FINNISH OPEN

Master 1 (41-50 years) is a border division where a few veteran athletes still stand out from a crowd of (sadly) former athletes. Most competitors have lost their flexibility, and their best kicks with it. Niina Virtala is not among them. Born in Finland in 1970, she recently welcomed her 40s by winning the 2011 Poomsae national competition for regions in Italy, where she lives now. Then she proceeded to climbing up the European A-class rankings, by dominating both the Finnish Open Poomsae and Austrian Open Poomsae this late spring. However, borders are complicating her road to international glory. Being Finnish, she cannot enter the Italian national team. Vice versa, living in Italy has so far prevented her from entering the Finnish team. But she's determined to storm into it. And as long as she keeps winning and displaying rock solid high kicks, doing without her will become harder and harder for her country. By the way, Niina, it's such a joy to train you, but please stop mixing hot rice and cucumbers, in Italy you can get arrested for that.

REARING UP

The front kick is chic. It draws an elegant straight line in the air, your fingers graciously topping it, like the serifs of an ancient font. Whereas the ultimate benchmark for a taekwondoka's technical skill is the Yop Chagi, the Ap Chagi shows your mastery of the Poomsae mechanism of applying opposing forces, pushing and holding your limbs at the same time. Combined with a series of forward steps (as in Shipjin or Koryo), it feels like you're riding a prancing horse, your arms pulling the reins of it. This is a proud kick.

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ALONE

Individual sports don't exist. You always need to be part of a team. You always need someone to guide you, support you, train with you, and ultimately share the joys and toils of competing. Exams and tournaments, however, count moments when you actually test yourself in complete solitude. This is when you face sides of you you didn't even know existed. Pressure, anxiety, adrenaline manifest themselves with much more meaning than the washed out words we often improperly use. The life of a taekwondoka is dotted by moments like this, when you're just a little white spot on a dark background. It can be overwhelming, but it's brief. And potentially revealing.

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HE SHAKES THE EARTH FROM ITS PLACE

There is only one place where you can see a whole line of athletes steadily holding this stance. In photo.
Keumgang is a spoilsport. You can have skyrocketing kicks and iron fists, but if your balance and cold blood aren't top notch, in either tournaments or exams this form will screw you. You wanna know how to survive it? Stop hating it. Keumgang is like your mother-in-law. You can't just get rid of it, because it's inextricably linked to something you love. So, if you want to succeed in poomsae, you'd better come to terms with it. Practice it alone, in wide open spaces, where your balance cannot use the walls around you as visual reference. And please, on that last leftward punch don't ever think "I'm almost there", or you're bound to mess it up. Pass the word!

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WOOD YOU REMEMBER?

Hardwood. Very hard. Nobody knows it better than martial arts practitioners. Nowadays almost all competitions and courses are held on Tatami mats, but gosh, during the past 20 years the naked feet of a taekwondoka experienced more surfaces than a Rally car! Concrete, resin, grass, sand. And hardwood. One terrible feeling I will never forget is training my splits on the hardwood of a stinky gym I used to frequent in my early 20s. Wood prevented my heels from sliding, giving me unwanted grip and unbearable pain. Unpleasant memories aside, hardwood still evokes that unadulterated ancient aura of tradition martial arts are rightfully associated to. Even the very modern and everchanging Taekwondo. This specific hardwood, however, is relevant for being gently pressed by Paola Pinga, one of the Bronze Girls that made Italy proud at the 2011 European Poomsae Championship.

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TRIUMVIRI

Apart from being the state capital, the city of Rome is definitely the Poomsae capital of Italy. Master Andrea Notaro and his athletes have been dominating the scene for years. 7 out of 18 members of the Italian National Team are from Rome. See the Lazio (but actually all-Roman) male team made up by Hyeon Wook Kang, Jong-Woon Kang and Dario Giglio performing Koryo at the Italian tournament for regional teams "Memorial Cavalli" in December 2010. Guess what? Yeah, they won.

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TOUCHÉ

If there is one sport alike in attitude to Olympic Taekwondo that is not Karate or Kickboxing, but fencing. Taekwondo fighters are like swordmen, using their legs as quick sabres. The action is fast, the combat instantly shifts from one place to another, taking a false step could mean your defeat. One kicking Cyrano should be careful with that long nose of his, though; fighting helmets were not designed to protect it.
(Photo courtesy of Gabriele Cavalleri)

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IN & OUT

This is a time paradox. Your performance hasn't begun yet and your eyes meet those of someone whose competition is already over. Future and past cross their paths. The future is tight, palpitating, locked and loaded. The past can be relaxed, disappointed, hopeful. When you take turn with your opponent, you're not just saluting a fellow, you're meeting another you in a different time. Smile then, because one mistake you can't do is being rude to your very self. Competing is hard enough already.

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LINE OF DUTY

Taekwondo is an ode to Darwinism. Both combat and forms are in perpetual evolution. Scoring technology improves, competition rules change, techniques evolve, medical science keeps suggesting new training methods. If you are to stay competitive, you have to keep up to date. A good idea is to see your favourite champions in action each time you have the opportunity, and check out internet movies of major world events you cannot attend. Besides, technical courses are precious occasions where instructors get instructed on how to instruct next. You know what? I just love them. It's not because of the amount of stuff you can learn there. I just love seeing a full line of experienced masters paying attention and respect as if they were white belts at their very first lesson. There's no such thing as the 'eternal master' in WTF Taekwondo; if you stop being a student, you won't be a good teacher much longer.

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PRECIOUS MATERIAL GIRL

High kicks are a kind of gift. You can train them forever and strive to improve your flexibility, but when your hips say 'no', you just can't open further.
Denise D'Antoni's kicks are not among the highest in Europe. She certainly knew it when she approached the final round of the European Poomsae Championship held last May in Genova. That she got a wonderful bronze medal out of it just proves this sport is more about class than splits. Take a glimpse at her joy with this stolen, shamelessly blurred shot and see what sweet form can courage take.

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DON'T LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT, MR. PIGEON

Public exhibitions are a good means of introducing Taekwondo to more and more people. Also, they are a sweet chance for taking souvenir photos in places where you could only wear your dobok at Carnival. So this is me in front of Milan's cathedral, failing to mimic the imposingness of the church with my─not so steady─side kick. Luckily, this prevented birds from mistaking me for a monument; I don't think I'd like a polka-dot dobok.
(Photo: Cavalleri)

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LET THERE BE LIGHT

The Sun. Not your friend in competitions. You step into the square and perfectly obliquous rays strike you through the stadium windows, threatening your concentration and balance. But light doesn't come from the Sun or the spotlights only. Poomsae competitions are about putting yourself into the light. You stay in front of the judges, under the eyes of your opponents and the critical scrutiny of a crowd. So don't be mistaken, this light is not in your eyes, this light is one hard minute of truth you accepted to live. Brace yourself. You're already a winner.

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