Tracking III: Movement Indicators

Movement Indicators

Anyone who has been the least bit interested in Tracking, and has looked into the science and art as presented by Tom Brown Jr., has heard of Pressure Releases. I started trying to figure these mystical Pressure Releases (more commonly known as PRs in the tracking-circle) since I was a kid. I am now in my twenty-fifth year of working on this puzzle. I started learning from the books by Tom, which presented the concept without too much detail. Mostly, as I struggled to understand what exactly he was seeing in a mere footprint that could tell him vast and detailed stories of the subject and the environment surrounding the subject, I was going by faith. I only attended the Tracker School, Inc., in New Jersey when I was in my early twenties. By that time, I had become extremely proficient in the survival skills (I had already done a primitive year in the woods in New Hampshire), and I was becoming increasingly aware of the workings of the PRs. In fact, by the time I began taking the classes at the school, I was using them more as a system of validation than a resource for information, particularly for anything that was already covered in the books. I took the basic information and concepts from the books, and I ran with it, and I began to see things that weren’t in the texts, which started me on this path of exhausting, infuriating, research and development with no way to find any validation except to find proof in the tracks.

Though the Tracker School takes the student to a certain degree of Tracking knowledge, there seems to be a cut-off point for the information. Not only have I tried to speak to Tom personally in the workshops, to no avail, but I’ve actually mailed and emailed drawings and my own definitions of these things that I’ve found in the tracks that seem to be consistent with particular conditions and circumstances. Regardless of whether I was “right” or “wrong” in the school’s eyes, I never heard anything back, except from one former instructor who confirmed one of the prs that I found, but admitted that the pr information seemed to be locked up pretty tightly at the school otherwise, and he had no other information available.

Therefore, since I have attempted to make contact several times, to no avail, I could only continue to work on this study of Tracking by creating my own version of maps, concepts, definitions, and names for my discoveries. By no means am I the creator or inventor of these things in Tracking, whether you call them Pressure Releases or Movement Indicators. In fact, the Pressure Releases number in the thousands in presentation, and they were established by Apache Trackers (on our continent, anyway) over generations. I am attempting to put together whatever I can in a few decades, and I’m not sure I’ll come close to thousands. I do, however, have a good handful, and I’ve established what I feel is a pretty solid foundation for my interpretations. I have attempted to give different names to everything from what the Tracker School uses so as not to be claiming anything that I didn’t actually earn. I admit out front and off the bat that I learned the basic PRs that are found in Tom Brown Jr.’s book: The Science and Art of Tracking, from Tom Brown Jr. However, as far as Tracking goes, all other information regarding Fine-motor and Visceral Movement Indicators, as well as the mapping of zones of the body, are by my own research into other concentrations, such as kinesiology and gait analysis, as well as—and for the most part—practical and empirical investigation, or, good old trial and error. Nobody stood over my shoulder, and nobody gave me any information regarding the intricacies, details, or advanced principles of Tracking. The advanced concepts are my own work. Further, because of this, I’m going to take out some of the advanced details and descriptions I had in this writing for a couple of reasons.

1. It has taken a lot of time and effort (and ridicule and heckling) to develop what I’ve accomplished so far. I figure that if someone else is out there teaching it to the military and police, and making millions of dollars on the information, I’d rather keep the details to myself and a very close few.

2. If you are truly passionate about it, then you can either figure it out like I’ve been doing, or you can make a decent donation toward helping my family live in this god-forsaken system and toward helping me establish my Communal Village. I’ve already given lots of information out to many people for free, and it hasn’t helped my family avoid discrimination and persecution, so I guess I’m done with that, sorry.

3. Yeah, the military and police thing? I’m not into giving even more power of information to the very entity that forces me and my family to compromise our beliefs, integrity, and health (you’ll know exactly what I mean if you read the other articles in the blog). So I’m not about to make myself a hypocrite and give this stuff out for the government to abuse. Look at what they did with Einstein’s work.

