Flank is the abdominal region that develops above the hip and below the chest.
The etymological origin of flank is found in the Old High German hlanca , which translates as “hip.” That word passed into French as flanc , which, in our language , became flank.
The concept is used to name the lateral sectors of something . It is, therefore, the sides or sides . For example: “The home team took advantage of the vulnerability of its rival's left flank and attacked throughout the game in that sector” , “The combat moved to the western flank and peace is increasingly distant” , “The body found in "The river bank had a bullet impact on the right flank."
The flanks of the body
The notion of flank is usually used with respect to the lateral regions of the body, seen from the front. Specifically, the abdominal area that extends above the hip and below the thorax is called the flank. When observing the human body, the navel is taken as a reference point to distinguish the right flank from the left.
The flanks, in this sense, are fleshy portions that develop between the hips and the ribs . It is a poorly protected area, since there are no bones that cover them. This feature makes the flanks two ideal areas to attack when the objective is to cause a large percentage of damage with the least possible effort.
A vulnerable sector
In a fight between two human beings, whether spontaneous or regulated within the framework of some martial arts competition, the flank is one of the most vulnerable parts, and that is why it must be covered with special attention from attacks. For this there are different techniques, depending on the discipline, but in general certain quick movements with the hands are used to receive the blows and absorb a large part of their force before they impact the side.
If it is possible to wear armor, it should be especially resistant in the flank area, as well as in the crotch and head, since these are all places where a serious wound can cause death more frequently than in the rest of the body.
The lateral sector of a troop is called flank.
The concept of flank in the military field
In the military field, flank is the lateral sector of a troop , or the lateral area that it occupies in a terrain . While the end of a line that has been deployed is called a wing , the region that goes beyond the wing is known as a flank.
Just as with the human body, the flank of a body of soldiers can also be especially vulnerable if the enemy cleverly takes advantage of it. There are a large number of stories of past battles in which it was thanks to attacking the opposing army from one of its sides that the heroes achieved victory.
One of the reasons why the flank is more vulnerable than the front goes beyond organic issues, especially in the case of an army of hundreds of soldiers: it is the lack of attention we pay to the side that leaves it more unprotected, and this happens because our vision focuses above all on what is taking place in front of us.
Other uses of the term
The sides of a bastion or bastion, which form one angle with the front and another with the curtain, are also called flanks.
There is also the verb flank , which is part of the family of this word and can be defined in the following three ways: "to be located on the side of something"; "provide protection to one's own flanks"; "threaten the sides of the enemy , approaching him from one of his flanks with the intention of attacking him."