can a human run like a animal with feets and hands?

[Abreu]

i mean can you run fast with feet and hands like an animal? because in movies and cartoons humans run like a dog or somthing but would our spine not allow that? just want an opinion maybe with practice?

[Ringer]

Since we're bipedal we would be very off balance if we tried to run on our hands and feet.

[yaracuyKirkhoff]

i mean can you run fast with feet and hands like an animal? because in movies and cartoons humans run like a dog or somthing but would our spine not allow that? just want an opinion maybe with practice?

 

 

At the moment I can not give you a reference , but there is a family in Turkey their children have been born with some problem and thy walk and run on four like an animal.

[Phi for All]

i mean can you run fast with feet and hands like an animal? because in movies and cartoons humans run like a dog or somthing but would our spine not allow that? just want an opinion maybe with practice?

Fast like a wolf, no. Fast like a sloth, maybe.

 

Our spines would actually be quite happy and better supported by running on all fours. I think it's the rest of our limbs that might suffer. I don't think our arms are long enough compared to our legs. Our long, fragile, non-clawed fingers would definitely limit our speed. We'd have to bend over too far, causing our rumps to stick up and limiting the mobility of our heads. Our legs would probably be OK, the knees would enjoy a less stretched position, but I don't think our hips allow our legs full flexion. The raised instep on our feet would be a big problem, severely stretching the Achilles tendon to run pitched that far forward.

 

I think your real question is, could we learn to run faster on feet and hands than on just feet? I don't think so. But one of the benefits of bipedalism is freeing the hands to make and use tools. It might be interesting to figure a way to artificially lengthen the arms to eliminate a few of the major problems. Interestingly, I just googled and found a patent abstract for just such a device: http://www.patents.com/us-5571065.html

 

I haven't seen it yet, but apparently Doug Jones does some all-fours type running using arm extensions in the movie Legion. I'll have to check that out and see what it looks like.

[Phi for All]

Here's a guy who looks pretty fast on all fours:

 

 

This style is part of parkour training and is used for conditioning. I'm not sure it's sustainable for very long. Indeed, you can tell that this guy in the video can't hold it at this speed for long stretches. It's more of a sprint movement rather than for traveling longer distances. I bet every one of these videos ends with him going ass over tea kettle.

[Greg Boyles]

I remember seeing a report on a fellow who did not have legs, can't remember why, who got around using his arms and a skate board.

 

After a decade or two of this his shoulders were breaking down due to the fact that they are not biologically engineered to be weight bearing in the same way as our legs.

 

Actually I think it was a woman rather than a man.

Edited September 18, 2011 by Greg Boyles

[ewmon]

A video of adult siblings in Turkey who walk on all fours

 

[recalo]

Well of course we can.

 

Just like how some dogs or cats are able to walk like a human. Even though it's only for a short while.

 

It's just not the best way to run though.

[Phi for All]

A video of adult siblings in Turkey who walk on all fours

 

See how they have to turn their feet out to the side to overcome the high instep? And I'll bet they can't get much speed going with their rumps up that high. They seem to be quite used to tilting the chin down while upright and looking at you straight on with their eyes at the top of the socket. I'd be curious to know if they all have good vision or not. It sure stretches my eye muscles to do that.

[victorialol19]

It depends on the person. I have been practicing for about three months now and it's surprisingly easy. I'm not saying everyone can do this but practice does make perfect!

[overtone]

 

The World Record 100 meter sprint on all fours.

 

That other guy looked faster. He was more rabbit motion, which strikes me as the way to do it, what with the long legs and big butt. The shock of taking the long leap unto one's wrists, though - maybe on the fists, taped wrists and knuckles llike a boxer?

Edited June 4, 2015 by overtone

[lane]

i know someone that acuatly sprints like a dog on all fours

[Phi for All]

14 minutes ago, lane said:

i know someone that acuatly sprints like a dog on all fours

Is she a dog?

[Sensei]

48 minutes ago, lane said:

i know someone that acuatly sprints like a dog on all fours

33 minutes ago, Phi for All said:

Is she a dog?

I know somebody who runs at speed of light. He/she is called a photon..

 

[Phi for All]

3 minutes ago, Sensei said:

I know somebody who runs at speed of light. He/she is called a photon..

My definition of "run" says he/she has to have at least two legs, which implies mass, but otherwise he/she sounds brilliant.

[Hypsibius]

On 8/12/2011 at 1:41 AM, Abreu said:

i mean can you run fast with feet and hands like an animal? because in movies and cartoons humans run like a dog or somthing but would our spine not allow that? just want an opinion maybe with practice?

Do you mean if a human (bipedal) can run as fast as a quadrupedal animal?

Or just if a human can run fast on all fours as opposed to upright?

Either way, there are physical constraints that make quadruped locomotion ineffective for humans, as a species that has evolved to be bipedal. It's possible for humans to run on all fours (anecdotal evidence: I used to do that when I was a kid, because it was fun running this way in the woods) but it's not an efficient way to move, because for example of the length of our upper limbs compared to the lower ones, the position of our head, the shape of our back, etc. If you analyse the structure of quadruped that have evolved to become specialised runners, you can see the many differences between their body structure and ours. For example, animals specialised in running are typically digitigrades, i.e. they stand on their toes or hooves. A human running on all fours has to either run on his/her knuckles or palms. It's painful and ineffective.

[Sensei]

22 minutes ago, Phi for All said:

My definition of "run" says he/she has to have at least two legs, which implies mass, but otherwise he/she sounds brilliant.

My definition of "run" says that code should be executed..

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Execution_(computing)

"The term run is used almost synonymously. A related meaning of both "to run" and "to execute" refers to the specific action of a user starting (or launching or invoking) a program, as in "Please run the application." "

When you would know everything, you would not be surprised to see how these two things are correlated..