So, why am I writing this, then? Because I’ve been teaching and talking about this stuff for decades, and I’ve developed some really good concepts and practices (including Clock-Tracking and the Golden Ratio Height formula), and I figure that even if I don’t so much care about making millions for selling the information, I still would like it to be known that I did this. Even if it’s just that my grandchildren find my buried and tattered writings one day in the future, I want them to know that I was one of the forerunners in putting together this information about Tracking while most people thought Tracking was little more than identifying and following footprints. I’m putting it out because there are so many would-be Trackers out there who claim they can see things (“head-turns” is a really common one) regularly in the tracks, yet they’re asking what these more intricate and delicate indicators are. This tells me that something doesn’t jive. Reading “head-turns” accurately and consistently is not as easy as folks would like to believe it is if you don’t know what to look for. And if you only practice what’s in the books, you don’t really know yet what to look for. But that’s okay; just don’t get cocky.

This article was meant to go into Wikipedia, so it’s somewhat clinical, I suppose. If it makes it, cool. But since I am the only resource for the majority of the information here, there’s nothing to cite, and I don’t have the funding or the connections to gain any “official research date from an accredited agency” or any garbage like that, so I don’t believe it will hold up on Wikipedia. It is what it is. If you don’t buy it, it won’t hurt my feelings.

Movement Indicators—a term coined by Jeff Rychwa, for use in Tracking, to describe the responses and reactions of any substrate or surface to the influence of an applied force, typically associated with the force of a subject’s foot upon a surface. A movement indicator, or MI, is the simple result of physical force—in this application, a force of kinesiology, various gait patterns, and physiological affects—applied to a surface or substrate so that the reaction of the applied movement is recorded in a meaningful, legible way.

There seem to be three categories of MIs: Gross Motor, Fine Motor, and Visceral. As well, there seem to be three zonings or “maps” that generally coordinate these movements and influences with particular regions aligning with the body of the maker of the tracks. For example, a gross-motor movement of the right leg being placed forward of the horizontal centerline of the left foot will display movement indicators within the ball-mount and digital areas of the left foot track. However, general indicators of issues regarding the right leg, such as a muscle injury, will present within the heel area of the right foot track. Further, a movement or injury on one side of the body will show counter- or compensatory-indicators either on the opposite side of the coordinating track, or even in the opposite track altogether. This is particularly prominent with issues or injuries compromising leg functions.

Gross-motor and Fine-motor MIs seem to present as “hard” influences upon the substrate, while Visceral MIs seem to present as “soft” influences. In other words, the action of propulsion in a substrate such as dampened beach sand will cause a recoil in the substrate, which can be seen as a portion of sand being pushed backward due to wasted energy in overcoming inertia that breaks the substrate’s coefficient of static friction. The amount of substrate and the degree to which it is dislodged and moved is directly proportional to the amount of energy is used to overcome inertia and the friction in order to propel the body in a particular direction. Other elements must be considered, as well, such as the content of the substrate regarding moisture and other impurities such as rocks and foreign objects. Further, slope of the substrate and other topographical conditions must be accounted in determining the proportion of recoil to acceleration in any given track.

It seems that animals, particularly quadrupeds, move in a way that eliminates recoil, or severely hampers recoil, as they move their center of gravity in a more efficient and unified way than humans, who contrarily move in a series of stalls and starts, dropping the center of gravity into a deceleration, only to throw the body forward and push off again into an acceleration. Recoil is common in human gaits, and it seems to testify to the inefficiency of human movement as a condition of our species moving away from it natural tendencies.

Visceral MIs are the most erratic, difficult to see, and difficult to interpret of the Movement Indicators. The Viscerals are also the most difficult to convince an increasingly untrusting and skeptical society of their existence. Even in reading Viscerals and pointing them out to individuals, many subjects are loathed to accept their validity, similar to the way society has taken on difficulty in accepting many relatively far-fetched truths when introduced, such as the Earth being round, or the existence of germs, bacteria, and even atoms.

