The text discusses methods for controlling movements and actions, using examples such as ballasted ships and kites. It describes how aids can enhance speed and force in human activities, considering them preparatory actions in human studies. An illustration compares two men's stances as they prepare to throw, highlighting their different approaches and execution.
Positioning of Figures in
By means of that method, they can maintain a certain control; one could observe this with the ships that are ballasted. And the boys who attach a tail, or even a stone at the end of their kites, for better control in the ascent. If someone desires to see all such things demonstrated in many examples, they should read the book by the renowned Johannes Alphonsus Borellus, a Neapolitan, published in the year 1680 in Rome.
Similarly, people know how to use certain aids that enhance speed and the force of movement, which we might not unreasonably call preparatory actions in human studies. These aids are specifically designed to facilitate certain extraordinary acts of force. After the preparation for a task, whether greater or smaller, the execution is accordingly more forceful and grander in deed. You see, for example, in this illustration marked with 'I', two men who are both in the utmost preparation for throwing, but very different in stance. A. has, before he throws, already positioned his right foot toward the side where he intends to throw. But the upper body, with the throwing arm, is turned to the other side and backwards, to throw a ball he holds in his hand in the direction where the same foot is turned, using all his strength. The man B., on the other hand, has not only positioned his right foot correctly towards the place he intends to throw...
Translation Notes
1. "Mensch-kunde" is translated as "human studies" instead of "anthropology," emphasizing the study of human form and movement.