DWARFS & SNOW WHITES

From me, my evil minions' staff and my little big team of precious kicking doves!

THREE ♥F A KIND

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Per la migliore qualità video, visualizzare il video su YouTube, impostare 720p HD e attivare la visione a tutto schermo.

ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN

Matilde Rastaldi - Poomsae Junior Champion of Italy 2013

So we made it, little one. We really made it. It took a little longer than expected, but when your time finally came, it came with the loudest bang. It's been so long since we started to train together. You were so tiny and funny and already awesome. Since then, my biggest dream has always been to see you set foot on that step. You did it twice in a single day. Now it'll be no picnic to find myself a new and bigger dream, as reality has proven to dream bigger than me.
Remember it. Remember the day we kept laughing together and you hit harder and harder, round after round. Remember that we can force life to live up to its promises. And whatever will happen from now on, either good or bad, never forget the moment when there was nothing above your fist, and the whole country beneath your feet.

CACCIATEMI ADESSO

Avanti. Salite pure sul carro dei vincitori, miseri ipocriti dalla coscienza di catrame. Avete fatto di tutto per boicottarla e parcheggiarla nella vostra stessa mediocrità. Ve ne siete fregati per anni, avete fatto spallucce davanti al tradimento, avete voltato lo sguardo mentre io vi chiedevo aiuto e i vostri simili le scippavano il futuro. E ora fingete di emozionarvi, di tenerci, di aver sperato e lottato con lei. Secondo quell'imbecille non-cultura dello sport per cui la pacchia sarebbe il risultato, il premio, la vittoria. Di pubblico dominio come la sua notizia. Ma là c'eravamo noi. I battiti impazziti, gli sguardi e le parole che li hanno domati, la sinfonia di gambe e braccia che ne è scaturita. Erano solo nostri. Esserci stati mentre tutto accadeva a nessun altro che a noi. Noi i soli bersagli della prepotenza con cui i sogni, a volte, si avverano senza preavvisi e mezze misure. Questa è la ricompensa. Non un ciondolo di metallo finto, non un gradino di legno numerato, non la bugia di un altoparlante innocente, non una coppa che non vedrete mai. La verità incancellabile di quei momenti, la storia che lì è culminata, le lacrime che sono sgorgate, hanno scavato solchi più profondi della vostra meschinità. Non siete riusciti a spegnermi la passione. Non siete riusciti a tarparle le ali. Non siete riusciti a separarci.
Non vi dimenticheremo, ladri di vita e parassiti di luce riflessa. Non per vendicarci, giacché nessuna punizione sarebbe peggio dell'essere ciò che voi siete. Ma per tenere sempre a mente cosa mai e poi mai dobbiamo diventare.

PUSHING UP DAISIES

You all know, I was no champ. Even the word 'athlete' never suited me well. But across 20 years of scalding defeats, blunders and wasted opportunities, I understood a couple of things here and there about this sport. The kind of things that'll make strong those who'll come after you. So maybe it's not that bad, to die a loser. If flowers bloom from your ground.

WE ARE READY

Are you?

FLAT TO THE GROUND

You're either defeated or getting ready for success. Now what's your choice?

MAT ON THE MAT

Yo, Mat! That was superlative... Your focaccia bread, I mean :P

ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK

Last year we left her on her knees, head down on the mat, giving her thanks for her third world title in a row. This time, the first thing she did was raising her front kick toward the sky, where she now rightfully belongs, before showing off an incredible 270° backward standing split. The rumors have Suji Kang leaving Korea and top class competitions after displaying this superb four of a kind poker hand. Should we lose her, next world champs will definitely miss her brightest star, but there's no doubt little Suji already proved herself as the best poomsae player ever since the world championships were established. Her final round in Bali remains as a testament of her superior technique, speed and flexibility. No one was ever seen to kick as fast and high as she does. Your eyes simply cannot keep up as she abruptly accelerates upward, like her feet and the hall ceiling had suddenly fallen in love. You are only left with a memory snapshot of a tiny graceful statue, assuming an impossible heroic pose for the blink of an eye.
For the past four years, Suji Kang has been a shining symbol of the beauty and expressiveness of TKD Poomsae, inspiring players from all over the world and impressing anybody who was lucky enough to see her in action. Her sublime performances, pure smile and unexpected pride are the best sponsors this sport could ever dream of.

(photos 1-4: 8thworldtaekwondopoomsaechampionship2013.com; photos 2-3-5: unverified source)

MEN'S FALL WINTER 2013-14

Vaguely resembling the spring summer collection. Only a bit cooler for your feet.

