The Beginning Of Locomotion...
Crawling is where we begin to experience locomotion. Remember, as children each of our movements has a purpose. The crawl is now our primary source of transportation.
What Crawling Actually Does
I know what you're probably thinking, Hector, why do I need to crawl? I know how to walk already *AND* aren't I designed to walk and run anyway?
This is true, but, lets think of crawling along the same lines as brushing your teeth.
You already know how to brush your teeth, so why do you continue to do it? For maintenance purposes, right?
Crawling is maintenance for the body, like brushing your teeth. Here's what it actually does:
Crawling teaches our hips and shoulders to work in unison.
This creates what is call a reciprocal movement pattern.
By crossing mid-line crawling ties our left shoulder to our right hip and our right shoulder to our left hip through our core, creating a virtual X.
This is what prepares us for walking.
Only today believe it or not, many us no longer sway our arms while we walk (creating that reciprocal movement pattern) because of how weak we've become in our posture.
Imagine this...
If we crawled the same way that we walk (moving our legs only), we would eventually face plant on the floor. Also, if we only crawled with our arms, we would eventually fall flat on our bellies.
This is why our hips and shoulders must work together to create locomotion (moving from one place to the other).
Variation #1 - The X-Lift
The first variation of the craw if the x-lift. Start on all 6 points (hands, knees, and toes) and lift opposite hand and knee off the floor.
This is called crossing mid-line and creates the virtual X.
This also challenges your ability to resist rotary torque. If after lifting your hand and knee, you start wobbling side to side, that's a sign that you're lacking rotary stability, meaning your body cannot resist rotary torque.
If this is the case, stay here and own this position before moving onto the crawl.
Variation #2 - 6pt Creeping
After you've established the x-lift, you're ready for 6 point creepy (it has other names like: baby crawling).
Start on all 6 points, elevate opposite hand and knee creating your "X", now start to move your "X". Simple as that. If you find yourself getting our of sync, simply back up and revisit the x-lift.
Variation #3 - 4pt Crawling
This is the last progression. The difference between the 6pt and the 4pt is an increase in rotary torque plus, now you're only making 4 points of contact with the floor (hands and toes).
When you were on your knees, that was an additional point of stability. With the knees up, more stress is being placed on the midsection (this is actually a good thing).
Other Crawl Variations
- Crawling around in a circle
- Crawling in a zig-zag
- Crawling and rocking at the same time
- Lateral Crawling
- Crawling with the feet until you do a 180, then crawling only with the hands to make a full 360.
Again, really no way to do it wrong, play around with it and see what you come up with.
Your Practice
This one is pretty simple.
1. Set a timer for 10 minutes and see how many different ways you can crawl. Progress yourself slowly to complete all 10 minutes without stopping.
As you fatigue, regress back to the 6pt crawl to recover and then go back to the 4pt crawl.
See you on the next lesson--in the next 4 lessons we'll be diving into the Advanced Kettlebell Movements.
Hec G.