Team USA Junior World Championships with Emre Kivanc
Ali Alaoui recently interviewed rising karate star, Emre Kivanc about his various achievements and his journey in martial arts.
Pixel Journal: Tell us about yourself.
I’m 15 years old, and I’m a sophomore at the Stanford OHS. I’m a black belt in karate, and I train competitively in sparring. I was recently able to compete at the Junior World Championships as a member of Team USA. I have also attended the Panamerican Championships twice, winning 5th place at last year’s tournament. When I’m not competing, I like to play soccer, listen to music, and play video games.
PJ: When did you begin your journey in martial arts?
I started practicing taekwondo when I was 5 years old, although I switched to karate when I was 8 years old, in order to start afresh. I only received my black belt when I was 12 years old.
PJ: What do you like about karate and sparring?
Karate gives me a great outlet, and I find it relaxing. I’m a naturally competitive person, and so sparring was the perfect match for me – it allowed me to compete with others in the ring, while also competing with myself, and improving every single day. Karate is an art of perfection, and so I am always improving, day after day. Besides this, I find that sparring is satisfying – there is nothing like the rush of tripping an opponent, and then landing the perfect punch. Karate basically serves as my therapist.
PJ: What is your best competitive sparring moment?
3 years ago, I was competing at the US open and was sparring against a kid that was 6 inches taller than me. There were two seconds left in the match, and I was losing by two points. The kid backed up, and I landed a perfect roundhouse kick to the side of his head for three points, thus winning the match.
PJ: What does your training schedule look like?
I have two one hour practices per week, as well as a two hour conditioning session and a 90 minute practice on Saturdays. Also, I always practice conditioning, and soccer helps with this very much.
PJ: What is one thing you’ve learned from karate?
The biggest lesson I’ve learned from karate is that making a mistake does not matter – what matters most is how you recover from it. This goes for anything from being scored in a match to turning in a big paper late; the most important part is the way that you recover from these mistakes.
PJ: How hard is it to balance competition with school?
It is fairly hard since I have to miss classes for competitions, especially with traveling. However, the teachers are very forgiving and they are flexible for every student’s needs.