The Emperors New Clothes

I am posting the following on the back of a recent discussion with Erwan Le Corre of MovNat. I had the pleasure of meeting Erwan and training MovNat with him some time ago here in Scotland. Much has happened since then, not least of which the spread of natural human movement, in its various forms, as a foundation for health and well being. That in itself is excellent, what is not so inspiring is the complete lack of imagination that some individuals and organisations employ to promote and sell what they do. Having been fortunate enough to train in variety of arts with some exceptional coaches and teachers over the years, I know that no one individual, culture or system has a monopoly on movement. How it is articulated and expressed is the key. Imitation is not the hightest form of flattery, it is the lowest form of creativity. Imitiation is nothing more than ideas without authenticity. Hopefully this provides some context for the thoughts below.

“I have said it before. The emperors new clothes never go out of fashion. There is nothing new under the sun. I have been fortunate enough to learn from many exceptional people over the years and the common thread is their ability to frame, articulate and conceptualise what they do. From Southern Shaolin to Ginastica Natural to MovNat, yoga to BJJ to Boxing, Wing Chun, Zdrovye, tai chi, Free running, Qi Gong, Judo, Systema, Pentak Silat and Arnis, movement is movement. When contemporaneous ideas converge we find ourselves surrounded by “new” and “novel” options. Surface understanding and financial opportunity are a poor mix.

You only need to look at the plethora of Paleo cook books to spot something is very wrong. It only takes a moment to engage our critical faculties. To look past the shiny cover, the slick packaging, the call to action, button pushing copy.

There is room for everyone. But let’s be clear, the time we invest, the energy we spend, the efforts we employ, to frame and deliver what we do, this is precious. This is unique. The market for counterfiet goods world wide is enourmous. Why? Because many folk don’t look below the surface, they are happy with the style, they don’t question the substance. They don’t question the source. The world of internet marketing is the online equivelant of a cultural sweatshop. They fall for artifice and forsake the art. Ultimately, this is about respecting the source, valuing our own contribution and paying it forward, acknowledging that we are all students, all teachers and all worthy of respect for our efforts.”

To learn more about MovNat go HERE

Outside Magazine – The Workout that Time Forgot

Mens Health – A Wild Workout For The Real World

Conditioning Research – Interview with Erwan Le Corre