Viscerals appear to be created of energy influences primarily. Gross-motor MIs are large, physical movements of leverage and torque, whereas Fine-motor MIs are more subtle, dealing with seemingly isolated musculoskeletal and skin movements, while Viscerals are caused by fluctuation of energy, perhaps even blood circulations and otherwise invisible shifts of fascia, ligaments, and muscle fibers. However, the influences of energy seem to be logical as energy flowing throughout the body does cause things to function and malfunction; simply look at twitching muscles, the heart beating, and even random pains and itches. These are all directly related to neural transmissions by way of electrical and chemical impulses. Another grossly simplistic model of such energy transfer is found in creating static electricity by running a plastic comb through dry, clean hair several times, then holding the comb within a half-inch of a smoothly flowing trickle of water from a sink faucet. The electricity will bend the stream of water. It seems to follow that energy will directly translate from the body to the substrate with which it makes contact, leaving various patterns upon the substrate, thus indicating particular conditions within coordinating zones of the body. This part of reading the Movement Indicators in Tracking is closely related to Reflexology and other studies of energy flow and manipulation from around the world.

An example of a Gross-motor MI would be the recoil of acceleration upon the sole of the track, in the form of the substrate being pushed backward for a forward acceleration. An example of a Fine-motor MI would be the feathering of the substrate (particularly damp sand), caused by skin movement in response to the torque of the upper body and head twisting in a particular direction. An example of a Visceral MI would present as a rectangle or “boomerang” shape in the sole of the track within the zone of the bladder area indicating the bladder being full to some degree.

To make things more complicated, since the body functions as a closed system of checks and balances, there will thusly be MI that must present in order to back-up other MIs in any particular movement. The numbers of back-up indicators for any particular movement or condition would logically be staggering, depending upon the depth and size of indicators one would choose to incorporate into a reading for increasing detail and accuracy of the reading of the tracks. This is where the task of attempting to recognize, define, and coordinate all of these MIs--particularly considering that compensatory MIs can cause confusion in and of themselves—becomes intimidating at times, and daunting at best.

Composition of Visceral MIs can be of extremely fine particles of sand or dust. However, even a basic shape can show up in a particular zone as a dust-line shape, a crevasse shape, a butte, or a depression. These subtleties lend a great deal of confusion to the process, let alone finding coordinating MIs to pinpoint a particular, coordinating condition or action. Fortunately, as the body is systemic and stems from the nervous system for function, Jeff speculates that tying together MIs in order to develop more accurate and detailed readings will be much “easier” based upon the logic of synergy rather than trying to read each MI as its own entity.

It is worth mentioning Identifiers here, as well. Identifiers present in the tracks in the same way that MIs do, except Identifiers seem to appear consistently in a particular track (always in the right footprint, for instance) and for a particular subject, no matter what action the subject performs. In other words, Identifiers look similar [to Jeff] as typical MIs, but they don’t have function. Identifiers can be created by a blatant injury or anomaly, such as a wound to the sole of the foot, or a wart, for example, or by a particular deformity, anomaly, irregularity, or other condition or pathology particular to an individual. There seem to be several Identifiers in any given track, and, since they are consistent and “fixed” to the track of that subject, the combination of them may be used as a reliable method of identification for an individual that may not be found in any other individual of that species, much like a human fingerprint.

Tracking II

Tracking was used by ancient cultures around the world for thousands of years for many purposes. In some cases, it meant survival for a tribe whose scouts could find and interpret the tracks and movements of the enemy. But tracking was primarily a skill used for finding, following, and taking game. Tracking was so necessary for survival that it stretched far beyond the common concepts of tracking that we believe today. It developed into an art-form of sorts and a science, and ancient trackers essentially were the first forensic investigators. Their abilities were not limited to following footprints, but also included reading the landscape, interpreting signs, weather, and other animal activity. Tracking was a gateway to a holistic awareness that was crucial for survival.

Now, as a wildlife control operator, tracking was a staple of my work, as well as a key to being successful and efficient. As an Expert Tracker, there isn't the luxury--and, frankly, nor is there a necessity--of laying out tracking powder; there is no putting paper into suspect structural holes in order to assess usage; there is no wondering where to put an evictor or where to place a trap. It’s all in the tracks, and the tracks never lie.

I talked with another pest control company one afternoon about trapping large mammals—my shirt logo, which reads, “Forensic Tracker” prompted his asking for an explanation. I explained that there are several levels and methods of tracking, and that Forensic Tracking involved studying and interpreting subtle actions within the tracks. I said that tracks reveal much more about the maker than its taxonomical Family and direction of movement. Tracks told a story, and also indicate crucial elements about the maker, especially regarding our line of work. I asked him about his process of identifying and trapping a nuisance animal. He shrugged and said that he just goes to the site, if the client says they have a skunk, he simply sets some traps with skunk bait and keeps trapping until the skunks are gone.

