Etienne Terpant

Born in a  family from of  authors and book binders, nothing in the beginning predisposed me  to the disciplines I teach today.

I discovered martial arts in  my adolescence. After a course in different methods, I focused on the practice of the Japanese swordmanship, which represented to me  all the qualities of martial technique : a warrior origin, with an evolution that imply a total control of body and mind, combined with an object that also reflects craftsmanship and aesthetics.

I first received a teaching in Europe through different schools, including Toyama Ryu, and Katori Shinto Ryu. . Guided by a spirit of discovery,  I spent a year in Cambodia with Master San Kim Sean, where I  became the first westerner to receive a  certificate of swordmanship in the  national martial art  the "Bokator" or "Kbach Kun Boran Khmer".

Few times later, I developped an interest in the work of Master Kuroda, Soke of Shinbukan School, known for his incredible speed and the invisibility of his movements. I had the chance to be admitted to his school. This event radically changed my vision of martial arts, when I realized that his extraordinary abilities were the result of a profound change in the use of his body .

While trying to understand the secret of this work, I heard of a Western method with principles  that were sometimes very close . The result of the work of a Shakespearean actor from the beginning of the twentieth century, Frederic Mattias Alexander . This technique allows the acquisition of a conscious and light gesture, where the body is used in global way.

I immediately decided to become a student of this method in the Alexander Technique School for Teachers (ATAS) in Lyon. This teaching will bring me keys of understanding to improve my martial arts practice, that I had been looking for a long time. Even more, I discovered that it is a method that can be used in every day life, and whose benefits can be felt in every activity (daily, sports, artistic)

I became a teacher at the end of 3 and a half years of training.

Today I teach Alexander Technique to different  type of clients, professionals who use their bodies every day, dancers, actors, sportsmen and musicians, artists for whom this method was thought in  these origins. But its field of action is much larger. It corresponds to all people suffering from postural problems, back pain, pain related to repetitive actions, or aging, to which it provides solutions in everyday life.

I also apply these principles through my personal research on Japanese fencing.