Arm reach is measured at a distance and is used to understand an individual’s comfortable range for various activities, particularly in sports like boxing.
How to Measure Arm Reach
While the provided reference is a short video on boxing reach, we can extrapolate the general approach to measuring arm reach:
- Stance: Stand upright with your feet shoulder-width apart. This provides a stable base for measurement.
- Arms Outstretched: Extend both arms out to your sides, perpendicular to your body, making sure they are straight and fully extended.
- This is the key to getting an accurate measurement.
- Measurement: Have someone measure the distance from the tip of one middle finger to the tip of the other middle finger across your back.
- This measurement represents your arm span which is often used to determine arm reach.
Factors to Consider
- Individual Variation: Arm reach can vary from person to person based on body type and proportions.
- Sport-Specific Reach: In boxing, the video notes how shorter reach means a boxer is likely more comfortable on the inside of their opponent's reach, demonstrating that understanding your reach is key to strategy.
- Practical Use: Knowing your arm reach is important in many situations including:
- Sports such as boxing, basketball, and swimming.
- Reaching for objects in everyday life.
Understanding Reach and Stance
As the video indicates, knowing your reach has implications for your tactics, especially in sports.
- A shorter reach may mean that one's comfort zone may be more at a closer distance, where there is less space to move about, especially in boxing.