MEMORIES OF A MASTER
“A video from almost 20 years ago from an old hard disk…this brought out so many beautiful emotions.When people ask me about the Masters I have studied with, everyone is curious about my training in China. Curious about the strange places I have been where there was not even a trace of Westerners other than me. Curious about the strange people I approached and became students and even, in some cases, disciples. I always had to speak Chinese, and it was often not easy to be accepted by the students and teachers of the traditional schools in the Chinese hinterlands. I have learned so much and continue to learn so much from so many people I am grateful for. But when people ask me, "Who was the most important Master for you? The first person who comes to mind is always Enrico.
The first time I met him, I was 14 years old for an exam to pass the grade. I was quite skinny but with great energy and desire to improve. At the end of the exam, he told me: "I saw you, little rock". From that moment on, he became my Master and one of my best friends in time.
In a few years, he gave me the program of everything he knew, and once it was finished he said: "Okay, now we have to start studying." Which many of his students at the time did not understand. Once the program of study was finished, many left. I remember some of my Wing Chun classmates saying: "We have studied both the knives and the long pole. We have gotten everything. We need to look for something else. Let's go somewhere else".
I stayed with him until the last day. I went from being a student to becoming his partner in study and training. For the last few years, we held the school together and worked hard to refine the program of our school. He used to tell me: "You have to study Chinese because I don't understand it! You have to go to China because I never went there! Go study with this Master, who seems good to me! Go do this, go do that!!!" I never stopped following his advice, which was always driven by his heart and desire to see me improve. He never placed his limits as limits on me. Once I acquired what he could give me, he continued to push and support me allowing me to go beyond himself. Definitely the most meaningful and functional view of a tradition's value. Allowing each generation to continue to improve.
In the last few years, his illness began to wear down his body. Bone cancer transformed him physically and mentally. In this video, he had already been ill for several years. I went to find him in the new house in Terni where he had recently moved. After a few words about his health situation, we immediately began to talk about martial arts. In a moment, we unscrewed two handles of the scopes, and we found ourselves "fighting" in the courtyard. His son, meanwhile, ran around us, excited to see us doing training.
After several hours of uninterrupted practice, we created this two-person routine that we plan to teach to the kids of the school. Enrico was visibly weakened and could not fully express his qualities. But on that day, he gave me another huge lesson: "Until the last moment, never blow out the flame of your desire to practice".
Thank you Master, Friend, Student
You are always in my heart. “
