Repositioning.” Human Movement Science 47: 70–80. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.humov.2016.02.002.
[8] BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | “Family may provide evolution clue.” (2010). Bbc.co.uk. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4782492.stm
[9] Swatman, Rachel. “Video: Watch Japan’s Kenichi Ito Scamper to GWR Day Success with Fastest 100 m Running on All Fours.” Guinness World Records, Guinness World Records, 12 Nov. 2015, www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2015/11/video-watch-japan%E2%80%99s-kinichi-ito-scamper-to-gwr-day-success-with-fastest-100-m-ru-405713/.
