Interview with Juan Manuel Espinoza, Peru

Juan Manuel Espinoza first took part in the World Championships in MSF in 2019. He came to Belarus from Peru. In the capital of Peru, Lima, he organized a club of lovers of modern sword fight. The club is not very numerous yet. But Mr. Espinoza is a very sociable and enthusiastic person. Without a doubt, the MSF club in Peru will develop vigorously

- Mr. Espinosa, is this your first time participating in the MSF Championship?

- Yes, this is my first time in Belarus and this is my first World Championship in MSF

How long have you been in Modern Sword Fight?

- I started MSF in March 2018. Before that, I trained with swords for three years.

- With steel swords? - With plastic and wooden swords.

- You arrived alone at the World Championship in Modern Sword Fight 2019. But MSF in Peru You are not the only one engaged? Do you have a big club in Peru?

-This is a small club. But we use different weapons. Such as a hammer, kendo sword, ninjutsu.

- In which categories did you participate at the World Cup2019?

- Checker-buckler.

- What are your successes?

- Won one battle against the French in the category of shield-sword. In the nomination, the checker-buckler lost to the Russians.

- Which fighters seemed to you the most technical?

- Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and France. America and England put up a couple of good fighters at the 2019 World Cup.

- That is, their technique is different from the Belarusian, Ukrainian and Russian teams?

- American and English teams also have good technique, but it is different.

- What is the difference between the battle techniques?

- Americans and British use purely MSF equipment, while Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians use HMB equipment and other fencing techniques in addition to MSF technology. Accordingly, they have richer fencing experience. “Now I’ll try to understand: Russians beat harder, but the British are prettier?”

- Russians and Ukrainians beat very hard. Fighters of other countries do not hit so hard.

The Russians are better trained because they use steel weapons.

- If you train for a short and hard kick, is this more correct?

- Yes, this increases the reaction rate and makes the attack more promising.

- Great, we are waiting for you at the next world championship.

- Yes, of course, I will train. I received a lot of valuable information on how to strengthen various muscle groups, how to respond better and how to teach better.

- Have you been to the Galina Kokhvakko workshop?

- Yes, I did.

Did you like it? Are these the exercises that make the kick strong and tough?

- Yes, these are suitable exercises for training arm muscles and strengthening the muscles of the forearm. In 2019, Juan Miguel Espinoza took part in several international competitions in Modern Sword Battle. On the first of December in the Cyprus city of Limassol, at the 1st International SMB Tournament "Cyprus Challenge 2019", Juan Espinoza from Lima, the capital of Peru, and Maria Davydova, head of SR Escalibur Russia, signed an agreement on cooperation and the creation of the ESKALIBUR-PERU branch. Now the club in Peru, led by Mr. Espinoza, has entered the System of Modern Sword Battle as a branch of the international School of Escalibur.