Quote from SmallLady

Actually its not only ninjas, its the way super-fast people run in anime. Check out some anime other than Naruto that required a big run with empty hands and no flying - and all characters run the same way with hands trailing behind them. Good example: Tenchi Muyo GXP - the main character - Seina rides on Bicycle competing with Tenchi running on foot. Tenchi runs with hands trailing behind him.
I would call this "running anime-style" and I don't really know why most anime use this way to draw running characters.
I have thought of couple of reasons why japanese mangaka (or is it anime- only?) would do it
#1 Its current fad in japan for kids/teenagers to run that way
#2 some really old but really famous anime (or movie) character used to run that way and now most of anime industry copies that style because it looks good on screen (not in real life though)
#3 Animators are really lazy and don't want to waste their time drawing the running characters in realistic way especially in long series such as Naruto
#4 There was some study or conclusion somewhere that to run this way is to minimize air friction

I'm really not sure about this, but I think possibly real ninja ran like that years ago. Like, you're not going to be swinging your needles and shuriken around while you're running, are you?

Good point, Xer. If a ninja were to ever trip (low odds) the shuriken wouldn't be likely to hit them in the face. It just gives credence to the old saying, "Don't run with scissors...unless you're a ninja."

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Its not so much about how you run like a "ninja". Its the way your body runs comfortably.

Olympic runners don't use this running form (yes it is a running form) because it wastes alot of energy just to do it. But if you manage to actually to run it in the correct form, then you will run exceptionally fast. The form allows the centre of gravity to be more forward, so by doing that the legs will want to catch up to it more. So what you get is the diagonal form.

And also people can run like that if they truly wish, but if they do it too diagonally it would exhaust them really quickly. Moreover, why do everything about ninjas have to be reflected on naruto 😕 ?? Why don't people actually look at history, well naruto does have some mythology incorporated in. A ninja can be anything, a ninja doesnt have to wear black, a ninja has to be really stealthy, and ninjas can attack at day if they wanted to.

Ninjas does whatever they have to do to blend into their surroundings. For example if they are in a city, they would want to blend in with the people, not hide on the walls. They can be gardeners so they look like normal people tending the garden, if an intruder comes in, the gardener will kill the intruder swiftly.

I myself run in that form if i am racing for the final stretch, BUT i dont go as diagonal as what you would have think. And it indeed makes me run faster, but if i stop i will feel how exhausted i am.

And E-chan52 you have to put your arms behind your back if you were to go very diagonal. Putting your arm on the back will help your centre of gravity even out more. That way the added angle will make you go down more avoiding wind, and make your leg movement more efficient.

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Yup,
The running style I learned in track and field seems much more practical. Ninja style seems like a thing just for manga. Not practical at all.

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Ok, time to post.

Being a fan of track, running like a "ninja" does NOT help you at all. Infact, it will shift your center mass away from an ideal position.

Running is all about putting your drive on a diagnol position from your mass. Because of that, the ammount you power you get from your quad's is an integral part of running, as you can help shift your mass, and "pull" your body, for lack of a better explanation.

Also, they arch their back forward, right? That screws with your force during drive also. The only time arching yourself MIGHT help is during the recovery phase of running, where you could get a small boost in force, however, you will need to be constantly arching your back forward expending energy, in between every step. The correct form is to lean slightly, to keep your mass placed on the correct foot.

I'm not going to go into a huge thesis on running mechanics, but to sum it up, running like a "Ninja" has no place in pro track, and if you seem to go faster while doing it, it is because you cannot properly utilize your energy in better manner.

I'm sure a wiki link is reliable.. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Running#Human_running_mechanics 🙄

You guys are all forgetting one very important factor.

Running like a ninja is fun and makes you look like a badass ninja.

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Wow... I just tried running like that through my house and it was great! Although I had to knock a few walls out of my way and dodge a table it was fun... perhaps I'll run like that all the time. 😀

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Normal run is probably the best. But when you have something in your hand to be used as a weapon, I use to find it better to have your arm trailing behind you.

Quote from SmallLady

#4 There was some study or conclusion somewhere that to run this way is to minimize air friction

yea i dont know if this is true or not but if it is, i dont know if i'd be choosing minimal air friction over speed... might kinda determine if you lived or not if you were in a real ninja-y situation...

and it's a perfect opening to trip them and make them completely eat it by the way. nothing ninja-y about getting a face full of floor.

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Quote from kiddo

Quote from SmallLady

#4 There was some study or conclusion somewhere that to run this way is to minimize air friction

yea i dont know if this is true or not but if it is, i dont know if i'd be choosing minimal air friction over speed... might kinda determine if you lived or not if you were in a real ninja-y situation...

and it's a perfect opening to trip them and make them completely eat it by the way. nothing ninja-y about getting a face full of floor.

Running more streamline like that, you have less air friction/better aerodynamics, which probably makes you run faster. Now, I'm guessing that it takes more effort to run that way because your center of mass is not directly above your feet, your main supports. So you have to constantly resist gravity pulling you down, which won't affect your speed (correct term here is actually velocity) because gravity pulls you straight down and your velocity is horizontal: basic physics/vectors.

Sometimes when I feel like looking like an idiot running in the rain.

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ah, but when you run with your arms behind you, you also have to lean forward your upper body. ... and i admitted already that i have tried doing this... it was a bit faster than a regular run.

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I only run like a ninja when I run with scissors.

A friend of mine usually walks with his arms hanging lifeless down his sides.. Quite similar to the naruto run style, but it just looks ridiculus and wrong.. No thanks.

But as said by others, while holding a weapon it's much safer to hold it behind you than waving it infront of your face. I usually carry weapons behind my back. It's safer for everyone and doesn't look as threatening.

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Quote from Mamsmilk

That is too retarded...

Seconded.. >_>

Kishi just did that way of running to make his ninja's more 'unique'..

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