What kind of Karateka would she make?

-Metablade- · Post by **-Metablade-** » Tue Nov 22, 2005 10:45 pm

Think you are limber?
Think again:

Good Stuff.

http://www.fazed.org/video/view/?id=119

John Giacoletti · Post by **John Giacoletti** » Wed Nov 23, 2005 5:55 am

Wow! This woman sets the curve!

And I thought placing my palms on the floor or grabbing my ankles was good

AAAhmed46 · Post by **AAAhmed46** » Wed Nov 23, 2005 9:51 am

Dont know what kind of power she would have

But she would be really irritating in a grappling match!

Spike · Post by **Spike** » Wed Nov 23, 2005 4:28 pm

I was unaware that the human spine could do that!

I'm impressed!

Post by **gmattson** » Wed Nov 23, 2005 4:58 pm

is now working for Circus De Soleil!

Hey Bill... is her flexibility something that certain people are born with? Can a baby be stretched and exercised (safely) to develop this type of flexibility?

How does she stand up? (which she doesn't seem to have a problem doing) How can the disks in the spine remain in place after undergoing such movement?

Bill Glasheen · Post by **Bill Glasheen** » Wed Nov 23, 2005 5:20 pm

This is half flexibility, and half presentation. She really has learned how to use her gifts.

If you take a human skeleton without tissue, it has this much flexibility and more. What causes our (lack of) flexibility is the connective tissue that holds everything together. This would include the ligaments which tie bone to bone, and the muscles and tendons. Plus it's obvious that the pads between the spine joints (the spinal discs) are very young, thick, and spongy. That will change with age...

What you see here is a bit of a genetic freak. She likely has much more elastin (vs. collagen) than the average person, so all the stringy things that tie stuff together (ligaments and tendons) are very stretchy like rubber bands. This allows her to move the way she does. She's able to stand up because her muscles can work in conjunction with her skeletal structure (bones and ligaments) to create a viscoelastic solid when she needs it. It's no different than having a hard stomach vs. a soft stomach.

I had a Vietnamese girl as a karate student once who was almost that flexible. But she absolutely never learned to do all those serpentine motions and other contorsions the way this girl can. It truly is remarkable.

Spike · Post by **Spike** » Thu Nov 24, 2005 4:00 pm

Always great to learn some more about the human body from you Bill

Very Cool

What kind of Karateka would she make?

What kind of Karateka would she make?

Flexibility

Bet she