RICO TATANGELO

           
When did you first become interested in the martial arts?

I got interested in Martial Arts at the age of 13. My mother enrolled me in Judo at a local community center. After 6 months I received my yellow belt and entered my first competition. I won second place for East York against other yellow belts from across the GTA. It wasn't until I was 16 years old that I had the opportunity to re-kindle my love of the martial arts. I joined Tae-Kwon-Do with a friend.

How long did you participate in this, where did you train and what belt did you achieve?

I started Tae-Kwon doe at the age of 16 with Green Dragon(no longer exists). After 2 years I joined the "Dragon Team". We participated in tournaments across Ontario and Buffalo New York. Unfortunately at the time Tae-Kwon doe was a non-contact sport before the black belt level and our club was a semi-contact club. Most of the contests I was in I was disqualified for what they deemed excess force.

What led to your involvement in kickboxing? Why change?

Kickboxing being full contact attracted me. I couldn't understand the value in the art of self-defense when you were taught to pull kicks and punches. After all, how you practice is how you perform. If you spend most of your life pulling punches, when it comes to a real life scenario you will do the same.

Was it difficult to make the transition from training to actual full contact fighting?

At first I was not use to the continuity of Kickboxing. In Tae-kwon doe, we threw kicks and punches, however after every point scored you reset. Kickboxing you had to go the full 2 minutes or throw the towel in! Another big adjustment was getting use to keeping my guard -up around my face. In Tae-kwon doe, at the time, you could kick to the head but not punch. This was to promote the "kicking" aspect of the sport. Please keep in mind Tae-kwon doe is still 60% feet 40% hands.

Does the Kung Fu side of Twin Dragon come into play in the kickboxing?
I have seen other schools - Karate & Kickboxing etc... how would you see the effect of the base form on the fighting techniques?

A lot of the parries, and blocks are identifiable as Kung-Fu based. Certainly
the self defense techniques we learn are very much based on Kung-Fu fundamentals. As well , the discipline aspect of Kung-Fu is carried forward in our training.

Can you give a brief description of your training methods?

My training consists of 2 days a week focusing on techniques, and general cardio.( 2hours.) I spend another two days on sparring and implementing techniques that I have been working on.( 2 hours) The fifth day I work on stretching, and light weights/cardio. (1-2hours)

Can you list your fight history?

I can't tell you my fight history off hand but my record stands at 11 win 3 loss 1 draw with 4 KO's.

Any memorable moments?

When I won the FFKA World light-middleweight title from Ernie Kittermin at the Princess Convention Center in Woodbridge ON on March 16th 1997. I was originally on the undercard fight scheduled to fight 7 rounds. Mike Reid was to have a title re-match against Ernie whom had knocked Mike out in the 2nd round during their first encounter. Mike unable to pass his medicals in time, I was asked to step up against a much more experienced Ernie Kitterman 3 days prior to the fight. Realize, I had never done 7 rounds before let alone 12 for a title! With a lot of heart and God's help I TKO'd Ernie in the 7th round! The referee stopped the fight because Ernie was being severely beaten in the
corner.

Can you give me a brief rundown on the steps you have to take from being an avid martial artist to becoming a PROFESSIONAL KICKBOXER?

You must first re-train your body. The first step is increasing your cardiovascular to last two minute rounds of constant kicking and punching. Second and most important, you must get use to the full contact aspect! This can best be done through full contact sparring. (with head gear of course) The next step would be to have some amateur fights under your belt. This will test your ability.

Where do you go from here?

I will try to defend my title for at least another year or two, and then move onto opening up my own Twin Dragon Club. I would like to train younger fighters with the same ambition that I had, and see them aspire to their fullest potential. I think that being able to work the corner during a title for one of my own "home-grown" fighters would be just as satisfying as winning the World Title!

Any tips or words of advice to up and comers?

Always do your best, learn from your mistakes, and set your priorities. If kickboxing is something you want to pursue professionally there will be sacrifices in your personal life, but the personal satisfaction is worth it!