Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: What's it like to train for master and senior master all the way from Portugal? Let's find out, sir.
[00:00:08] Speaker B: I will live with perseverance in the spirit of taekwondo, courtesy for fellow students, integrity within myself, and to become a black belt leader.
Welcome to the Ata Nation podcast.
[00:00:25] Speaker C: Back.
[00:00:27] Speaker D: Instructors, students, parents, family members of Songham Taekwondo.
[00:00:32] Speaker A: This is the AtA Nation podcast, episode 110. I am your host, Senior Master Zach Hayden. And we are back again with another awesome interview from across the globe. We are interviewing in Portugal today with an awesome episode. Let's get right to that interview.
[00:00:55] Speaker B: Special guest interview.
[00:01:07] Speaker D: Another international guest, senior Astro candidate Lorairo, is with us today, all the way from Portugal. How are you today, sir?
[00:01:18] Speaker C: Very good, sir, and very honored to be here at the ATA Nation podcast.
[00:01:25] Speaker D: Well, we're excited to have you. We've been trying really hard to make sure that we're hitting all over the globe, talking to Ata nation everywhere. And you have quite a year coming up with some mastership training, some students going through mastership. But before we get to that, how did you start in martial arts?
[00:01:45] Speaker C: Well, I started when I was 14 years old.
And actually, I'm one of the first students in Portugal and in Europe also, because when I started in January 1992. So I'm one of the first students of Master Rays. At the time, he was Mr. Ray's. He came from Brazil, from STF, and decided to, when he tested to black belt, he decided to come to Portugal, to Lisbon and start teaching here. And I was fortunate enough to start in the very beginning. So when I started, I remember very well at the club, he opened the club.
There were only three yellow belts, around ten orange belts. And I was there with some friends at white belt starting the training.
[00:03:01] Speaker D: So you're an ATA or a Thongam taekwondo guy from the very beginning, yeah.
[00:03:08] Speaker C: Here in Portugal and in Europe. Yeah, exactly right.
[00:03:13] Speaker D: You were first generation there. And so obviously, you are now getting ready to go through, or you're starting the process of going through senior master training. So it seems like it's gone well for you. How did the process go from, hey, I'm a student, to, hey, I'm going to teach some, I'm going to open a club? What was that like?
[00:03:40] Speaker C: Well, when I started, I only thought of kicking and punching. That's what I was used to seeing movies and Bruce Lee movies, the car, the kid movie. And I just wanted to experience that.
But when I started, I found that Songam Taekwondo, the philosophy, all the environment, it was much more than that, much more than just kicking and punching. A lot of the principles, I was very interested in them and I first experienced, and then I saw the effect of this philosophy, the effect, the transformation, it was happening in myself and some of the majority of my friends.
So I started thinking at the time that I enjoyed this so much that when I was preparing to test for black belt master race, he offered me that instructor training.
Yeah. So I decided to try it because I was enjoying Sonom Taekwondo so much that I wanted to tell everybody, teach others, and that was it. So that's how I got into the instruction area.
So I was one of the first black belts and instructors in Portugal, Master Reyes.
I was from the beginning helping him in many classes. So naturally it evolved because I was always one of the highest ranks in Portugal, one of the references. So it kind of, naturally I was helping in classes and I reached to that instructor position kind of naturally. I believe.
[00:06:22] Speaker D: Yes, sir.
Go ahead, sir.
[00:06:28] Speaker C: I was just wanted to say that Master Ray has always had the vision, I believe the same vision that etherel grandmaster had to expand. He had this club, but he always thought about having more clubs and opening. And so when I got to black belt and that instruction mission, he already thought of opening new clubs. So he put me in one of the clubs, teaching by myself and some of our friends also. So that was the way he did it, how it happened.
[00:07:17] Speaker D: It seems like it's gone pretty well then, since you are going to be a senior master soon, you've got a couple of masters under you, or people who are master's candidates or nominees, they're going to get ready to train. You guys just had the first time ever a training over there in Europe for a master's class. Can you tell the rest of Ata nation a little bit about that and what you guys did? Very cold water.
[00:07:50] Speaker C: Yes. No, it was wonderful. It was really wonderful.
