Category Archives: The Natural Method Book 3

Complete your session

Posted by Philippe Til October 6, 2015 boxing, Flexibility, Fun, functional training, Fundamental Exercises, Georges Hébert, Ground grappling, Health, Martial arts, Méthode Naturelle, Mobility, Natural Method, Physical fitness, Play-based training, Primitive Movement Patterns, Running, strength, Stretching, Surfing, Swimming, The Natural Method Book 3, The Natural Method: Fundamental Exercises, Training, workout, wrestling
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This is one of those philosophical statements with layers of meaning.

The obvious one can be “finish your workout”, or finish what you started, even if not in fitness.

The more subtle one has to do with The Natural Method and what Hébert calls a complete session, a session that addresses fundamental movements as well as functional exercises. Mobility, strength, cardiovascular endurance, flexibility, agility, coordination, dexterity, harmonious and balanced muscular development, as well as breath work.

Even if they were included in the Functional Exercises portion of his book, and the reason I chose to release those chapters as standalone books, swimming and combative techniques (self-defense, boxing, wrestling) are complete sessions.

By issuing a call to action to “complete”  session, I invite you to explore how you can make a training session include all of the elements to, well, make it “complete” (forgive the redundancy).

A good example because I intend on expanding the work to other disciplines or activities, can be surfing.

It’s not hard to break down the activity and see that it is a complete sport, and see how obvious it is:

  1. Balance stimulation (vestibular and visual systems).
  2. Aquatic training.
  3. Environmental resilience.
  4. Fundamental arm positions.
  5. Fundamental leg positions.
  6. Strength training.
  7. Support work.
  8. Core work.
  9. Agility.
  10. Rescue ability (you are connected to a floatation device that can served to aid you or someone in distress).
  11. Cardiovascular endurance.
  12. Speed.
  13. Power.
  14. Multiplanar movement.
  15. Harmonious development of the muscles.
  16. Corrective exercise elements.
  17. (BONUS): developing the skill of reading elements like water movements (waves, tides, currents), wind patterns and how to adapt to a constantly shifting environment.

One could argue that there is nothing natural about surfing: we do not possess the appendages to glide standing up on the surface of water, and have to resort to man-made devices which also are shaped out of various materials to fulfill the ability to, well, surf the waves, and paddle into them before that. By the way, all those points above can be chapters for The Natural Method: Surfing. And it doesn’t have to stop here, obviously. I’ll go as far as I can with what I know, but I also am recruiting others to complete the collection for the aspects I don’t know.

But so is weight training: we use tools to improve what we have.

So, we use the laws of Nature, physics, our physiology and we don’t even think about how all those systems interconnect: the visual, vestibular, muscular etc. Our reflexes are constantly stimulated and repetition is what makes us better and we get to play and have fun.

Natural, in the end, to me at least, means: what comes naturally over time. Key is in the last 2 words: what may not seem natural at first will with rote. So, cross your right middle finger over your index and slap it on your left palm and go do that. Then, once you’re up on that board and riding that wave, close your fist, extend your thumb and pinky, and do a little propeller move with your wrist.

Paperbacks of The Natural Method are here!

Posted by Philippe Til August 18, 2015 functional training, Fundamental Exercises, Georges Hébert, Historical Fitness, Jumping, Jumping Drills, Martial arts, Méthode Naturelle, Natural Method, Physical Education, Physical Education and History, Physical fitness, Running, strength, The Natural Method Book 3, The Natural Method: Fundamental Exercises, Training, training log, training program, workout
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Since many have been asking, and the intention was always there, the paperback versions of the various sections that comprise Georges Hébert’s Natural Method, from his Practical Guide To Physical Education, are finally available.

You may click on the titles or the covers to be taken directly to Amazon to make your purchase. If you are an international reader, just look for them in your local Amazon pages, by book title or searching for my name, Philippe Til.

Book 1: The Natural Method.

cover book 1

This is the “exposé” of the method, its origins, layout, how to conduct a model session and what it comprises. Also has scorecards, progress tracking sheets and evaluation processes.

 

 

 

 

Book 2: Fundamental Exercises.

