Conversation

Why is it that for some physical things, the right way is also a natural way (eg: swinging a tennis racket) and with others the right way is the unnatural way (eg: golf swing — knees stay bent on the downswing but “want” to straighten out)? Other examples? General principles?
23
42
2 other examples: Swimming front crawl: one-side breathing feels natural, both-sides breathing (on every third stroke) is the right technique for competition. Cricket: the natural instinct is to swing “cross bat” but the correct technique is “straight bat”
1
8
I can figure out the specific reason in each case based on the rigid constraints (fixed length club, needing to see competitors on both sides, probability of missing the ball), but wondering if there are general principles of “natural” movements.
5
6
Fwiw I’m not a klutz but not particularly athletic either, and have only shallow experience with very few sports. Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence probably in the borderline-idiot range.
2
7
As an illustration of principles of “natural,” there are studies of gait dynamics in robotics showing why different gaits naturally occur at different speeds — they are natural because they are efficient in a physics sense. True of living things too but not the whole story.
Replying to
What may be less well known are the “soft tissue” (simplified; lots of technical detail) running throughout the body that can be developed an alternate (or complementary) source of locomotion. Even in the undeveloped state, they influence the way motion will feel natural.
1