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Foundations / L06

Shoulder blades are not the same as shoulders

Two things can happen at once: an arm moves, and a shoulder blade moves with it.

The class uses a small tabletop exploration to distinguish protraction from retraction without turning it into a full Cat-Cow movement. It then explores elevation, depression and rotation of the shoulder blades. In the Down Dog example, label the arm relationship and the scapular action separately. Shoulder flexion and scapular protraction are not competing answers to the same question.

The movement lab in the full build

Select "Arm relative to trunk" or "Shoulder blade on ribs." Play one movement pair at a time. Then return to the shoulder close-up in Down Dog.

This release does not implement this lesson’s full animation. Its behaviour is specified in the PRD and content data. Step controls will accompany every drag interaction.

Notice

What changes when the blade wraps around the ribs but the elbow stays straight?

Guardrail: Do not infer scapular rotation from a poor side crop. Supply a clearly identified posterior-oblique detail view; no fixed universal 170-180 degree requirement.

Source: MANUAL p.14 / CLASS 01:03:30-01:11:32

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