#143: Iron Taekwondo Trio Complete Three-Day Training Camp in Bari

Three Iron Taekwondo League athletes travelled to Bari, Italy, from 18 to 21 September 2026 for three days of training, sparring and international collaboration with a number of clubs from across the Puglia region.

ITL coach and Masters athlete Gianluca Barbara was joined by young athletes Noah Barbara, competing at Kids level, and Oliver Gatt, a Cadet, following an invitation from renowned Italian coach and veteran athlete Master Luigi Clemente of Bek Doo San Taekwondo Bari.

The visit provided the Maltese trio with the opportunity to train alongside Italian athletes of different ages and experience levels, culminating in a major collaborative sparring session bringing together approximately 150 athletes from ten clubs across Puglia.

Day One – Welcome to Bek Doo San

The Maltese athletes were welcomed to Bari by Master Clemente on 18 September, joining his Bek Doo San athletes for the opening training session of the visit.

The session began with technical Taekwondo work before moving into rotation-based sparring, giving Gianluca, Noah and Oliver their first opportunity of the trip to work with a wide variety of Italian athletes.

It was the beginning of what would become a progressively larger training experience over the following two days, while also giving the younger Maltese athletes the chance to adapt to unfamiliar opponents and different styles of sparring.

Day Two – Clubs Come Together

The second day expanded the collaboration further.

This time the ITL athletes joined Coach Nicola Risola, who heads another section of Bek Doo San, alongside All-In Taekwondo, led by Giuseppe Sannicandro, and athletes and coaches from three additional clubs.

The session combined drill-based Taekwondo training with another extensive series of rotation rounds.

For Noah and Oliver in particular, the format offered valuable experience beyond their usual training environment. Rather than preparing for one specific opponent or contest, the athletes were repeatedly exposed to different partners, styles, rhythms and tactical approaches.

For Gianluca, meanwhile, the camp offered both an athletic and coaching experience: an opportunity to step onto the mat himself while simultaneously observing training methods and exchanging ideas with Italian colleagues.

Day Three – 150 Athletes on the Mat

The largest event of the visit came on the third day, when Master Clemente once again invited the Maltese delegation to join a major Puglia training session involving approximately 150 athletes representing ten clubs.

The day centred heavily on rotation-based sparring, creating an environment in which athletes could accumulate rounds against opponents they would rarely, if ever, encounter in their normal club training.

Gianluca, Noah and Oliver all took to the mat, completing a series of rounds against Italian counterparts across their respective age and competitive levels.

The event also reunited the Maltese delegation with several familiar figures within Italian Taekwondo, including coaches Cosimo De Giosa, Marco Cazzato and Davide Di Giuseppe, all of whom lead their own clubs in Puglia and have collaborated with the Maltese Taekwondo Association in the past.

Away from the rounds themselves, the gathering provided an equally important opportunity for coaches to exchange ideas on athlete development, training methods and the different approaches being used within their respective clubs.

A Masters Connection

The trip also strengthened a growing connection at Masters level through Bek Doo San's Francesco Scarciolla, an experienced competitor who has represented the Bari club both as a senior athlete and in the Masters divisions.

Scarciolla has remained highly active internationally. In 2024 he won the Masters 35+ -68 kg category at the Indoor Brussels Kyorugi, while official Italian competition records continue to list him among Bek Doo San's Masters competitors. His competitive history also stretches back through Italy's senior divisions, including appearances at the Italian Black Belt Championships.

The connection was particularly fitting for Gianluca, himself an active Masters athlete, allowing the visit to extend beyond youth development and into the increasingly active international Masters Taekwondo community.

Master Luigi Clemente – Athlete, Coach and Martial Artist

At the centre of the three-day experience was Master Luigi Clemente, whose association with Taekwondo in Bari stretches back more than three decades.

Clemente began practising Taekwondo in 1992 at Bari's Kankudai gym, initially under Master Gino Lazzaro and later developing under Giuseppe Dellino and Aldo Codazzo. He would go on to establish himself both as a competitor and coach and is today a 7th Dan black belt.

His competitive career has continued well beyond the conventional senior divisions. Clemente became an Italian champion and later achieved international success as a Masters athlete, including a World Masters silver medal and two European Masters bronze medals. His Bek Doo San team has meanwhile developed generations of athletes and recorded significant results at regional and national level.

His connection to Taekwondo also extends beyond competition and coaching. In 2023, Clemente published Per una vita marziale, a 106-page book exploring his personal journey through martial arts, the mentality and philosophy of the martial artist, and the history of the sport in Bari.

The history behind Bek Doo San itself reflects that long involvement in the sport. The organisation traces its roots to Koryo Taekwondo Bari, founded in 2000 through Clemente's initiative, before developing into today's Bek Doo San Taekwondo Bari.

More Than Three Days of Sparring

At the conclusion of the camp, all three ITL athletes were presented with certificates commemorating their participation.

Master Clemente also presented Gianluca with a copy of his book, Per una vita marziale – an appropriate conclusion to a visit built not only around competition and physical training, but around the exchange of experience between martial artists.

Iron Taekwondo League extends its sincere thanks to Master Luigi Clemente, Bek Doo San Taekwondo Bari and all the coaches and athletes involved for the invitation, hospitality and warm welcome afforded to the Maltese delegation throughout their stay.

For Noah and Oliver, the three days provided exposure to a much larger and unfamiliar pool of athletes, offering valuable experience that can only be gained by stepping outside one's normal training environment.

For Gianluca, the visit combined the roles of athlete and coach – accumulating rounds as a Masters competitor while sharing knowledge and strengthening relationships with colleagues from across Puglia.

Above all, the Bari experience demonstrated the value of international cooperation at every level of Taekwondo: from a young Kid taking his first steps in the sport, through the Cadet development years, and all the way to athletes who continue to train and compete at Masters level.

Three generations of Taekwondo athletes shared the same mats – and three very different stages of the same martial journey.