Monday, April 23, 2007Hansen Dam Barefoot Training ala Methode Naturelle
Note: I am an extreme and total novice when it comes to MN. Please read the comments to this blog for emails exchanged between me and Erwan Le Corre about MN.
Please visit Erwan's website at methode-naturelle.com
Decided to take my video camera along for my Saturday afternoon run.
In this short video you will see a me running on all kinds of different terrain. I think that it is good to mix it up. Hansen Dam is the perfect training playground to develop your body and mind.
This video shows the beginnings of my interpretation and application of Georges Hebert's Methode Naturelle.
I hope to become a instructor/promoter of his ideas.
BFT
PS. Music comes from album PHARAOH OVERLORD The Battle Of The Axehammer (Live) I found at www.aquariusrecords.org
Labels: barefoot, barefoot_running, hansen_dam, methode_naturelle, video
posted by Barefoot Ted | Monday, April 23, 2007
11 Comments:
You run really good. You must be in great shape. Keep it up! and post more videos of you running.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Ted
I've just watched your video "ala méthode naturelle"(MN).
It's good to see that ! However I might give you tips, if you don't mind, regarding the way you move across obstacles, which could be much improved.
I do have a concern though because of the video, and I'm going to explain it to you and hope you understand :
I'm preparing a website entirely dedicated to MN as you probably know.
My big concern is the spreading of videos labeled "MN" that don't explain anything about what is the method and therefore could spread the wrong perception about what MN truly is. M stands for METHOD.
I want to avoid people randomly performing natural drills but in a totally aleatory way, which is only for people that have no or very few understanding of the training principles.
I do enjoy people training naturally in the nature, and that's my goal to eventually trigger such a trend worldwide and to bring people back to nature and their own nature !
But you see, I have a plan.
I don't know if you've ever heard of parkour, but parkour is a discipline that started here in French (due to the influence of MN) with guys training passing obstacles. No acrobatics,only the utility. No competition, only the self-growth.
And now, because of tons of people made videos labeled "parkour" inculding flips and tricks and flashy moves, now many people think it's a lot about style and impressive stunts.
Now, some people are even pushing for competitions !!! All that stands against the original philosophy. And there's not much that can be done because the founder didn't take care of that right from the start.
I'm not the founder of MN, but I am the one who's going to revive it worldwide.
There is no "my" interpretation or "my" application of MN.
There is a method, if you use it, it is indeed the "Natural METHOD", if you don't, it's natural training (which is good anyways !!!).
It's just that if you want to talk about MN, you must know its conceptions and training principles. It's not just a rough concept, Hebert wrote many books and explained his whole method with much details.
I hope you understand my concern, it's because of the internet, soon we could have tons of young guys filming so-called "MN videos" but they don't know anything about the training principles or philosophy attached !
It would create an ALTERATION and a DILUTION of the image of MN and this is what I want to prevent.
I'm really glad you were inspired by the MN and I hope to meet you and train with you one day.
I'm about to release more info soon, also in English. I will even pass it to you by email before it's online if you want, for you to better understand.
My plan is to eventually build MN training centers worldwide.
I plan to go to Brazil by the end of the year for this reason with a first pilot-center.
If you want to become a complete natural athlete, and that's my hope that more and more people take this direction, I'd be very happy to help you with your training.
Cheers
Erwan
Monday, April 30, 2007
Naturally, I need your advice and input in order to learn and apply
the METHOD which I really know nothing about. I have no desire to
dilute or misinform, so will be happy to be more careful with my
wording. I respect your concern and desire to keep the METHOD pure
and true to the original.
What I do know is this: I enjoy going out into nature to play. I
like to run and climb and dance and swim. I like to be fit and injury
free. For me, this comes quite naturally and has all my life.
BFT
Monday, April 30, 2007
Ted no worries I know there was nothing else but a good intention :-).
Plus you have the good mindset, willing to feel free, to go back to nature but also your own nature (our original human nature), to find a balance with our modern lifestyle, to avoid injuries by moderate and incremental training while making sure to make actual progress in ALL natural and utility capacities. You want that to improve your own life in a constructive and also fun way that feels natural to you.
You have a generous mind and wish to share that with others to possibly help them feel better too, also to experience that wonderful feeling of natural freedom too, so why not to become a MN coach one day.
All Hebert's books are very old and haven't been updated since more than 60 years. There's several ones, all in French, in which he explains everything about his conceptions and training method.
Since I'm certainly not going to translate them all, I made a synthesis.
I indeed have the vision of reviving his work worldwide and make it accessible to a greater number of individuals.
My big concern is with :
young people (that practice parkour because they all know parkour comes from MN) filming themselves randomly training "MN" just like they film themselves doing "parkour" because it make them feel special and "cool", but the issue is that they'll portray it wrong, giving no explanation to what they show and using music to make it look like a movie or something. They upload their stuff on the Internet, soon many others do the same, and soon the perception of what MN is is altered, misunderstood, diluted.
My second concern is that there's many people out there willing to use anything new just to make bucks. If they can, they will use MN the wrong way for their own commercial goals.
That's why I'm preparing to be totally free to focus 100% on developing MN but also try to avoid as much as I can such excesses.
My plan is to build a strong new foundation for the method, worldwide.
A serious network of people that truly believe this planet needs humans to change their behavior or else everything will go to an end.
It's not political, it's not religious, it's not ideological.
It's only common sense.
Not yet enough "common" though hahaha.