END OF THE LINE

When is the right time to quit competing? When you know you can't win anymore? When you feel you achieved anything you could? When you simply don't have fun with it anymore? The day I will stop, it'll be because I have plenty of one thing and none of another.
You know, for a long time I've been thinking fatigue was just a kind of pain. And I could endure it. In time, I have come to think pain is different, because pain can what fatigue cannot, that is depriving you of the joy of practicing the sport you love. When each moment of training comes with some ache, when every workout leaves you emptied rather than energized, you cannot but start questioning the point of it all. Speaking of meaning, the necessary outcome of training Poomsae is beauty. Albeit age divisions allow athletes to stay competitive in spite of the passing of time, Poomsae lose their reason to be when they are performed in a less than decent way. Low kicks, lack of balance, slow pacing. Sooner or later, all mature Poomsae players are affected by that. And when you realize your body cannot produce beauty through movement anymore, constantly generating pain in its spite, then it's time to take a decision.

SUMMER RESIDENCE

Let me introduce you to my basement bunker for this scorching August. It provides me with a most useful wall of mirrors, a decent temperature, and a quiet, picturesque atmosphere for my season solitary training programme. Currently I'm coping with my naughty left knee, which has been giving me troubles since last december. So I'm busy trying to find out whether softer custom trainings and some adjustment to the way I perform steps and stances can keep me competing the following year. Pain and worries are not making it the best summer I could hope for, but this place helps me in maintaining a positive mood, as the Sun turns the upstairs dojang into a desert oven.

TITANFALL

You know, the bigger they are, the harder they fall. But if there is TKD involved, the higher they'll fly the next time.

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THE BIG PICTURE

Click for full resolution panorama shot

Austrian Open Poomsae, 15th June 2013, Vienna - At first, I edited this picture putting out of focus the whole scene except for Patrick Bogusch's terrific yeopchaghi. Then I realized the girl inside the back square was the amazing Matea Bersinic, and I felt sorry for blurring her, because last saturday I had already seen the judges wash out her performance with ungenerous marks. Later, I noticed many more faces and situations I really wanted to keep sharp, because apart from Patrick's side kick and Matea's choombi, this shot reveals a whole constellation of personal moments and feelings from the competition day. The judges are scrutinizing players on the mat, one coach is watching his pupil in apprehension, someone is resting, someone is bored, someone is stretching, someone is eating, someone is using his dobok to clean his nose. In one hour or so, some would be rejoicing, some would be crying, some would be thorn between delusion and relief, some others would be happy for themselves but upset for their friends and vice versa. It's TKD competition. It's one day and one place where hundreds of sport stories interwine in one piece of life cloth. It's something you can only feel when you're there. It's an event infinitely larger than your own performance. It's an experience that can always inspire you in spite of how poor was your result. It's something you can either enjoy or suffer while you're living it. It's something you cannot but miss when it's all over.

WINNING IN HAIRSTYLE

Whereas fighting helmets forbid to show off creative hairstyles, Poomsae's gearless outfit and emphasis on presentation truly let TKD girls unleash their princess within. And man, buns are all the rage here! Large or small, high or low, braided or sponge sustained, donut or onion-shaped. Big international Poomsae events nowadays look like chignon parades, staging a competition within the competition for the cutest head on the mat. God I love this sport :P

PEEP SHOW

If you're a veteran of TKD events, you might have noticed how many people think to make you a favor obstructing your view in a climactic moment. Fortunately, their attempts are not always successful.

RING-A-RING O'DOVES

The Olympic Champion Carlo Molfetta instructing more than a hundred children: <<You can do anything you like. If your master says so>>.
Then apparently it is freedom and discipline that make you a champ. And a pinch of humor, I guess.

Carlo Molfetta kicking the gigantic Liu Xiaobo (China) at London 2012 (photo twitter.com/taekwondofita)

PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS

After watching over and over again my Koryo performance at the last weekend Poomsae event, I have come to a grave decision. I have to shave my moustache, it makes me look terribly old from the distance >__<

GENTLEMEN, FASTEN YOUR BLACK BELTS

When a taekwondist enters the gym, they don't change. They suit up. Wearing a clean pressed uniform is very different from putting up some common sportswear. There are dignity, order, beauty and tradition involved. When you wear your dobok, you know and feel you're about to do something important.
It's not just sport, even if you're the competition-only kind. The finishing touch of the clothing process is of course tying your belt. Once it is knotted, you know you're ready to start, you know you represent something you must live up to, you know it's once again TKD time. If you've ever experienced a long period without training, you also know how special it feels to tie your belt on the day of your comeback. Like you're reinstalling a part of you which had gone lost for a while. A missing link, between you and your passion. And all that happens when you stay together. Pull it tight then, you don't want to lose it anytime soon.

DOMINANT SPECIES

Taekwondo girls. They're out to extinguish you guys.

CITY ANGEL

Maybe he doesn't watch over you by night, but he certainly puts up a big show by day.

(Photo: Kim Hong-Ji, Reuters/Contrasto)

TOO TIRED TO DIE

Because at the very end, the only thing hanging must be a piece of metal.