I was baffled. I said, “but what if you’re trapping a skunk that has babies in the den?” He responded, “well you just have to take into account the time of year and assume there will be babies.”

I suppose at least that is the safe way to assume. But I don’t see that as particularly efficient. I went on to explain that my inspection consists of isolating signs and tracks of the animal involved, but also what other animals may be involved, and what draws them there in the first place. Further, if you’re trapping skunks, for example, it’s useful to know whether you’re catching the skunk from under the house or the skunk from under the neighbor’s shed, not to mention that there are often other animals sharing that space with the skunks, such as cats and opossums. If you funnel the traps off the entrance, how do you know how many to set? How do you know the client didn’t mistake the identity of the animal? (I had a call for an opossum in someone’s bathroom one night. It turned out to be a long-tailed weasel.) And in Search Tracking, for a missing dog for example, how do you maintain that dog’s trail if they’re in coyote territory with coyote-sized feet? It’s all in the tracks.

He didn’t believe me when I told him that it is possible to read pregnancy, gender, and even ailments in an animal’s track. That’s okay, though. I’m not the one wasting time with superfluous trips to check and alter my trap-sets.

Granted, I don’t always make my catch on the first rotation. I’m not a “Master Tracker.” But I can read tracks to the point that I can make more cost effective decisions and take appropriate actions. I was called to investigate skunk activity around a wheelchair access ramp on the front of an apartment building. The landlord said that the tenants had seen several skunks walking around the yard and that the animals were living under the ramp. The ramp was snugged tightly to the building on one long side, and it was flush to the ground on the other side, except for the place that the skunks dug out for entry. Now, according to biology, it didn’t make sense at this time of year for a bunch of juvenile skunks to be walking around with mom. The tenants described the skunks as, “about six inches long” from nose to butt. It didn’t follow. But weirder things have happened.

I found two sets of tracks on that day. Two different skunks had made the tracks. One set went under the ramp. That set showed me that my culprit skunk had given birth. And it was because of that indication that I had the landlord’s carpenter help me tear up the ramp the morning after I trapped mom. And I pulled out five newborns. (You can see a blurry shot of them on my website, in fact.) Mom and babies were reunited and relocated to a rehab together. This isn’t an isolated incident.

All of my technicians must learn tracking. They must be able to identify tracks, gaits, and signs, and they must be able to see tracks on a variety of surfaces from leaves to dirt to plastic and concrete, whether raccoon, mouse, or snake. It’s not easy. But it works.

Tracks display Identifiers, which are marks made within the tracks that are specific, particularly in combination, to a particular maker. There are also Movement Indicators, which show everything about the maker of the tracks and how the subject responded to their surrounding stimuli. The MIs display Gross Motor movements, Fine Motor movements, and Internal fluctuations. These MIs can be anything from a mound of substrate shoved in a particular direction to a fine ridge of dust on the floor of the footprint. There can be many forms and shapes of these indicators that typically take on associative names, such as: hockey-stick, pirate’s-hat, or chains, and they represent transfers of energy and kinesiology. In other words, indicators can be constructs of simple, physical mechanics of leverage, or they can be made of energy that moves throughout the body. If you’ve ever built up static electricity by rubbing a balloon on your hair and sticking it to a wall, or by combing your hair with a plastic comb and holding the comb near a very slow, steady stream of tap-water, you can see a dramatic example of how this energy works.

These MIs are very difficult to discern without a guide. And they change shape, position, and texture, because the body is a malleable organism. Just when you think you’ve finally pinned one down for a particular, coordinating action, it will change or vanish altogether and make hours of hard work turn into a frustrating disappointment. But they are there. And when someone shows you what to look for, they become easier to see. However, for me, even after twenty-five years of trying to figure out the art and science of tracking, I have not been able to put together complete combinations of MIs for all situations. I get by so far on being able to pick out key MIs and extrapolating by using other clues, for now. There’s just too much to figure out for one person in one lifetime, but it doesn’t mean I’m not trying.