I want to show it is possible to practice physical activity a natural way with great fun and without equipment, just wood structures.
To not destroy natural places with heavy concrete structures for a sporty activity. To not support polluting industries with plastic gear or else. To train rivalry free. To train for a helpful to others purpose in mind. To train and loose weight or get fit not as a goal, but as a natural consequence of a utility training.
I'm deep inside of me convinced such a paradigm will happen, and that it will happen worldwide, and that it is already happening.
And quite convinced the development of MN will greatly support such a new trend.
I have the vision of numerous people going back to the woods, the rivers, the hills and mountains, and revive their own true nature, and find this strength and freedom. For free.
It's not possible to tell you here whatever is in my mind about it.
Maybe I'm a dreamer, maybe I do believe in this "reverse-evolution".
Time will tell.
Train well buddy !
Erwan
Monday, April 30, 2007
Howdy Erwan
I hope to learn more about MN in the future and share what I learn to
others. But how?
I believe that you need to make more instructional videos. I am
looking forward to learning more.
BFT
Monday, April 30, 2007
Ted, the problem with videos is that people start to think they know enough, especially the young guys. They're fast making videos of themselves and write inaccurate things about both training and conceptions.
That's why I'm going to go step by step.
First to release a long article with lots of excerpts from Hebert's books to have his conceptions better understood.
The in a second time the training principles.
Then I'll start making videos.
Then I will arrange certification seminaries for people that want to become trainers. But it takes time, MN is really complete and a serious matter, you can't learn it overnight, and especially not learn how to teach it from videos.
I'd like to see it spread also in the US. As regarding your own training, maybe we could arrange something in a next future.
But you see, my concern is to avoid people practice (natural drills) kind of randomly and claim "this is MN" as I explained before.
If I may give you some advise, from what I see in your vid, you lack balance when running and jumping. You don't use your arms the right way. They seem to try to help readjust your balance all the time, when they should actually anticipate your moves and ensure you don't loose balance. They also should help you go faster or use less energy, but also jump further. They don't synchronize with the rest of your body.
Your upper body looks stiff.
I hope you understand my intention is only to help !
You need to relax your arms and shoulders, and let your upper limbs work together with your lower ones. You need more plyometrics condition in your leg, because you seem to be a lot excentrics-concentrics, not "bouncing" see what I mean ?
Balancing on a rail like you do is great, but it's not like balancing when in motion. You need to relax muuuuuuch more.
I hope it helps my friend.
Cheers
Erwan
Monday, April 30, 2007
Yes, thank you very much for your words.
Yes, I will be an avid reader/studier/learner of your upcoming articles.
Also, I would like to post our recent emails in my blog comments if
you don't mind. I want others to be aware of my naivety about MN
along with my desire to learn more.
Very much looking forward to learning and absorbing as much as I can
about MN. I really to need to attend a seminar.
BFT
PS. One of the newest additions to my training, something that I am
surprised that MN is without, and that is drumming, i.e., drum circles
(see Wikipedia) and/or musical /chanting/singing and its benefits.
Have you done any group drumming
Monday, April 30, 2007
Hi Ted, no problem posting something regarding your "MN".
Actually yes, it could be called "MN" training but that's the kind of training for people that have only a very basic understanding of what MN is. When people that don't know what MN is, they say "hey, let's do some MN barefoot in the woods" and they won't understand what it is and spread misconceptions. My big concern like I said.
MN is an educational method, attention to kids especially, to have them develop fully all of their natural and utility capacities, but also for grown-ups to maintain this development.
It is a physical education, but also moral : to be strong to be useful, means to be able to help oneself, but also help others. Altruism is an important ethics of MN. It's not only the natural efforts or movements.
You have read the little introduction on my website I guess.
There's 10 kind of natural exercises/capacities.
Drumming is great, just like dancing, BUT they're not utility capacities, more a cultural thing to entertain people. Your survival doesn't depend on drumming. However it does depend on your ability to walk, run, jump, climb, swim, lift, defend etc...
so they're the priority capacities because they're the truly utility ones in order to develop and preserve oneself (as a living being).
It's easy for you to run, and also to run barefoot.
My advise is that you should see what kind of capacity is LESS developed in you, like do you swim good ? Can you hold your breath ?
How's your climbing ? How're you defense skills ?
Can you walk on all your four limbs efficiently ?
What about your jumps, vaults, drops, leaps ? Do you have enough speed, distance, precision ?
You'll SOON understand there's MANY priority and utility skills you need to get, and that drumming is only after your training just to relax and have fun :-).
Tell me what areas you think you need to train most in order to have more homogeneous capacities.
Yes, I forgot also, (mental) qualities of actions has to be trained as well. Will you know what it is with your ultra races, but some jumps especially require to be fast and brave. A different kind of courage. Think about it.
Train well buddy ;-)
Erwan
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Haha Ted I've just noticed you've posted all of our correspondence on the matter. Hey remember English is only my second language, I know it can look very awkwardly written sometimes !
Also it shows me you're a very sincere and respectful person.
Have a great day.
Erwan
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Erwan, your English is very good. Easy to understand.
BFT
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
BFT, I appreciate you posting this correspondence with Erwan. I would like to learn more about Methode Naturelle, and this was very helpful. I would also like to know where you get your Vibram rubber for huaraches. I have tried to purchase it, but they only sell to companies. If you could provide me with the information, I am hoping to run the Copper Canyon Ultra Marathon next year
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Post a Comment
<< Home