© François GUILBERT

GIGN (National Gendarmerie Intervention Group) patent, military parachutist instructor, diver, INSEP and GIGN coach, sports consultant and lecturer, François GUILBERT is also an expert in crisis, risk and stress management. In perfect harmony with his new positioning, his professional transition allows him to offer a constructive exchange by sharing his experience. With an authentic report, he distils a method of coaching to think differently, his common thread being prophylaxis.

 

Originally from Sarthe, François GUILBERT evolved from an early age in a family of judokas where he developed a pronounced taste for competitive judo . Progressing fairly quickly, the latter quickly becomes a promising athlete. At the same time, he practices freediving, cycling, team sports, gymnastics, running, outdoor activities, and combat sports. At the same time, he has a revelation for skydiving . Its objective is indeed to return to the paratroopers commandos of the French Army. Measuring 1.90m for 100 kg, he was told that he could not make a career there. After obtaining a baccalaureate D in “mathematics and natural sciences”, he obtained a master's degree in biology, which he completed with a university training in master's degree in sport. Enduring and determined, François does not give up his professional project. At the end of his studies , and without any hesitation, he thus chose the path of a military career within the Special Forces Unit of GIGN, based in Versailles, from which he will receive his professional assignment in 2004 .

 

Subject to the anonymity inherent in his profession , the documentary “Roots and Wings” on France 3, produced by Nicolas MOSCARA on the GIGN in 2004, places him at the center of attention at the beginnings of his career. His personality, his charisma, and his perseverance make him an example in the universe of the Special Forces Unit. Not inclined to be in the spotlight , François GUILBERT despite himself acquired a media visibility that weighed heavily on him. The resulting adulation bothers him, he is also so attached to discretion, as a precautionary principle. Honoring one's oath is the rigor it imposes on itself, while respecting the cult of secrecy.

 

With a helmet weighing nearly 5kg on your head, a bulletproof vest weighing more than 15kg, and a modular equipment package (depending on the type of mission), the action is daily within the elite unit of the airborne troops. Day and night, the devices are worked on, as are the procedures . The ability to react and manage stress at time "T" or over time are constantly called upon. The opportunity to learn to adapt to optimize your potential. Within the GIGN, the danger exists, of course, but for him it is “a profession like any other” . In France and internationally , he gives himself body and soul to carry out his mission, “at all times” , “in any place” , and in all circumstances . Seriously injured many times, he will apply, develop and teach, over time and missions, a meditative approach with his vision of prophylaxis as a common thread . Prophylaxis in the sense of protecting bodily integrity, preserving the organism, and preventing injuries. Meditation, breathing, relaxation and mental imagery will allow him to effectively mobilize his own resources.

 

Endowed with an exemplary technique and a recognized educational virtue , François GUILBERT becomes responsible for the combat sports unit within the GIGN on the bases of judo, ju jitsu, Brazilian ju jitsu, grappling, krav maga, mixed martial arts (MMA), hand-to-hand combat, boxing, individual and collective self-defense, as well as the special professional intervention GIGN. He also created an innovative and evolving method of individual and collective self-defense . In consultation with his predecessors, he not only restructured the combat sport unit, but also formed a team of work and trainers in cooperation with external contributors. As part of this service, he designed, piloted, and developed a unique training method , in order to ensure continuity, succession, and sustainability within the elite force of the gendarmerie, as well as with its counterparts in France and abroad. Officially recognized by the GIGN, its foundations are those of judo applied to the specificities of the operational reality of the profession, the field and the students: the cursor is that of the proportionate response at the heart of the action that may involve the use of weapons. (articles L435-1 and L214-2 of the Internal Security Code, article L2338-3 of the Defense Code) in the context of self-defense (articles L122-4 to L122-7 of the Penal Code).

 

During his career, he has worked with the Diplomatic Corps, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Sports, the Ministry of the Armed Forces, the Land Army, the Air Force, the French Navy, the groups of Marine Commandos, the Hubert Commandos, the Foreign Legion, the 2nd REP, the 17th RGP, the 44th IR, the SAG, the 32 F flotilla, the GIH, the GCP, EPIGN, GSPR, FIPN, GIPN, ATLAS network units, Civil Security, BSPP, civil firefighters, GRIMP, GREP, PGHM, CNISAG, CNFSR, CNING, the CNEFG, the CEGN, the EOGN, the ESOG, the GSIGN, the IF, the FOR, the FAO, the FSP, the MS, the Operations Evaluation Unit, the Objective File Audit Unit, the R&D unit, the Force Formation, the Army Health Service, the IRCGN, the STAT, the SIAT, the CNEC, the DGA, the CEV, the School of Airborne Troops (ETAP), the CISM, the 16th RA, the battalion of Joinville, the Joint School of Sports, CNSD, INSEP, INJ, various sports federations (FFJDA, FFTA, FFTS, FFBT, FFCK, FFH…), and various charities with a humanitarian vocation in particular .

 

Exact, disciplined, with always the same passion for judo, his record and his sports performances, both civil and military, are most remarkable. This racy athlete even became a training partner of David DOUILLET during his preparation for the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000 . In 2016, François, a student at the INSEP Olympic Center, will accompany the athlete Rémy BOULLÉ during his selection for the Paralympic Games in Rio .

 

Nourished by his experience as a high-level athlete, parachutist instructor, expert trainer of the State Praetorian Guard in "air ropes" (removal and extraction technique in an emergency situation which makes it possible to exploit, day and night, the flight capacity of helicopters in perilous environments), it is also at the origin of the training of the first experts in air ropes of the Civil Security and the Army Health Service . On a wide spectrum of international missions, François is also a specialist in automobile driving and convoy management, as well as in escort, transport and authority protection . On the strength of his skills acquired as a manager of selection tests , executive training , as well as operational and training safety , another of his specialties is freediving . From now on, François supports professionals and individuals who wish to keep in shape, take tests or resume regular physical activity while benefiting from personalized support . Self-knowledge, emotional regulation and body maintenance are the 3 pillars of its personal support service . With an authentic report, this professional was able to bring out quality content.

 

Adept in the art of meditative practice, breathing, breath dynamics, relaxation and mental imagery, whose common thread  is prophylaxis , this specialist provides valuable advice. He also regularly intervenes during internships in companies for managers, team buildings, conferences, training courses, in schools and universities, in the Olympic and Paralympic sector, in the Special Forces Unit sector, in the aeronautics and aerospace sector… to distill its coaching method.

 

Biology teacher, physical education and sports teacher, martial arts teacher, graduate of the Maria Montessori Superior Institute, he also works in school with children to initiate them to the discovery of science and sport culture . In particular, it helps them become more comfortable, by offering them a prepared environment and workshops adapted to their needs and abilities.

 

First BASE jump Look before you leap Skydivepower

MENS FERVIDA IN CORPORE LACERTOSO

 

Author - biography: Beryl ORPHEE

Website artistic direction - June 2021: Beryl ORPHEE