The 54-year-old Filho, who is the president of KWU SENSHI South America, was in Bulgaria for the international training camp and the professional fight gala SENSHI 28, held in the resort complex St. St. Constantine and Helena, Varna. During his stay, he gave a special interview to Georgi Krumov from BTA.
“A fighter first battles with himself, and only then comes the fight with his opponent. This is a very, very difficult task. But when you win such a tournament, you experience an indescribable sense of calm. You become much more relaxed and ready for any situation you may find yourself in. As fighters, we are always seeking challenges, and the harder the challenge, the greater the glory,” added the Brazilian, who holds a 7th dan black belt in Kyokushin karate.
Francisco Filho also spoke to the media about the ongoing training camp in Varna. “Today, during my morning masterclass, I was thinking about how differently people can process the very same information. At the training camp, there were people whose faces showed that they didn’t understand at all what I was trying to explain – as if I were speaking in a language they couldn’t grasp. At the same time, there were others on the complete opposite side of the spectrum, listening to every single word I said. In more than 40 years in combat sports, the most important thing I’ve learned is that inner strength is much greater than a kick. This is what I want my students to understand – that it’s essential to conquer yourself,” he said.
“Our ultimate goal is for SENSHI to become the biggest and most recognizable brand worldwide. We want to share our message with the world. SENSHI is developing very fast, and this is thanks to the work of the organizers. Each tournament becomes better than the last. With SENSHI, I always see the positives – competition after competition. Until recently, I thought the tournament in Plovdiv was unbeatable, but now, with this Grand Prix, that will change,” the Brazilian karate master concluded.
The full interview with the Brazilian legend Shihan Francisco Filho can be found on the official BTA website.
