[Yoda]

Yoda,

I understand how you can describe extensor action as pulling,(Ex: if you had an arrow stuck in your stomach you would pull it out not push it, that seems to more resemble what you would want to accomplish with extensor action) but is it described as pulling in the book somewhere? Why do people seem to teach it as pushing?

Chris

Yes, Chris, Extensor Action is described as a pull in 6-B-1-D: "...use only #1 to pull on the Left Thumb."

In Physics, a Force is either a Push or a Pull. And, some people think of Extensor Action in terms of the Right Triceps pushing the Bent Right Arm against the Left Thumb. However, the defining concept is that the Right Triceps push of Extensor Action results in the Left Arm being stretched or pulled into a straight line. When you stretch something -- like a rubber band or a piece of string -- you are pulling it, not pushing it. You can pull a piece of string into a straight line, but you can't push it into one.

At the end of the day, if the Left Arm is stretched -- pulled into a straight line -- Extensor Action's purpose has been served. It matters little if that Action is alternatively perceived as a push of the Right Arm.