AN INTERVIEW WITH QUEEN ELIF

Elif in action at the European Poomsae Championships 2013

The first time I told you about Elif Yilmaz was in 2011, when she emerged victorious from the European Poomsae Championships held in Genoa. She was only 17 but she was already a star, equally shining both in and out of the mat. This year, as soon as she became senior, Elif rocked the national selections to be confirmed in the Turkey National Team, thus entering the European Championships in Alicante (Spain) this late April. So the young girl who impressed Italy with sky-high kicks and incredibly long princess-like hair, was facing a new challenge. In a new division. With a new look. But the same outcome... Gold! The princess has now become queen. Then a few days ago the kind Elif agreed to be interviewed for this blog. The result is a long conversation, uncovering the immense work behind her victories, some lovely anecdotes from her childhood and her evenly sweet and tenacious personality. Then let’s hear it from Her Majesty... 

Cryu: Elif, you followed your father's footsteps, as Mustafa Yilmaz is also an internationally renowned taekwondo master and champion. Did you start TKD on your own will or it was him who first took you to the gym? Once I read Laura Kim Kim as a child didn’t like TKD, but her father Master Kim someway obliged her to train. You and Laura are maybe the most successful European Poomsae athletes in the world, so it is curious to see how similar are your beginnings of career.

Elif: When I was 1 year old and I took my first steps, my dad bought me a dobok, started to make me do some kicks and teached me how to kiap. As for all girls on this planet, dad was my first and biggest love. So I have always followed his footsteps and I still try to do it. When I was 3 or 5 years old he went to some championships abroad and I was very sick because my love had left me alone for the first time. When he came back home I healed up and started to check his gifts for me. He always bought Barbie dolls and TKD bears for me and my sister. I've always liked bears. One day I asked him <<how you going to other countries? By plane? Can you fly, dad?>>, he answered me <<yes I am flying and if you want to fly away you have to start TKD!>>. That day, I decided to start TKD.
My first training years were very easy, I learnt so many things in the fastest way because we used to train at home. After 3 years, I started to train in a dojang. It was scary but I inculcated into myself: <<Elif, you are the daughter of Mustafa Yilmaz. Stay strong!>>, and so I did.

WHEN THE LIGHT GOES OUT

It can happen anytime, whether it's a gloomy winter afternoon or a radiant spring sunny day. You start training and you simply feel you're not fit for it anymore. Your muscles are stiff, your joints hurt, your knees can't bear the burden of low stances and slow transitions. You think of a kick, and you're neither warm or flexible enough to perform it. More than anything, you can't get any pleasure from what it's supposed to be your beloved sport. Then there's no point in insisting, and the 'never give up' refrain it's no use. If your mind and body are not really wearing your dobok, making violence to them can only get things worse. What to do then? I guess there's no universal answer here. I'd suggest to go home, have a hot bath and a long sleep. The next day, meet with someone you love and have a good time with them. You know, sometimes it looks like we're getting old before our time and the fire of our taekwondo passion is extinguishing. But it's only our joy of living that needs reviving.

SIX O'CLOCK

No need to wear a watch when Francesca is around.

RUNNER UP

Diving is one sport I painfully love. Most of its charm to me derives from its cruelty. Jumping into the water is a matter of one second. One damned second you strive for years to make a blessed one. If you mess it up, there's neither room or time to recover. It's just splash. That reminds me of Poomsae competitions, where no second round or KO by headshot can save you from one fatal mistake. Speaking of diving, however, airborne breakings someway reverse the idea. A human springboard projects you skyward as you attempt to reach and break a wooden board showing your best stunt in the process. It's diving into the air. It's an ascension bearing the risk of an Icarus' fall. So, in spite of their poor real fight application, these techniques make for a sublime metaphor of the taekwondo lifestyle. Dream big. Run fast. Jump high. Hit hard. Mind the fall. Get up right away.

RE-DUX

Gosh! This guy brings back memories to me...

LOVE BITES

All great victories come from some kind of love. The love for your sport. The love for someone you want to show your mettle to. The love for your students in spite of how stubborn and ungrateful they can be. Vanessa Ciancimino should know very well the three of them. The new Champion of Italy (Jun F -52Kg) had kept her talent sealed for so long, someway fleeing the responsibility of it, when a few days ago she decided to try out her class on the fighting mat overcoming every opponent in the country.
All's well that ends well, I guess. However, I am currently wondering how much love a teacher should allow themselves to feel for and show to their students. Training & coaching is a form of education. If you give too much, you end up spoiling your athletes. Also, you must realize you can't substitute your effort for theirs. Because for all the good things you can teach them, it will be them stepping on the mat, not you. And yet, when a competition is over, feeling partly responsible for the smile of a boy (let alone a girl) can be the thing you enjoy the most in your job. So you understand you must become like an angel keeper, following every move of your athletes while making hardly visible your presence in their lives. Without ever hoping they will return half the love you're giving them. Someday, they will not be able to notice you're clenching your fists in your pockets as they're climbing up the highest step of the podium. But you will know very well when the smile bending on their faces swells yours with sheer pride.

OUT OF THE DARK

Finally.