Flailing Arms and Balance: The Role of Arm Motion in Maintaining Upright Posture

[Loren Booda]

What purpose do flailing arms have in regard to balance?

For instance, if I stand on my right leg, and start to fall to my left, what arm motion (such as circling clockwise relative to the shoulder sockets) might tend to restore my upright balance?

Similarly, what precessional movements with what outcomes can be exercised in free fall?

 

[rcgldr]

You can generate a torque force with your arms. You can generate a side force at your feet which will move your center of gravity, but this will also cause a torque force that must be counter with angular movement from other parts of your body.