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“Navy SEAL on MovNat” by Mark Bollong
“Navy SEAL on MovNat” by Mark Bollong

“Navy SEAL on MovNat” by Mark Bollong

In “Navy SEAL on MovNat: Brilliant, Practical, Not Flashy:  How this Navy SEAL Commander Takes Real World Fitness to Another Level with Natural Movement,” (MovNat website, 9 July 2020), Mark Bollong writes:

Hello fellow humans, If you are wondering about MovNat and whether it is something worth investing your time and resources into, I hope I can help convince you of its merit. Who am I? My name is Mark Bollong, I recently retired from the US Navy after 27 years of service as a SEAL Officer.

I went to a state university and tried every movement discipline I could that interested me: gymnastics, martial arts, water polo, distance running, weight lifting, calisthenics, triathlons, even some skateboarding.. … My love of physical hardship and need to challenge myself led me into the SEAL teams. In the TEAMS, movement became my profession; running, swimming, climbing ropes and passing obstacles, skydiving, martial arts, carrying heavy loads across extreme terrains, manipulating weapons and all kinds of devices, tools and equipment; so many necessary and diverse skills that it is hard to remember them all. Overall, it demanded high levels of strength, endurance, and resilience, but also mental focus, willpower, patience and composure.

Erwan helped me understand that if you wanted to physically perform better in tactical situations, you had to train the specific nerve system, starting with improving efficiency in the very types of practical and adaptable movement patterns typically needed in operations.

During seminars, Erwan would ask our group of about 30, mostly young and highly athletic guys in my team, to perform simple transitions such as lying on the ground to standing while pretending to aim with both hands at something and never losing sight of target…without using their hands, knees or elbows and without rocking on their back for momentum. While he could do it quickly, fluidly and seemingly effortlessly, most of my guys were floundering. I felt that this was a clear indicator that our physical training was missing an important area, mobility, and strength in proper sequences.

The day went on like this, with Erwan requesting from us to perform seemingly simple movement tasks in a simple context – using benches, picnic tables, sidewalk edges, 2×4 boards, big military containers etc. – with most of the guys finding themselves in some level of movement inefficiency, losing balance, missing the landing spot, hesitating, getting overly tense, and getting frustrated, too…but also having a lot of fun!

https://www.movnat.com/navy-seal-on-movnat/

In the introduction to the article, MovNat wrote:

Retired Navy SEAL Commodore, Mark Bollong, may have spent 27 years in the military, but according to him, he “never was a naturally gifted mover.” After trying a variety of movement disciplines that were both personal interests and vocational necessities, he discovered MovNat, and ultimately, had Erwan Le Corre train him and the SEAL teams under his command multiple times. Mark was immediately impressed with not only Erwan’s uncommon abilities, but also the simplicity and effectiveness of the MovNat system. For Mark, MovNat filled gaps in his physical training that not only improved mobility, strength, and conditioning, but also movement skills as well. He experienced the rapid development of real world fitness himself and also witnessed it among his team mates on several occasions. And today, he graciously shares several stories about the power and potential of the MovNat system.

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