By RAUL GARCIA | Close Combat Magazine
Close Combat Magazine caught up with Juan Manuel Olmedo, and here is what he had to say about his martial arts experience.
Q: What is your full name?
A: Juan Manuel Olmedo
Q: What karate school do you attend?
A: Bushido Federation and Taekwondo ITF Elite
Q: What karate style do you practice?
A: Taekwondo ITF
Q: What belt rank are you currently?
A: 7 degree black belt
Q: How old are you?
A: 49
Q: What martial arts associations are you affiliated with?
A: I am president of Bushido federation and member of Taekwondo ITF Elite
Q: How did you get into Karate, and what can you remember from your first time training?
A: I started my Taekwondo practices when I was 11 years old, I came across an instructor who taught us at a summer camp, he was a karate teacher, when I started looking for karate in my neighborhood, by chance I found a Taekwondo school, year 84, Taekwondo was not as well known as karate in those years, but when I saw it I fell in love with its kicks and acrobatics, it was wtf style, then after two years it started in the ITF style and continued until today, in Along the way, I was a member of the Argentine national team in 1996, consecrating myself as Pan American champion in Canada that same year.
Q: Who have you been training with lately and what’s have you been working on?
A: In recent years I have been training on my own, since I moved from Argentina to the USA 2 and a half years ago, but I have been in contact with several teachers and new doors have opened, as in the case of the Bushido Federation in which master Jorge Borjas has appointed me president and in which we are working on its relaunch after two years of pandemic, also with ITF Taekwondo masters from Argentina and Peru with whom I have joined the elite Taekwondo federation, directed by GM Pam Rai, in that sense there are several projects, on the other hand I dedicate myself to cinema with a career of more than 20 years in Argentina as an actor, producer, stunt and stunt coordinator, continuing my career here in the United States United States, for which action movies and martial arts are my specialty, I maintain a rigorous training and diet, staying in perfect physical condition is essential for my work, both in movies and martial arts.
Q: What have you been doing to get a better edge when it comes to fighting?
A: In this sense, I left the competition several years ago, but I was an elite competitor in Argentina in the 90s, when the ITF Taekwondo was one and the competitions were really very hard, my training in that sense was very strong and constant. , with several hours a day, given that he trained in fighting, kata, breaking and skill, you competed in all specialties and even stronger when I was part of the Argentine Taekwondo team…. to date although The wrestling competition is now in my memory, I continue to train very hard to maintain speed, power, resistance and elasticity, beyond the competition one has to be prepared to know how to defend oneself in daily life
Q: What’s your all time favorite Karate movie and why?
A: I have two favorite movies that marked my beginning in martial arts and my beginning in martial arts cinema, the first ENTER THE DRAGON, was the one that motivated me to be a martial artist and the second BLOODSPORT, was the one with which I dreamed of being in a movie, equally both movies marked a before and after in martial arts cinema
Q: What do you enjoy most about practicing karate, or you martial arts style?
A: What I enjoy the most is being able to keep kicking, stretching and kicking, I fell in love with kicking when I saw Taekwondo for the first time, kicking keeps me happy, seeing that I can still, everything else is nice too, doing the katas, hitting with the fists, self defense etc, but kicking is what I enjoy the most
Q: Growing up who was your favorite martial arts movie star?
A: First… Bruce Lee and them Jean Claude Van Damme
Q: Tell us about your karate master and school?
A: I had two teachers with whom I learned and perfected myself, in my beginnings when I was child and with whom I went from white belt to black belt, Marcelo Solis and then with whom I perfected myself and went from black belt onwards and had my whole stage sports until I started my career in the cinema, GM Eduardo Palmisano IX Dan, with them I did my entire career in Taekwondo
Q: Do you have a preferred weapon of choice?
A: The nunchucks
Q: What do you like most about karate?
A: Taekwondo is the quintessential martial art of kicks, it is aesthetically beautiful, it is agile and dynamic, it is nice to see the skills of great martial artists and their acrobatic kicks
Q: Do you have a signature karate move?
A: I have a very good side kick, in competition I used it a lot, always fighting with the lead leg and kicking laterally to the rival’s ribs
Q: How often do you work on your karate training?
A: I train from Monday to Saturday combining my martial arts and weight training during the week, 4 days of weights and two days of martial arts, stretching 3 of those days a week
Q: How long have you been doing karate training?
A: 39 years of martial arts practice
Q: How’s your favorite Ninja Turtle?
A: Michelangelo
Q: Did you ever stop your karate training, and why?
A: No
Q: Tell us about your success in karate tournaments?
A: I started my career in official international ITF Taekwondo tournaments in 1994, occupying the third position in the International Championship of Puerto Rico. Between 1995 and 1996 I won titles in the championships of Chile and Uruguay in various categories, and was selected to compete in the Pan American Championship held in the city of Regina, Canada, where I represented my country with the national team, consecrating myself Pan American champion.
Q: What is your goal in martial arts?
A: Inspire others to follow a path of discipline and self-improvement
Q: Tell us about your favorite memory of your karate experience?
A: I have an anecdote that mixes my passion for cinema and martial arts, in 2015 I took Mohommed Qissi, Tong Po (kickboxer movie with Van Damme) to Argentina to give a seminar on stage fighting and training, it was an intense week enjoying cinema and martial arts, I trained personally with him and after training at the end of the week, he told me: Do you want to be an international star? you are good, but you have to improve, change your physique, achieve the split, I will follow your training from afar,, I will see your progress, you can do it, it was very motivating and from 2015 to date my body changed, I am better than the 20 and the split that I did not do before, I managed to do it, he made the difference for me and gave me the motivation to get out of being one of the crowd to stand out above many to be able to achieve my dream in the cinema
Q: Have you done any special training with famous karate personalities, or who would you like to train with?
A: Train with a martial arts movie legend, an iconic baddie, TONG PO, Mohammed Qissi
Q: Who is your favorite comic book super hero?
A: Superman
Q: What else do you enjoy doing other than karate?
A: Watch movies, train with weights, swim, I really like being in the sea
Q: What is your favorite TV Show?
A: In the 80s A Team
Q: What is your favorite food?
A: Eggs and chiken
Q: What is your favorite song?
A: Eye of the Tiger