I don't know if everybody knows, but chief, master Schreiber, who is leading Europe right now, he got permission from the ATI to do that training with us and to test us so we could not travel to and save some money and not travel to spring nationals. So he got permission and it was an amazing camp, amazing training. We did more than 1000 kicks in the weekend. All the forums we did sparring training, workout, fitness test. Chief Russell Striver, he pulled out a fitness test already. Everything prepared. So we did a fitness test also.
And then on Sunday, yes, he prepared an outside outdoor training.
The air temperature outside two degrees celsius, which is around, I don't know, in fahrenheit, maybe 34 35, 36 degrees fahrenheit. So we were training in a t shirt, polos outside and just nearby a river, very cold water.
So the challenge was to dive and get in the cold water. But the old weekend, the bond between all of us was amazing. Extraordinary.
Very.
[00:09:50] Speaker D: That's super cool to hear because one of the great parts of the mastership process is building these bonds. I know I, in my mastership class, we had some international masters, and it just is harder to build those bonds when you're not with the people as much. And it's so great to see that in Europe you guys are able to come together and do that. Not having to come to nationals every time mean it's cost prohibitive for some of us in the US and internationally. It's just that much more. You guys have continuing events coming up. I know you've got your big european camp and championship coming up.
I am sure you're going. Do you have students going to compete.
[00:10:34] Speaker A: And stuff there as well?
[00:10:36] Speaker C: Yes, of course. We're having the european camp in 26, 27 and 20 eigth of April.
We are very excited because we are having, I believe, the most international event ever. I mean, not only Europeans, but a lot of people coming from the US, traveling also from the South America.
So a lot of people coming in. And so we are very excited. Of course, I'm going to take a lot of my students, of course.
So we are very excited and we are expecting a very big, maybe the biggest ever european camp.
So, yeah, we're very excited.
[00:11:34] Speaker D: Having more international guests come, competitors and people, that seems to be a trend that is continuing, I know, with the Pan Am championships and then now here in Europe. Is that helping? Do you feel that?
The boundaries seem to be coming down and we're getting more of the ATA nation is just everywhere. I know for me, at world championships this last year, it felt like we had a lot more international people, and it just felt, I don't know, like we're all coming together a little more.
[00:12:08] Speaker A: Often, which I thought was just for sure, for sure.
[00:12:13] Speaker C: I feel that, too. We try to always bring international guests. For the european camp last year we have Grandmaster Mk Lee.
In the past two years, in the event, we had chief master Andrade from South America.
This year we're having chief master Skyles coming with the university group and also from my masterclass, senior masterclass, senior master candidate Turner. So I think, of course, this helps creating this feeling of global ATA, global nation.
And of course, for us Europeans and in Portugal also, this helps us connect more and more and more. And last year, the result was last year we took the biggest ever portuguese group to world championships. We were 20 plus in that group. So, yeah, I feel that.
That's awesome. Yeah, this idea, Ata nation is turning global, and of course, the podcast and everything helps, creating this feeling. And I believe here in Europe and Portugal, we feel every year more and more connected with ATA.
[00:13:54] Speaker D: I'm very glad to hear that. I think it's a great thing.
One of these days, my family is going to come over to some of those european championship stuff. One of the things I wanted to mention before we go is you have a full time career and you run this club. And that's kind of the model in a lot of the european ATA. Full time schools are not really the norm.
I know we talked to chief Mr. Schreiber about that in an episode just recently.
What's it like for you to have a full time career and run a club?
What's that experience been like? Because I think in the US, everybody seems to. I think one of the thoughts a lot of people have is that if they want to continue to do this as a career or as an adult, teaching and stuff, they're like, they have to do it as their full time career. And there's a lot of examples of that not being the case. You don't have to have a full time school. So what's it like there in Europe for you to have a full time job and then to have a club?
[00:15:03] Speaker C: First of all, it has been a challenge.
Challenge, because I think when I finish college and I begin my engineering career, we were around the year 2000, 2001. At the time in Portugal, there wasn't any professional commercial schools. So master Tanger was the first one in 2010 to open commercial school here in Portugal. So at the time, in other martial arts in Portugal, none of them were working professionally. So at the time, this started for me. I decided to invest in my engineering career. So I start working full time and keep teaching in a club. So this was the beginning of the process by 2010, when master Tanger decided to open his first commercial school. At the time, I thought of maybe leaving my engineering career, but I was enjoying it so much, and I still am, that I found a way to balance everything up.
