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Hand walking is an unusual form ofhuman locomotion in which a person travels in a vertically inverted orientation with all body weight resting on thehands.It can be executed with legs fully extended or with variations such as stag, straddle or frontsplits. Hand walking is performed in various athletic activities, includingacro dance andcircusacrobatics.
Hand walking is a skill that relies on a prerequisite ability to performhandstands, which in turn requires adequateupper body pressingstrength in thedeltoids andtriceps as well as a heightened sense ofbalance andspatial awareness. Because the body is inverted during hand walking, blood pressure in the brain is greater than normal.
Hand walking often elicits automatic, alternating leg movements similar to upright bipedal locomotion. Research shows that these leg movements are caused in part by neural coupling between arm and legs.[1]
As with other physical skills, one must practice hand walking in order to become proficient and develop adequate endurance. Handstands and hand walking are often learned at the same time because hand walking can be used to help maintain balance in a handstand before one learns to perform a stable handstand. Balance can also be maintained by varying the arch of the back.
Somequadrupeds are able to walkbipedally on theirforelimbs, thus performing "hand" walking in ananthropomorphic sense. For example, when attacked, thespotted skunk may rear up and move about on its forelimbs so that its anal glands, capable of spraying an offensive oil, are directed towards the attacker.Dogs,cats andsea lions can also be trained to walk on their forelimbs.