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Arm, leg, trunk, supported, suspended, hopping, balance, breathing and equipment assisted exercises to prime the body for function.

 

 

 

 

Book 3: Functional Exercises.

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While the term “functional” is rapidly losing popularity, primarily out of misuse and/or overuse, exercises that involve walking, running, climbing, swimming, throwing, lifting, fighting, jumping are exactly what “functional” should be, or as Hébert would classify them: indispensable utilitarian, meaning you have to be able to do them in order to be strong to be useful, whether it is for yourself, your community or your country.

 

 

Weaving the layers

Posted by Philippe Til July 21, 2015 boxing, Fundamental Exercises, Georges Hébert, Ground grappling, Historical Fitness, Jujitsu, Martial arts, Méthode Naturelle, Natural Method, Ninjutsu, Philippe Til, Physical Education, Physical Education and History, Shotokan Karate, The Natural Method Book 3, The Natural Method: Fundamental Exercises, wrestling
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From the Fundamental Exercises to the Functional Exercises, and in this case, the Self-Defense Techniques, borrowing Pavel Tsatsouline’s concept of “linkage vs leakage”, it is easy to see how and why arm, leg and trunk movements serve more than a warm-up for the muscles or exercises for joint mobility.

All the stances covered in chapters 4, 5, 7 and 10 of the second Natural Method book are revisited in Chapter 8 in the standalone book on self-defense techniques.

As the saying goes, pictures being worth a thousand words, let’s explore how these arm, leg and trunk movements are applied for both functional and fundamental exercises.

In the picture below, we see the Forward Slit™ with various arm positions. That stance is akin to what I call “power stance” in my Ninjutsu training, and Zen-kutsu from my Shotokan Karate days.

Photo from The Natural Method: Fundamental Exercises (Book 2) translate by Philippe Til

To illustrate that last point, here’s what it looks like for throwing a punch: below, person on the right in the picture.

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Now, let’s look at the following carryover of the Backwards Slit™ operating as a weaving maneuver to avoid a punch (of which the person on the left in the picture does a variation of).

Photo from The Natural Method: Fundamental Exercises (Book 2) translate by Philippe Til

 

The Balancing exercises covered in Chapter of the second book also can double up for kicking exercises (front kicks, hook kicks), as illustrated in the pictures below.

Photo from The Natural Method: Fundamental Exercises (Book 2) translate by Philippe TilPhoto from The Natural Method: Fundamental Exercises (Book 2) translate by Philippe TilIMG_20150706_0006IMG_20150706_0011

Even the ground fighting work has its roots in the bridging exercises or trunk movement fundamentals.

Photo from The Natural Method: Fundamental Exercises (Book 2) translate by Philippe TilIMG_20150706_0049

Once again, nothing is new, everything has been pretty much covered and it is indeed in the quality of the teaching, the execution of the basics, the development of the skills where the strength of an individual’s results lie. While many things have evolved since the creation of systems, at this point centuries old, if not millennia, History is there for a reason. I believe in adaptations rather than updates, as well as modern context and cultural preferences. The framework doesn’t change all that much.

The Natural Method in Boxing terms

Posted by Philippe Til June 16, 2015 boxing, Ebooks, Fitness, functional training, Fundamental Exercises, Georges Hébert, Historical Fitness, Martial arts, Méthode Naturelle, Natural Method, Physical Education, Physical fitness, The Natural Method Book 3, The Natural Method: Fundamental Exercises
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This isn’t a post on how defensive tactics are interwoven into Georges Hébert’s The Natural Method, which they are in the part on functional training, or indispensable utilitarian exercises. Rather it’s to explain the entire method through a boxing analogy that everybody can understand, whether they practice boxing or not.

The first translated book tells you how to conduct a boxing training session. It tells you that what you will do it, lays out the plan, and tells you how boxing came about and what it can do for you.

The second book on Fundamental Exercises is about teaching you how to punch, block, counter etc.

The third book on Functional Exercises is about the various aspects of boxing practice: heavy bag work, shadow boxing, focus mitts.

The fourth part, bundled in the 3rd book in my translation, but separate in Hébert’s Practical Guide to Physical Education, would be akin to actual sparring, whether for practice or actual fighting.

