NAME: Eugenia Valente
KSI RANK: Madunong Guro
Trains at: Epic Training Centre, Trollhättan, Sweden
Has trained Kali Sikaran since: 2000
First FMA instructor: Johan Skålberg
Started to train Kali Sikaran because: I started because of weaponry training. I have been interested in martial arts all my life and when I was younger I trained Karate for 12 years as well as Kempo and Judo for 3 years each. I also tried other competitive styles like MMA, BJJ and kickboxing but during all these years of training I felt that something was missing. When I tried Kali Sikaran I instantly knew that this was the martial art style for me, because of its concept of weapons as well as realistic approach. The style contained everything that I did before, plus the weapon content that I tried to find in other martial art styles.
Favorite part of Kali Sikaran: Single stick and knife training.
Strives to be better in: Development of myself as a person, as well as a martial artist and instructor
I choose to train KSI because: Because in my opinion it is more suitable for short people as well as
women than many other martial arts. The footwork in Kali Sikaran is something that I found very special, among the other styles that I trained, and crucial because that’s the best way of defending yourself as a shorter person. Controlling the attacker’s energy. And as I mentioned above, the weapon part is very important, as in today’s society it is very important to know how to use and defend yourself against a weapon.
Future plans in KSI training: I plan to attend more training camps. I would also like to train more physically and one day maybe enter a stickfighting competition.
Future plans in general: I would like to travel more.
Additional ranks in other martial arts: Dayang Isa (1Dan) Kombatan Arnis Presas Style
Brown Belt – Wadoryu karate
Blue Belt – Shinsei Kai Kempo
Orange Belt – Judo
Biggest martial art role models/inspiration(s): I must say Bruce Lee when I was young. Being my
instructors, I’ve always been inspired by and admired Johan Skålberg and Heikki Martikainen, but I’ve also always strived to find my own identity as an martial artist and be my own role model.
Competition experience: During my long karate background I entered several competitions national and regional level. I also competed in Combat Ju Jutsu, a freestyle martial arts competition where I won the Swedish National Title and Europen Open in my division.
