Friends have asked me why do the characters playing the role of ninjas in the anime series Naruto run with their upper bodies tilted forward and their arms trailing behind them .
My explanation is thermodynamics er, excuse me po! I mean aerodynamics. It uses the same principle as skiers do when skiing at high speeds. Smaller body profile means smaller air resistance and increased speed.
Our upper body is a big flat wall (even if you are as thin as the loved and revered Mahatma Gandhi during his protest). And like all big flat walls, it resists air flow -- can you feel your wide high rise buildings tremble during windy days?
But the principles of aerodynamics is not the only one that helps you run faster. Gravity has the same effect as well.
When running with your upper body tilted forward, your center of gravity moves to the area forward of your feet. This will place you off balance which naturally requires you to put a foot forward to regain you balance. Add to that the pushing effect of your trailing foot that once more places the center of gravity ahead of your leading-catch-the-balance foot. Repeating this cycle at an increased pace moves your body forward at an increasing speed.
And that my friends is the explanation to how Naruto and his friends reach impossible speeds using the upper-body-tilted-forward posture. :)
Showing posts with label ninja. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ninja. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
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