Quadrobics (or 'quads', for short) is an activity that involves moving on four legs, such as an quadrupedal animal would. Quadrobics is an activity that is commonly practise by young therians and otherpaws (people who role-play as animals). Person who perform quadrobics is called a quadrobist. Quadrobics can be a fun and meaningful way for some therians to interact with their inner animal side, but it's very important to remember that quadrobics do NOT make someone a therian!!! Quadrobics is an exercise, not a part of involuntary, internal identity! Quadrobic gaits include: walk, amble, trot, pace, canter and gallop. Before moving on to the more advanced skills (galloping, jumping, etc.), master every other quadrobic activity, and make sure to be in good physical health and condition, especially for the jumping.
If you are a beginner, look out for phrases and words in bold . These sentences are marked specifically for you to pay attention to.
How to do Quadrobics[]
An important thing to remember is to take it slow. Don't push yourself beyond your limit, and practice quadrobics for five to ten minutes at a time and have a break at regular intervals. Make sure to drink a good amount of water when doing quadrobics. Familiarize yourself with your body and its abilities before attempting quadrobics. To reduce the chances of injury, here are some precautions you can take:
- Stretch and warm up your body before attempting quadrobics. This is especially important if this is your first time trying quads. This can help prevent injury.
- Wear gloves for the first few times (or every time) can protect your hands from bruising and aching, which is very common when you first start, especially if you are doing the activity on a hard surface or jumping. Another helpful piece of gear is wrist braces as quads can take particular strain on your wrists. Start simple with gloves, but once you are good at quads, you can decorate them to be gear, just don’t go too overboard. Investing in finger-less gloves especially is wonderful!
- DON'T use slippery surfaces, know that your weight will effect how your body moves and lands. Perform quadrobics on grass, turf, mats, carpeted floors, or softer surfaces in general. Doing quadrobics in snow is a bad idea because there could be ice or rocks under the snow that aren't visible. Always check for safety hazards before practicing quadrobics, these could be rocks or other sharp things hidden in grass or snow, random items in the way, or things that could slide when you land of them.
- Try to keep your elbows straight. Straight elbows can result in injury or aches especially when attempting jumps. Quadrobics on harder surfaces such as wooden floors, tiles, or concrete is preferred for beginners. You can attempt to do quads on hard floors but you should be careful and at least have experience doing quads on softer surfaces (like mats) before doing quads on harder surfaces.
- Make sure you know your limits and don’t hurt yourself!
- On soft surfaces we recommend folding your hand into a paw-like shape, but for hard surfaces we recommend to wear gloves and keep your hand open but not spread.
Walking[]
Squat down in a flat area, preferably a place with a fair amount of space. Put your hands in front of you and bend forward onto your hands and knees. To start, crawl across an area a few times to get used to the movements and strength needed, the way you hold your hand, and how far you step.
Now that you've gotten used to crawling, use your feet instead of your knees. Keep your body lowered to avoid straining muscles. Walk on your feet and hands across the area a few times. While you do this, focus on how far you need to step for it to feel comfortable, and the pattern of your steps. Take some time to research the joints, muscles, and general movements of quadrupeds (animals that move on four legs). This might be hard to get used to if you have long legs.
Try to keep your feet flat on the ground and your back flat. This will be helpful doing more advanced stuff as well as being more comfortable. Work on your ankle flexibility and strength, because it will prove very useful in future.
Another thing that quadrobists may find helpful is to stretch their legs out before they start practicing quadrobics. This can help them to keep their backs straight, but it may not necessarily work for you!
You can also increase in speed. This will make it more jolting until you practice enough.
Trotting[]
Trotting is faster than walking and is a bit different. A trot is two-gait or two-step. This means that your legs move in pairs, much like a horse. Keep your knees and elbows joints loose to prevent buckling. This also allows you to bounce on your trot more naturally.
