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[Gregg]

http://books.google.com/books?id=0bWyz32s3IMC&pg=PP7&dq=inauthor:georges+inauthor:h%C3%A9bert&lr=&as_drrb_is=q&as_minm_is=0&as_miny_is=&as_maxm_is=0&as_maxy_is=&as_brr=0&as_pt=ALLTYPES#PPR6,M1

Google books has a copy of Georges Hebert's "Practical Guide to Physical Education". It's in French... so I can read it a little. By cutting and pasting into Google translate, you'll get a fast and dirty idea of it...

I already see that this is an earlier version of MN: It only has 8 of the 10 basics: "walking, running, jumping, swimming, climb, the lift, the  launch [throwing?], the defense by the natural means;" leaving out quad movement and balance...

Also, google translate is imperfect. "11 ne faudrait cependant pas s'imaginer que les exercices qui font partie de notre méthode sont absolument nouveaux." was translated "11 should, however, to imagine that the exercises that are part of our method are absolutely new." So "IL" instead of "11" and they left out one very important word... --> "He should NOT imagine..."

I'm not going to read it today. I've heard it's a pretty long, involved book. 500 pages or so. Oog.

[Shiloh]

Very interesting find G, now I wish someone could translate.  Argh

Its like getting a nice car without the keys.  lol

[Gregg]

DRIVE AWAY!

It's Google translate, so it's a bit off... Sometimes the scanner read letters as numbers, or numbers as letters, or forgot a punctuation that changes meaning completely. If something doesn't make sense, keep reading. Hopefully it will make more sense in context.

[Sala "MonsieurMonkey"]

ill read it when i have the time to copy/paste everything haha
i dislike it when translaters are off, it just screws things up totally sometimes

[Gregg]

Follow the DRIVE AWAY link in previous message. It's 80% understandable. I read the first 40 pages then skimmed the original book to page 535. Some scanned pages are severely screwed up

Here is the basic adult >18 years old
[This was really messed up in the translation - there's a scaled rating/ measurement system? It's scattered later in the book. Not organized. ]

high jump no dash = 0.8 m
high jump with dash = 1 m
long jump no dash = 2 m
long jump with dash = 3 m
rope climb without help of legs = 5 m

run 100 m = 16 sec
run 500 m = 1:40
run 1500 m = 6 minutes

Lift with 2 hands a rock or weight of 40 kgs 1 time
Throw a weight of 7.25 kgs 5 m

Swim 100 m = 3 min
Swim: diving underwater = 10 sec

20 km in 4 hours [flat terrain with no load]

[Shiloh]

Thanks G.  At least we know the different areas he tested in. Cool. 

[Gregg]

The book has an amazing amount of pictures for 1916. I wonder how they managed to publish something like this in the middle of World War I ?!?! Maybe he was hoping to use it as a training tool?

Here's how to swim with your rifle. Here are different ways to rescue a fallen soldier.
Run on top of a 4m [at least] wall to overcome vertigo. Ropes. Walls.

Time to break out my metric tape measure...

[Ozzi]

Funny you mentioned that today.

I had the guys at the class do a lil fear battling by walking on a wall which ground went from 3 feet to the stair area where the stairs went down and the drop was about 10ft. Not quite 4mts though. 

[Shiloh]

Something I should maybe start? 

I have vertigo.   I've gotten more confident on higher structures since starting PK, but still get the physical diziness while looking down, then lose equlibrium right after.  With PK its helped me focus on whats ahead instead of my fear of falling.

I've never tried running on a high wall yet.  Highest running was 3' lol.  So goal is 13'. 


Just got thru lookin at the Pictures.  Amazing G.  I really wanna know translation now. hehe

[Gregg]

I open the French book in one window, and the English translation in another. The English translation has the most trouble with graphs and charts... and all the photo captions.

Running on high wall had some DANGER notices. I'll try to find them... did in the French, but the English is page by page - I can't jump where I want to go. It will be years before I get to it. Section starts bottom of pg 383, VIII TO RAISE TO A GREAT HEIGHT WITHOUT FEAR OF THE VERTIGO. I have downloaded the book and will translate this part "by hand" and post it in this thread.

[They did a junk job of scanning... where are pages 23-32? Some pages are in there twice. Some were poorly scanned. Such a hurry to get through... sigh.]

[Shiloh]

Thanks again G.

Whats gets me wondering is why this book was never brought to attention by Belle or others?
How did you come upon this G?

[Gregg]

VIII. —  RAISING A GREAT HEIGHT WITHOUT FEAR OF VERTIGO
484. Before venturing into a high place, it is necessary to first be insensitive to vertigo. Vertigo is a kind of dizziness that annihilates and all will instantly lose the exact notion of objects and things. This particular state is produced by the feeling of emptiness below itself or by the lack of assurance or self-confidence.
We arrive to overcome the vertigo by the execution of exercises graduated with the aim firstly, to develop a sense of balance, and on the other hand, combating anxiety produced by a vacuum.

