# Crawling (human) > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Crawling_(human) > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Crawling_(human).md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crawling_(human) > Source revision: 1347767641 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Moving along the ground on hands and knees}} {{Refimprove|date=November 2010}} {{about|the human motion||Crawl (disambiguation)}} thumb|A man crawling '''Crawling''' or '''quadrupedal movement''' is a method of human [locomotion](/source/Animal_locomotion) that makes use of all four [limb](/source/limb_(anatomy))s. It is one of the earliest [gaits](/source/Gait_(human)) learned by human infants,{{cite journal |last1=Righetti |first1=Ludovic|last2=Nylén|first2=Anna|last3=Rosander|first3=Kerstin|last4=Ijspeert|first4=Auke Jan |title=Kinematic and Gait Similarities between Crawling Human Infants and Other Quadruped Mammals |journal=Frontiers in Neurology |date=9 February 2015 |volume=6|page=17|doi=10.3389/fneur.2015.00017 |pmc=4321575 |issn=1664-2295 |pmid=25709597|doi-access=free}} and has similar features to four-limbed movement in other [primates](/source/primates) and in non-primate [quadrupeds](/source/quadrupeds).{{cite journal |author1=Patrick Susan K. |author2=Noah J. Adam |author3=Yang Jaynie F. | year = 2009 | title = Interlimb Coordination in Human Crawling Reveals Similarities in Development and Neural Control With Quadrupeds | journal = Journal of Neurophysiology | volume = 101 | issue = 2| pages = 603–613 | doi=10.1152/jn.91125.2008 | pmid=19036860 | pmc=2657078}} ==When crawls are used== [[File:Fire drill in a smoke trailer, Naples, Italy - 081007-N-4044H-271.jpg|thumb|right|Children crawling on the ground during a [fire drill](/source/fire_drill) in Italy.]] Crawling is used mainly: *When a person cannot yet walk because of being an [infant](/source/infant) *When a person cannot walk due to disability, being wounded, sick, or [drunk](/source/drunk) *In very low places ([cave](/source/cave)s, under a [table](/source/Furniture), in a [mine](/source/mining), etc.). Sometimes underground miners need to crawl long distances during their work *When searching for something on the ground *To get down to the ground in [gardening](/source/gardening), for maintenance or other work-related purposes which require a good reach on the ground *For stealth (camouflage and quietness) *To avoid being hit by [gunfire](/source/Firearm) *To lower the field of vision *To empathize with insects *As an exercise *As a token of [submission](/source/submission) *For fun or comical purposes *To reduce the risk of [smoke inhalation](/source/smoke_inhalation) during a fire ==In infants== [[File:Vincent Wade, a 10-month-old baby, crawls.jpg|thumb|175x175px|left|A 10-month-old baby crawling by [kneeling](/source/kneeling)]]Infants sometimes "crawl" with their stomachs on the ground as early as 3 months, but this crawling is infrequent with the baby remaining stationary most of the time. True crawling with the stomach off the ground and the baby frequently on the move usually develops between 7 and 11 months of age and lasts anywhere from a week to 4 months before the child switches to walking. Even after taking their first unaided steps, most babies still crawl part of the time until they have mastered walking. While crawling, infants gradually practice standing, at first by using people or objects for support and, later, without support. Crawling babies are notorious for getting into trouble, so parents are often advised to [childproof](/source/childproof) their house before a baby reaches crawling age. Though crawling is an important developmental milestone in children, it is not necessary for healthy development.{{cite web|url=http://www.slate.com/blogs/how_babies_work/2013/04/24/crawling_and_development_parents_obsess_about_it_but_your_baby_will_be_fine.html|title=Crawling and development: Parents obsess about it, but your baby will be fine.|last=Day|first=Nicholas|date=24 April 2013|work=[Slate](/source/Slate_(magazine))|accessdate=25 April 2013|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130425235154/http://www.slate.com/blogs/how_babies_work/2013/04/24/crawling_and_development_parents_obsess_about_it_but_your_baby_will_be_fine.html|archivedate=25 April 2013}} Some babies skip crawling and go directly to walking. Others "bottom shuffle" instead of crawling (sometimes referred to as "bum-shuffling", or "scooting"). Bottom-shuffling babies sit on their bottoms and push themselves forward using their legs, and sometimes their hands, often in specially reinforced trousers. Babies that bottom-shuffle tend to walk later than babies that crawl. Whether infants crawl is also culturally determined. European parents in previous centuries discouraged it as being too animal-like. They kept their children in long dresses and other clothes that made crawling difficult or impossible. Some cultures consider it to be dirty and dangerous. ==Types of crawls== ===Standard crawl=== Crawling is a specific four-beat gait involving