Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
This often results in a lateral waddling-type action with a backward tilt of the
torso and a noticeable curve in the spine.
The choice of footwear may also make a difference to a walk and can
noticeably affect a figure's posture throughout the walking action. This
naturally applies equally to men and women. Walking in high-heel shoes,
sandals, diving flippers, or steel-toe-capped boots will result in very
different types of walks. The actual fit of the shoes may also create different
walking actions. If the shoe is too tight, it can restrict the feet and cause
discomfort or pain, which in turn can result in a shortening of the stride
and a more uncertain and lighter step. When the footwear is too large, as
in instances when children wear their parents' shoes, the result is often
a shuffling and sliding action of the feet, necessary to keep the shoes
in place.
The manner of a walking action may be the result of external factors:
environment, shoe type and fit, the weather, and internal factors such as
mood and temperament. Some walking actions are a result of the walker's
conscious decisions. Some individuals may
choose
to walk in a certain manner
for a range of reasons. There are undeniably cultural reasons why some people
choose to walk in a particular manner, one that identifies the individual as
belonging to a particular group and purposely flagging this fact to others
both inside and outside that group. A particular manner of walking may also
be used to demonstrate status to other members of the group.
All these examples demonstrate the many variations on an action that to
all intents and purposes is the same: using the same form of locomotion
(walking) to get from points A to B. If such variations can be found in one
action, it follows that similar variations can be found in all actions, though
what instigates these actions and creates the variations will no doubt differ.
If we now look in more detail at the process of walking and the basic elements
of a walk, we may find ourselves in a better position to understand these
kinds of variations.
The average normal human adult walk takes place at speeds of below 2.7
meters per second, with the walk's speed determined by both the stride
length and the rate at which each of the steps is taken. Increases in walk
speeds may be determined by an increase in either the stride length or the
regularity with which the strides are taken. Athletes in walking races are
able to increase this average rate to almost double the speed, at around 4.2
meters a second. To achieve these much higher speeds, the walker needs to
modify the action beyond simply increasing the stride length and frequency
of stride. This is achievable by a modified action of the hips and exaggerated
movement of the upper body and arms resulting in the very distinctive
waddling type gait we associate with high-speed walking.
Regardless of the reasons for the walking action, as a simple mode of
locomotion or as a sporting activity, the action is fundamentally the same,