Tracking & Movement Indicators

In order to be a well-rounded and effective Tracker, I don't believe in studying only the Movement Indicators. (Some circles call them "Pressure Releases" based upon the teachings of Tom Brown Jr., but since I didn't learn these from him, and since I'm developing a list of functional indicators, I will only refer to them as Movement Indicators or MIs, so as not to infringe or plagiarize.) That wouldn't be realistic because Tracking is not restricted to one perspective or paradigm.

Personally, I study things like:

Landscape (Glacial impact, topography, etc.)
Water flow
Flora
Fauna
Ecology
Forest age and composition
Sunlight
Wind
Weather
Substrate conditions, structure, and make-up
Travel routes
Draws
Concentric lines
Bird activity
Human activity (roadways, distant smells, sounds)
Skeletal structure
Animal biology
Foot Morphology
Clinical Gait Analysis/Kinesiology
Natural, Physiological Gait Analysis
Stride, Straddle, Pitch, Trail Width
Dust & Grit Impressions
Fingerprints

Signs:
Rubs
Chews (and dental morphology)
Scratches
Smudges
Scrapes
Scat and Urine (smells, composition, make-up)
Hairs from different parts of the body
Blood spatter
Kill Procedure
Feather Morphology
Decomposition and associated Entomology
Burns (bark, bones--whatever)
Litter
Breaks, bends, tears, creases
Basic Mycology
Nutrient Impact on soils, invertebrates, flora, and up the chain
Pollutant Impact
Tracks
Movement Indicators

It's all Tracking. There is no "right" or "wrong" method; there is no one better way than another. As far as I'm concerned, it's just a matter of how much information you want from the scene and surroundings.

I just happen to be extremely passionate about the movement indicator element because it gives me more accurate detail on a deeper level of knowing the maker of the tracks.

Again, I wouldn't waste my time if it was invalid or useless. It's part of my job.

Identifiers are like tags or fingerprints that are specific in their combinations to a particular maker, and they present consistently no matter what the maker may do to try to camouflage them. Identifiers are important when tracking a specific subject, such as a missing person, or, more commonly in my experience, a missing- or “nuisance-“animal. At this point, aside from developing an ability to establish identifiers in tracks, I have been able to identify movement indicators representative of these functions (barring general locomotion):

• Full/Empty Bladder
• Full/Empty Colon
• Knee injury/ailment
• Back injury/ailment
• Male/Female indicators
• Menses
• Carrying objects over five pounds (in either hand, both hands, or on back)
• Arm movements (major positions)
• Head Turning, lifting, lowering
• Internal shifts and disturbances in several areas:
o Stomach/abdomen
o Sinuses
o Lungs/Diaphragm

I’ve noticed that there are at least two major “maps” of zones for discerning the gross motor, fine motor, and internal indicators, and much of them overlap. As well, many of the gross motor indicators present in the opposite places that they occur, making reading tricky at times. There is much research to do, as I am working alone to develop a system based upon methods supposedly established by generations of native trackers.

I’m also confident that the indicators I am discovering are useful to identify internal ailments on at least an elementary level for use in Chiropractic treatments, for example.

It's relatively easy to see the gross motor mi's (recoil, overthrusts, sweeps, etc.) and to practice getting to know how they work. That's the beginning. As you become proficient in one medium, take it to another and become proficient there. Even in one medium you will not see the exact same overthrust every time you do a specific turn, but there are reasons for that that simply have to do with the body not being a robotic machine. You will, however see the same overthrust for that turn every single time.

If you want to figure out the fine motor mi's, start with something "simple." Walk through your box. Then walk through your box carrying a ten-pound object. You'll see a difference, but you won't know why. Then you'll look closer and after a while you'll think you found it. Then when you do it again, it will be different. Now do this hundreds of times. Eventually, you'll figure it out. This is what I've done. Nobody stood over my shoulder or gave me documentation on this stuff.

But this neither precludes nor excludes any other element of Tracking. Study EVERYTHING, and find your own comfort level. The point is to find your place in the progression of elements where you feel satiated with your Tracking. The cool thing is that the progression is limitless.