the [hand](/source/hand)s and [knee](/source/knee)s. A typical crawl is left-hand, right-knee, right-hand, left-knee, or a hand, the diagonal knee, the other hand then its diagonal knee. This is the first gait most humans learn, and is mainly used during [early childhood](/source/early_childhood), or when looking for something on the floor or under low [relief](/source/relief_(location)). It can be used to move with a lower [silhouette](/source/silhouette), but there are better crawls for that purpose. This is the most natural of the crawls and is the one that requires the least effort. ===Bear crawl=== {{See also|The Family That Walks On All Fours}} thumb|US Airman performs a bear crawl The [bear](/source/bear) crawl is almost identical to the standard crawl, but the [feet](/source/Foot) are used instead of the knees, which creates an arched or squatted [body posture](/source/body_posture). This works as a faster crawl but requires more effort to maintain. ===Bridge walk=== This involves holding a [gymnastic bridge](/source/gymnastic_bridge) and making small steps with the arms and legs. It is similar to a crab walk in that the body locomotes in a supine posture, but the arms are in shoulder flexion alongside the head. Because of its unusual appearance, bridgewalking has been used in several [horror film](/source/horror_film)s to suggest the demonic possession of a character. These have included ''[The Exorcist](/source/The_Exorcist)'' and ''[The Unborn](/source/The_Unborn_(2009_film))''. Wrestler [Bray Wyatt](/source/Bray_Wyatt) does this. ===Commando crawl=== Also known as "creeping", this is often a baby's first form of locomotion. At the same time the baby develops arm strength to lift their chests, thereby helping forward momentum.{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}} ===Crab crawl=== {{redirect|Crab walk|the locomotion of crabs|Crab#Behaviour}} The [crab](/source/crab_(posture)) crawl is used in [crab soccer](/source/crab_soccer). It starts by sitting down with the feet and hands flat on the ground, the hips are then raised off the ground and the chest faces the sky. It is similar to a bridge walk in that both have quadrupedal locomotion with a supine torso, but here the arms are held behind the torso, with the shoulder joint being in hyperextension. Due to its inefficiency, it is more commonly used as a form of [exercise](/source/exercise) than actual transportation. Crabwalking builds [triceps](/source/triceps) [endurance](/source/endurance)[http://www.frixo.com/sites/fitness/exercises/crabwalk.html "Crab Walk Exercise"] at CombatFitness.co.uk and arm and leg strength, and is a recommended exercise of various school athletic departments and [soccer](/source/soccer) organizations, such as USA football.{{cite web |url=http://www.usafootball.com/articles/health-and-safety/center-articles/17-health-and-safety/85-conditioning/179-9-training-exercises-to-make-you-stronger-for-next-season.php |title=USA Football |accessdate=2010-11-27 |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100819113042/http://www.usafootball.com/articles/health-and-safety/center-articles/17-health-and-safety/85-conditioning/179-9-training-exercises-to-make-you-stronger-for-next-season.php |archivedate=2010-08-19 }} USA The crab crawl is also useful for descending steep slopes with poor traction. Its feet-first orientation ensures a low [center of mass](/source/center_of_mass) to prevent tumbling, while the inverted posture allows one to see where they're going. ===Leopard crawl/high crawl=== thumb|Soldier crawls through mud during training The [leopard](/source/leopard) crawl is a [military](/source/military)-specific crawl. There are two versions, the leopard crawl proper and a modified version for when carrying [weapon](/source/weapon)s in the hands. This is a two-beat gait like a [trot](/source/Trot_(horse_gait)): an arm/[elbow](/source/elbow) is advanced with the diagonal knee. This is designed for the smallest silhouette possible, and the body is often nearly or actually touching the ground, and although the elbow and knee are the main focus, most of the respective limbs touch the ground. ===Tiger crawl=== The [tiger](/source/tiger) crawl is essentially a highly accelerated combination of crawl and leopard crawl. It uses the hands and the knees/feet depending upon the situation, while maintaining a silhouette almost as small as that of the leopard crawl. This is relatively fast gait but can take large amounts of energy. ==References== {{external media|video1=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3xWaOkXCSQ|title=Stages of crawling in a baby (1 minute video)}} {{Reflist}} {{Infants and their care}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Crawling (Human)}} Category:Parkour techniques Category:Terrestrial locomotion --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Crawling (human)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crawling_(human)) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crawling_(human)?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.