To trot, start by getting into a crawling position. This is called a crawl trot, and all you need to do is lift up your left back leg at the same time as your right front arm. Place them further forward, then pick up your right back leg and left front arm and step forward. Repeat this across the area as to get used to the gait's pattern and motion. When you've mastered that, you can try an actual trot. Use your feet and hands this time, as when you trot you need to add a forward bounce. A forward bounce is like a small jump, so whenever you practise trotting, try to add a small jump in!
Keep practicing your forward movement of 1, 2, 1, 2, etc, before you try to do a fast trot. When you do this, it is normal for your rear to stick up. But stretch your legs out fully as this will prevent a good rhythm.
Also try hopping back and forth between the two positions to get used to the motions. So, hop from left hand right foot and right hand left foot until you master that, then try going forward while continuing the motions. Trots are one of the hardest things to master, so don't feel bad/disappointed about not getting it immediately.
Running[]
Running involves moving quickly,but also more physical strain on the body. It takes strength to run on all fours, but it's possible and potentially fun.
First, enter a crawling position. Push off of the ground behind you with your back legs, moving your arms soon after to create a stride. This may seem more like a jump, but it helps develop speed.
Running usually sounds like slaps in rhythms of 4, much like a horses run does. You have to face it: quadrobics can be loud. The steps will come as 1,2-3,4, closely followed after a short pause by another set of 4 steps. Your body may rock a bit, just remember to keep your knees/arms bent and avoid buckling. Use your weight to stop, and bring your lower abdomen down to aid in braking.
(This is just an added side note from your friendly polytherian) If you try hard enough you can end a run by rolling and landing on just your feet. Its best to do this on a carpeted area before moving to hardwood and stuff, and don't try to hard as you could hurt your back in doing so.
Jumping[]
It is advised that you master the above methods before doing this.
To start and get used to it, crouch down, then put your arms up to your chest and then push up with your legs. Practice this a few times. Then, do what your were just doing and jump upwards, practising your form and landing on your arms, trying add some pressure onto your arms by doing a half-handstand to get used to it. Try to go faster each time.
Now practice doing a small jump over something, whether its a line in the ground, a small stick, or a pillow. This can help in the beginning stages. You can choose to walk, trot or run up to your jump.
If you want to buck when you jump, try your standing pose, lift your legs up and kicking with your legs in the air. After you get used to that keep your legs straight in the air, It will help with balance.
Also with high jumps, (1 meter and above) start with running up then fully stand up, go on the edges of your toes. Lastly jump and curl into a ball with your elbows and knees touching then fully straighten out- it will automatically buck.
High jump tips:
For high jumps you need to slowly build up your strength. The way some quadrobists started learning high jumps was by using a mattress/pillow, placing their hands down and practicing kicking their legs up into the air. Then after they felt that they could consistently kick their legs up straight, they started practicing jumping onto their mattress so that I would land more and more hands first. Slowly increase how much you land on your hands to as much as you are comfortable, you don't want to over rotate onto your head, this can be dangerous. Once you feel comfortable, bring back the kick in your legs as you do the jump onto the mattress. After all this, swap the mattress for something like a pillow and then soft grass.
One key note is progress will take time, it can take a few weeks or longer to develop the confidence and strength to do a good high jump. Also filming yourself to assess your technique is a great way of understanding how you're progressing.
Things to remember:[]
Quadrobics is NOT therianthropy. Doing quadrobics is part of being an otherpaw, NOT being a therian!!!
Don’t bend your arms to prevent injury and strains.
Make sure you have enough room to prevent running into something.
Take breaks every 5-10 minutes and don't overwork yourself!
Take it slow enough for your body to get used to.
It is recommended to use harder surfaces when still a beginner.
Helpful Resources[]
Quadrobics Discord Server: https://discord.gg/5NpxuPFeJa
WM Quadrobics Article: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xWn74KW6_tyChM3_BqgzHLG_v-j4aptH/view?usp=drivesdk
Nxmi's Quadrobics Tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRCDTl1LmP8
Quadrobics Jumping Tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03s3-MAsU5k