Francisco Calderón

I started in martial arts at 7 years old, when karate was my first contact with this world. There I not only learned to compete, but I acquired values that are still the foundation of everything I do today: respect, discipline, perseverance, and humility.

Over time, I made the jump to tatami sport competition, a kickboxing modality in which I won four Spanish championships. Later, after changing clubs, I became Spanish champion three more times, in the junior category and in my last two years as a senior.

At the same time, I also competed in the ring, where I became Catalan amateur champion several times, closing my competitive career undefeated. My sports career was short and ended early, due to a serious tibia and fibula injury unrelated to this sport, which forced me to leave competition while still very young.

Even so, I always knew something from a young age: my true calling was teaching. Sharing what I had learned, helping others grow and evolve. Due to life circumstances, I decided to open my first gym, and it was there that I definitively understood that my place was as a coach.

Since then, never stopping learning, training, and reinventing myself, I have dedicated more than 10 years to building a project based on work, perseverance, and values. During this time we have achieved: • More than 20 Spanish champions • Countless Catalan champions • Otman, world runner-up • Selene, third in the world and third in Europe • And Sheila Martínez, with 10 professional fights, current European WAKO Pro champion, professional Spanish champion, and nine-time Spanish champion

I am currently the Catalan selector for the Catalan Kickboxing Federation, and have been for several years, selecting and accompanying the athletes who represent Catalonia in the Spanish championships.

Throughout this journey, together with our competitors, we have traveled to different countries, competing internationally and returning with medals, experience, and learning. The journey has always been as important as the result.

Within this story there are names that have marked my career. One of them is Miguel, known to everyone as Miguelito. He has been with me since he was 7 years old, has been Spanish champion several times, and managed to string together more than 60 consecutive wins in tatami, many of them by KO thanks to his technique and a completely unpredictable style. He competed in 11 fights in a single day, in two different weight classes, winning them all. He was about to compete in a world championship when an injury temporarily sidelined him. After a year off, we are waiting for his return to step on the podium again.

Along with them, countless students and competitors have passed through this project and left their mark. If I had to name them all, I would never finish. And although some have stood out at national and international level, they are all equally valuable, because each one has contributed something to the journey and the growth of the team.

Over time, the project has also grown structurally. We currently have two gyms, where in addition to kickboxing, disciplines such as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, MMA, and boxing are taught. This step was not taken by chance, but with a very clear idea: to promote sport, complete our students' training, and give them resources.

If at any point an athlete needs to explore another discipline, evolve, or adapt, we want them to be able to do so without leaving home, with trusted people and under the same umbrella of values. Here no one is limited: they are supported and accompanied.

My philosophy as a coach is clear: I don't train everyone the same way.

Each athlete has different qualities, physical and psychological. My job is to enhance the best in each one, strengthen their weak points, and build their own style. That's why we focus on variety, creativity, and surprise. Leg techniques, spinning actions, and jumps are one of our hallmarks, both in tatami and in the ring.

I still have a strong competitive instinct, and I consider myself an eternal student of this sport. I learn every day alongside my students, because here no one stops evolving.

And above all, here we haven't just created a team. We have created a family.

A place where beginners and veterans are trained equally. Those who compete and those who don't. Where the goal is not just to win fights, but to grow as people, overcome challenges, and feel part of something.

Today, at 36 years old, I can humbly say that we have a talent pool that is already the present and will be the future of kickboxing. The results will keep coming, as they always have: with work, patience, and passion.

We may be a 1, a 2, or a 9 in titles. But as a family, we are a 100.