An international movement

The new rising of an international movement in physical education by the Méthode Naturelle

In recent years, international Hebertist events have been linked in Europe. The renewed interest of young people practicing Parkour, Mov’Nat or Free Running for the Natural Method, a common ancestor of these practices, has created a dynamic that continues to grow.

Thus, in 2012, a team from Munich tracers (Parkour practicers) embarked on Belgian roads to discover hebertism, as Hebert’s heirs have, for more than 70 years, preserved and adapted it in this flat country.

They went back in 2013, reinforced by a group of Italians, who inherited hebertism via scouting – Belgian scouts were indeed called to transmit hebertism in Italy since the 50s.

In 2014, the Hebertist center of Esneux – newly renamed Sport’nat Esneux – celebrated its 40th birthday. An opportunity to invite again all these friends from far away. Some of them were present and took advantage of their trip to ask the Belgians to organize something to enable them to become “official” Hebertist monitors.

Pushed on the back by this fine team, the Belgians set up a weekend of training in English, for all and foreigners avid to become instructors in the Natural Method : SET 1 – Sport’nat European Training – in 2015

The main negative judgment received at the end of this weekend was that it lacked practice. Wishing to pass on as much information as possible to the participants, the Belgians had a little forced the dose of theory. In response, the following year SIP Camp 1 – Sport’nat International Practical Camp – was put in place. The participants would go around all the Belgian centers, practicing the Natural Method in many ways. So those who participated throughout the whole week had a complete view.

The following year, the Belgians were very busy with the refurbishment of their instructor training, which they wanted to make solid enough before it was offered internationally. The SIP Camp 2 was therefore more oriented “holidays”, and organized in July, in Provence. The practice of the Natural Method was obviously central, but the five other aspects of Hebertism were also present.

In 2018, the Belgians organized a big party for the 70th anniversary of the creation of the first federation bringing together the practitioners of the MN. The party taking place on a Sunday, the previous Saturday had been devoted to a European meeting. It was hoped that this meeting will produce a European federation in due form. But we figured out this topic was far from being as consensual as we thought.

The same summer, the SIP Camp 3 was organized on the model of the precedent, again for lack of time and need of holidays. Only Belgians took part this time, which obviously raised questions about its status as an “international” camp. Another formula would undoubtedly have to be found to gather the network so that it does not dissolve. A SET 2 maybe?

Not immediately: at the end of May 2019, the SeMeNEP brought Europe together. A two-day seminar designed to allow the international Hebertist community to continue the discussion initiated during the “congress” of June 2018.

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