The Ba Gua Zhang walking gait was examined in an accomplished practitioner to test the hypothesis that reducing the vertical oscillation of the body center of mass (CoM) conserves energy. Compared to typical walking, center-of-mass displacement and peak vertical ground reaction force decreased during Ba Gua Zhang walking. Muscle activity in the lower extremities and lower back, however, increased. The results failed to support the concept of decreasing CoM oscillations to increase efficiency.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
KuoA. D. (2007) The six determinants of gait and the inverted pendulum analogy: a dynamic walking perspective. Human Movement Science, 26, 617–656.
2.
MassaadF.LejeuneT. M.DetrembleurC. (2007) The up and down bobbing of human walking: a compromise between muscle work and efficiency. Journal of Physiology, 582(Pt. 2), 789–799.
3.
OrtegaJ. D.FarleyC. T. (2005) Minimizing center of mass vertical movement increases metabolic cost in walking. Journal of Applied Physiology, 99, 2099–2107.
4.
ParkB. N.MillerD. (1999) The fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang. Vol. 1. Burbank, CA: Unique Publications.
5.
SaundersJ. B.InmanV. T.EberhartH. D. (1953) The major determinants in normal and pathological gait. Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, 35-A, 543–558.
6.
WangW. J.CromptonR. H.LiY.GuntherM. M. (2003) Energy transformation during erect and ‘bent-hip, bent-knee’ walking by humans with implications for the evolution of bipedalism. Journal of Human Evolution, 44, 563–579.