So I decided to keep my full time job, keep my club, and yeah, it was working and having my family.
I started the family. So my first child was born in 2012. So at the time, also, I was thinking, can I still do this full time job, family, kids?
And again, my favorite word as a martial artist is balance. So for me, everything is a balance. We have to find a way of balance everything in our lives. So, yeah, I always found a way to keep doing, and I feel very grateful.
I need to say this. I feel very grateful to a lot of people.
My students, my three junior master candidates, my team, my family, my mentors, masters.
In those moments, I was struggling and thinking, am I able to continue?
Should I quit taekwondo? Should I continue?
Can I do this?
Every time someone telling me, you can do this, we'll help you. So every time I was getting help and getting someone pushing me forward, so I feel very grateful to have all these people around me, and my three master candidates were three very important people that allowed me and helped me and pushed me forward, and that's it.
[00:18:45] Speaker D: I almost forgot to mention that you've got three masters candidates this year.
It's super exciting. I'm sure, to go through the senior mastership process and then have these guys coming along with you through all of it. What's that been like? And are you all going to be able to be at world championships to do the ceremony there?
[00:19:06] Speaker C: For me, it's really special. Really special and very significant, of course, and I believe what I feel is even more significant because I don't work professionally with Taekwondo. So I was running a club, still being able to create blackouts, a team, inspiring people, creating leaders.
And the result that we felt is these first three master candidates, one of them, I have to send one of them, Master candidate Patricio, he works with me. He's in my team at the club. The other two, Master candidate Vermelido and Master candidate Casimiro, they were in my team until 2014. They then decided to go professionally and open their own schools. So they both have their own schools.
Master candidate Remedu in Lisbon, he just opened this year, his second location, so he has been very successful. And Master candidate Casimiro, he's in Porto, which is our second biggest city in Portugal, and he's doing very well also. So I'm very proud of them first and very happy and very feeling very grateful for having these three master candidates doing the ceremony at the same time as me for senior mastership. It's an incredible and very special feeling.
[00:21:07] Speaker A: That's awesome. Sir, I want to thank you for taking the time today to join us on the podcast and really appreciate all you're doing for Ata, and we are looking forward to seeing you guys go through the ceremony.
[00:21:21] Speaker C: Thank you so much. Thank you for invitation. It was an honor. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you bye bye.
[00:21:27] Speaker B: Here's what's going on in Ata Nation.
[00:21:34] Speaker A: Well, I think we all know what the big event going on in AtA nation right now is, and it is spring nationals in Dallas, Texas. Lots of amazing things going on down there. Please make sure you're posting all over social media so those of us who are unable to attend can make sure that we are feeling part of the family.
Speaking of Dallas and Spring nationals, one of the Friends of the show Master Hoops did an awesome job of creating a spring Nationals bingo card. So if you would like a copy of this Spring Nationals bingo card, I'm going to share it in our Facebook group and I'll share it on our instagram as well. So make sure that you check out the ATA Nation Instagram page or, excuse me, the Ata Nation podcast, Instagram page and Facebook group so you can try to win a bingo on this cool Spring Nationals bingo. We would love to see that from you guys as you are out there training, competing, learning. I got to spend the weekend working with Grandmaster nominee Sandoval as he gets ready to go to spring nationals and do another part of his training towards becoming a grandmaster. And it was just amazing to get to experience that, get to hear a little bit about the masters training that they're doing and all the awesome things that are coming on at spring nationals. I am a little jealous of missing it, but my wife's birthday is this weekend and we have some super fun things planned for her, so I want to be here with family. I will miss my ATA family, but, you know, got to take care of the home.
Ladies and gentlemen, that's going to wrap it up for episode 110. Please make sure you're out there taking action.
[00:23:20] Speaker B: Thanks for listening to another episode of the ATA Nation Podcast. Be sure to subscribe and share with your ATA family.
[00:23:37] Speaker A: I am looking forward to hearing all about spring nationals from those of you guys who are there. I am especially sad to miss the licensee reception this time. Little Birdie told me there's some fun stuff, some neat stuff coming for ATA Nation as we get ready to start celebrating our 55th year.
So let me know what you think, guys. Send me some messages. Make sure you tag us on Instagram. We'd love to hear how your spring nationals trip is.
[00:24:05] Speaker C: Take care.
