#113: Malta Coach Delivers Training Camp In Munich Together With Korean Grandmasters

Fresh off his successful campaign at the Madrid Masters Open, Maltese taekwondo coach and athlete Gianluca Barbara continued an exceptional international month by leading the sparring and kyorugi component of a prestigious international training camp held in Munich, Germany between the 23rd and 26th May.

The camp — the Internationaler Pfingstlehrgang Taekwondo Seminar — had been running for no less than 17 years.

Athletes and Masters of the 17th International Pfingstlehrgang Taekwondo Seminar.

Coach Gianluca was personally invited by Grandmaster Seung Seok Ryu to oversee the kyorugi programme of the intensive three-day seminar, which brought together approximately 200 athletes from Austria, New Zealand, Mexico, Turkey, Greece, Korea, Germany, the United Kingdom, Egypt, Spain, Japan, Italy, Cuba, the Netherlands and Malta — with Gianluca serving as the sole Maltese representative at the camp.

The seminar featured a comprehensive programme incorporating poomsae, self-defense workshops, aerobic and resistance training, demo training and high-level sparring development sessions.

Among the most notable figures present at the camp was Prof. Dr. Taek Yong Kwak, one of the most respected names in global taekwondo. Prof. Kwak is widely renowned as the long-time National Coach of the Korean Taekwondo Demonstration Team and has played a pivotal role in the worldwide development and promotion of modern taekwondo demonstration systems and performance training. Also present was his protégé, Suhyun Lee, an internationally respected demonstration athlete and performer known for her technical precision and athleticism.

From left to right: Grandmaster Seung Seok Ryu, Prof. Taek Yong Kwak and ITL/Malta coach Gianluca Barbara

Additional sessions throughout the camp were led by Grandmaster Seung Seok Ryu himself, alongside Stefan Knaup, Lazarino Antini and Seung Lee — a Germany-based Korean coach particularly renowned for his sparring expertise.

Prior to the commencement of the camp itself, Gianluca was also invited to conduct an additional sparring session at Grandmaster Ryu’s academy.

The Maltese coach led three sparring sessions daily, with groups divided according to experience level between beginners and advanced practitioners. The final day of the camp was dedicated entirely to full sparring rounds and competitive applications, with Gianluca also actively participating in rounds alongside the athletes in attendance — many of whom displayed considerable enthusiasm and aptitude for sparring.

Athletes training during coach Gianluca’s session.

On the final day of the seminar, and at the request of Grandmaster Ryu, Gianluca assumed the role of examiner together with the Grandmaster himself during the grading examinations of two Bavaria-based black belts, overseeing the successful inauguration of first Dan and third Dan black belt promotions.

At the conclusion of the event, Gianluca was presented with honours and a commemorative trophy in recognition of his contribution to the camp, which received overwhelmingly positive feedback from the students and participants in attendance.

Masters Gianluca and Suhyun Lee.

The Iron Taekwondo League and the Malta Taekwondo Association extend their sincere gratitude to Grandmaster Seung Seok Ryu for extending this prestigious invitation to Gianluca, as well as to Prof. Dr. Taek Yong Kwak, Suhyun Lee, Stefan Knaup, Lazarino Antini and Seung Lee for their hospitality, generosity and outstanding teamwork throughout the duration of the seminar.

Special thanks are also extended to Grandmaster Ryu’s family, who welcomed Gianluca warmly and made him feel part of the family throughout his stay in Germany.

Special mention must also be made of Daniel Müller, whose support, generosity and assistance throughout the duration of the camp proved invaluable to Gianluca’s experience in Munich. The Maltese coach expressed his sincere gratitude for the friendship, hospitality and continuous help offered both during and outside the seminar environment.

From left to right: Suhyun Lee, Taek Yong Kwak, Daniel Muller Teixeira, Lazarino Antini, Gianluca Barbara, Seung-seok Ryu, Seung Lee and Stefan Knaup.

It has been an exceptionally busy and successful month for the Maltese coach, who earlier this month captured gold at the Madrid Masters Open in Spain before subsequently leading medal-winning teams in both the United Kingdom and Serbia.

Gianluca was welcomed by two German athletes who had previously tained with him at the first Iron Island Training Camp in February 2026.

Gianluca now turns his attention towards Rome, Italy, where he will accompany a team of young Maltese athletes to compete at the renowned Kim e Liu Open — an internationally recognised event held in conjunction with the Senior Grand Prix circuit.