Now, take those analogies and apply them to everything else, and you’ve got the gist of the books.

Natural Method Kid Parkour

Posted by Philippe Til June 8, 2015 functional training, Fundamental Exercises, Georges Hébert, gym, Jumping, Jumping Drills, kettlebells, Méthode Naturelle, Natural Method, Physical Education, Physical fitness, Play-based training, Running, sprinting, strength, The Natural Method Book 3, The Natural Method: Fundamental Exercises, Training
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A little while ago, I posted some clips of my (now) 5 year old son who was jumping from a height that makes most parents cringe, as if I was a bad dad risking my child’s health.

Some are natural athletes, others are made to be athletes. Some are genetically gifted, some still won’t look as good as the fitness models and movie stars despite smart, dedicated and disciplined training. Looks aside, we can all develop running, jumping, climbing and other skills. For when our daily environment doesn’t provide the stimulation or equipment to achieve a high skill level, a method is there for us, a system, and that’s what Georges Hébert created, and others since applied, by “reverse engineering what the best athletes do naturally”, to quote Pavel Tsatsouline.

Without further reading, watch this 3 1/2 min video of my son who developed his skills over the years. You’ll see that the jumps I posted a few weeks ago now will look less impressive, because they’re almost “expected”, after you see the training in his early walking stages that brought him to where he is today. Fast forward to the future in your mind. Maybe I’m not the bad parent, maybe I’m the one who prepares him…

You can get all three books by clicking this link, by the way:

Buy all three books on Amazon by click here

You Have To Ship!

Posted by Philippe Til May 26, 2015 Book, Business Development, Ebooks, Fitness, functional training, Fundamental Exercises, Georges Hébert, Historical Fitness, Life Coaching and Skills, Marketing, Méthode Naturelle, Motivation, Natural Method, news, Nutrition, Philippe Til, Physical Education, Physical Education and History, Physical fitness, plan, Sales, The Natural Method Book 3, The Natural Method: Fundamental Exercises, theory, Training
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Seth Godin, in his book Linchpin, mentions that no matter your craft, you have to ship, to publish, deliver. Artists ship, not just factories from their warehouses. You ship your art by bringing the paintings to the gallery, even if they’re not done in your mind.

Studios release movies, and sometimes may change stuff, add footage, delete some, provide a Director’s Cut on the DVD. But they back something into the theatrical release.

When I took on the task of translating Georges Hébert’s Practical Guide to Physical Education, I wanted to share the content as quickly as possible, within reason of course. The labor of love associated with it, the journey and discoveries along the way, took a tremendous amount of time that a married, working father of two, with a start-up company to boot, had to squeeze at the expense of other things.

I certainly could have taken my time and released it all at once upon completion of the entire translation. Instead, because of trending interest and alignment from friends with their historical research, as well as using the successful model of movie Studios releasing trilogies over time, the process of breaking things down allowed me to get better reacquainted with the material I was exposed to in my youth, and I was able to build, organically with my limited resources, interest in The Natural Method. People who never heard about it discovered something of value and interest, while people who already knew about it, and practiced as well as formed groups, on social media or in their cities, contacted me with appreciation for making Hébert’s work more accessible with the English language.

My self-imposed deadlines are very much that: self-imposed. No one really cares about them, but it keeps me accountable, and on schedule. Keeping things open-ended, as any time management expert will tell you, can result in things never getting done. Additionally, through a tried and true process I experienced myself in everything I’ve done, people are better off with getting pieces of information at a time. Otherwise they tend to skip over what interests them less.

You could argue that I am removing a person’s choice to work at their own speed, and who am I to have such power? It truly only matters during the timeline of the translation of the books. When trilogies like Star Wars, The Lord Of The Rings, The Matrix came out in trickle fashion, audiences were forced to wait. Now, it’s all available at once.

For those familiar with Hébert’s method, maybe getting it all at once would have been the way to go (which right now doesn’t matter, because nearly all the books are out, from this first guide). But for those un-familiar with it, the timely release of each section of the Practical Guide To Physical Education offers gradual discovery, application and everything positive related to the step-by-step learning process.