485. 1° Exercise. - Get a sense of balance. Repeat on an elevated object (bench, beam, plate close, etc.) the following educational exercises:
Elevation of the leg in front;
Elevation of the leg in back;
Elevation of the leg to the side;
Balance of the leg forward (fig. 246) Way to gain a sense of balance. - Execute on an elevated object the balance movement with the leg extended in front with different arm positions: hands on hips, hands on the neck, hands on shoulders, hands on the chest, arms stretched in the wake of the trunk [behind].
Balance of the back leg (fig. 247) Way to gain a sense of balance. - Execute on an elevated object the balance movement with the leg extended behind with different arm positions: hands on hips, hands on the neck, hands on shoulders, hands on the chest, arms stretched in the wake of the trunk [behind].
Balance of the leg laterally (fig. 248) Way to gain a sense of balance. - Execute on an elevated object the balance movement with the leg extended laterally with different arm positions: arms stretched in the wake of the trunk [above], hands on the neck, arms stretched out sideways.
Place your hands in the different positions shown in the educational exercises or use the arms as balance to help maintain equilibrium.

486. 2° Exercise.  - Fight the fear generated by the vacuum. Get used to heights more and more considerable rising above the ground, first through simple means requiring little muscular force and having all safety: ladders, step stools, stairs, etc. Once in the air in a situation where the danger of collapse is avoided, stare at the ground below itself (fig. 249) Using the roof of a building to combat vertigo.

487. Once you have enough assurance, begin to rise in more difficult ways using the different ways of climbing described above.

[Gregg]

This book became the basis for training Vietnamese kids and soldiers in the early part of the Vietnam Wars [when it was French v. VC, before the French gave up, and the US got involved.]

Raymond Belle [DB's dad] was a 7 year old [according to DB's new book on parkour], and was trained in these methods. RB ran the courses long after the other kids left the courses. He trained himself to insane levels. He taught DB some of it, and [my memory] when DB would tell him of the latest big jump he did, RB would say "Oh, I did bigger than that when I was 7."

So RB and DB probably never had this book. They were trained according to it, tho. Parkour is based on the parts of MN that work in urban/ suburban France.

This book recently appeared in Google books - the copyright is expired, so they scanned the copy at Harvard Library. I found out about it at APK. I'm not great at French - I'm sure some of the Canadian traceurs have already read through it in French, and possibly coverted it to English. I should ask them...

Anyway, I know enough French to tell when Google Translate has totally messed up. Then I break it down word by word or phrase by phrase and stumble through it as best as I can.

I had a friend in 7th/ 8th grade who was a Vietnamese refugee. I wonder if he had ever trained in MN. We never did anything like that, so I'm guessing he wasn't, or it brought back bad memories. Otherwise, I could've learned this stuff back when I was 12. In 7th grade, my main thing was to keep him from getting in fights. He was FOB, small, and took EVERYTHING as an insult. So people would throw chips on him, or call him names just to make him mad, get him in trouble.

I'll keep translating this vertigo section for you.

[Shiloh]

You are the BOMB Gregg...

This will really help me fosho! Its great that Herbert took the time to figure this out for us,
but its really awesome that you took your time, found and translated this G. It would have taken me forever, seriously.  Thank you so much!

[Gregg]

IX. STABILIZE IN A DANGEROUS PLACE WHERE THE BALANCE IS DIFFICULT TO KEEP

488. In some circumstances, it is sometimes necessary to install or stable yourself on a place conveniently just to climb, to breath, wait or bring relief, reach an object or other obstacle to climb, make any work, etc. The exercise presents no difficulty or no interest when the place is small elevation or of such nature that any danger of falling is eliminated. It is not the same when reaching heights where vertigo is a fear or on objects where the balance is difficult to keep.

Suppose that you run any escalation, such as a simple climb followed by a recovery, where we find support for the hands and the abdomen (Fig. 250) Establish themselves in a dangerous place where the balance is difficult to keep. - Position of the body to support tight on the hands.

He acts then to leave this impractical position for support to get seated, standing or on horseback, by choosing the manner best suited according to the circumstances.

Make learning exercises that are on a low object (like a beam for example) before being run at dangerous places.

489. 1st Manner.  - From the support extended on an object, sit down (Fig. 251). Settle on a place where a difficult balance to keep. - Has the support being stretched, sitting: 1 Passing legs one after another; 2 By half turn.

1° Make a half turn by releasing a hand and bending the body forward;
2 ° one leg jump over the object, then the other. Doing the movements in the opposite direction to return to the support extended.

490. 2nd  Manner. - from the extended support, get on horseback.
Move one leg on top of the object. Doing the reverse movement to return to the support extended.

491. 3rd Manner. - from the support extended, stand up.
Place knees one after the other on the object and stand up. Doing the reverse movement to return to the support extended.

492. 4th  Manner.- standing, to bridge conversely, being on horseback, standing back (Fig. 252) Settle on a place where the balance is difficult to keep. Being on horse to stand up or vice versa, standing, putting on horse.

Assemble the feet, bend the lower limbs, place your hands on object near the feet, fingers apart, bring the whole body weight on the wrists by moving the head a little, let slip slowly and simultaneously feet each side of the beam or object and go to horse.

To get standing, place your hands near the thighs on the beam or the object, balance one or two times the legs back, transfer your feet on the object and stand by the extension of the lower limbs.