Georges Hébert belongs squarely in the middle of our “giants” list. Since this extraordinary movement teacher was born in 1875, in Paris France, we cannot consider him a contemporary. However, the methods he created outlive him. These methods are still used in state-of-the-art, contemporary movement training systems. He named his approach “La Methode Naturelle.” In the late 18 and early 1900’s he served as an officer in the French navy. As a naval officer, he traveled extensively. During his global travels he became deeply inspired by indigenous tribes of various places in Africa. He observed how tribal lifestyles in nature fashioned robustly healthy, strong, yet supple people with few health issues; a bald variance to what he was observing in Europe. At home, health problems had become rampant. He also noted how capable, strong, durable sailors were able to manipulate and sail massive ships by climbing up masts and using their bodies to leverage incredibly heavy objects. Based upon these observations he decided to create his own system of movement. [1]
Hérbert’s personal observations only took him so far in systematizing what he was learning about fitness. He sought out others who espoused similar philosophies. He researched history and the health regimens of different cultures. He became versed in the methods of Fransisco Amoros [2] and Friedrich Ludwig Jahn [3]. He was influenced by Greco-Roman statues and monuments and the philosophy of Naturism. “La Methode Naturelle” was born from what George Hérbert soaked up from these ideologies. He went on to write extensively on his philosophies and teachings, his teachings can still be read today in books which have been translated. [4]
Although there were three major sides to Hérbert’s teaching, the major aim of “La Methode Naturelle '' was to teach the ability to move in nature. This meant obtaining the skills to navigate nature: walking, running, crawling, climbing, jumping, throwing, carrying/lifting, balancing, swimming and self defense. Going beyond just physical education, Hérbert’s system included a second side; instruction about willpower, determination, personal energy conservation, calmness under pressure and in danger**, and not succumbing to fear. The third side of his system advanced moral maxims of directing your life in a useful or helpful way.
Hébert also came to the conclusion that women can be trained through his system. He believed women could develop athleticism and strength just as men did. He was a critic of restrictive clothing, especially women’s clothing such as corsets.
Hébert’s system was the standard form of training/exercise for the French military for many years, and there are still places that specialize in the Hébert style training. Informed movement teachers will not ignore his influence in fitness and exercise through “La Methode Naturelle.” The progressive among us are applying his principles about natural movement. Movement teacher Erwan LeCorre, names George Hébert and “La Methode Naturelle” as his main influencers in developing his own successful system called MovNat. [1].
Here at Structural Elements we use George Hérbert’s methods every day. As Hérbert proved through training others, natural movement will generate supple strength, mobility, and endurance. Come train with us in natural movement and discover the benefits!
*In our “Giants” blog series we provide a paragraph (or two or three) of bio about our biggest influencers. As Isaac Newton said, "If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants." For the curious among our readers, these short bios are offered as a spring board into more research.
**An aspect of good natural training is that is purposely “un-specialized. “ This causes the student to grow their kinesthetic awareness and train their pliability in ways that will protect them in unexpected and potentially dangerous situations. The way one of our clients here at Structural Elements handled a recent mishap, illustrates this principle well. This long time student of functional and natural training was vacationing on Ussepa Island. While attempting to climb up a ladder to get out of the water and on to a dock, the entire ladder and a long board attaching it to the dock, unexpectedly came loose. Our client fell back into the water with the entire load in hand. He then simply swam to shore, haul in hand. Unfortunately he was only famous for the week among vacationing friends. But, very fortunately, he was unharmed and remained pain free. This athletic man has diligently worked to manage serious injuries from the past to his lumbar vertebrae, pliability issues related to hip replacement surgery and minor knee surgery. He trains twice a week here at Structural Elements.
[1] LeCorre, Erwan. “The Roots of ‘Methode Naturelle’ - MovNat: Natural Movement Fitness.” MovNat, 14 June 2016, www.movnat.com/the-roots-of-methode-naturelle/.
[2] “Francisco Amorós y Ondeano.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 10 Feb. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francisco_Amor%C3%B3s_y_Ondeano.
[3] The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Friedrich Ludwig Jahn.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 11 Oct. 2019, www.britannica.com/biography/Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn.
[4] Hebert, Georges. The Natural Method[Translated]: Georges Hebert's Practical Guide to Physical Education. Translated by Philippe Tul, 1st ed., CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2014.