Meet SabumNim SOLEDAD SERRANO

I started ITF Taekwon-Do with my 2 brothers after trying several other sports and didn't like them. My twin brother and I were 5 years old and my younger brother was 3. I was kicked out of dance classes and my brothers wanted to learn how to defend themselves at school, so Taekwon-Do was a great option for us all.

Although all my individual podiums and medal awards have a significant weight, I am left with these 2 moments as my most memorable:

1. When winning the gold medal at the Adult ITF World Cup in Poland 2003, while still being a Junior competitor.
2. When in New Zealand 2011 winning the gold medal in Patterns for the 4th consecutive time (which was a world record in the women’s category).

My current titles:

5x ITF Individual World Champion*
3x ITF Teams Pattern World Champion
10x Pan American Champion 
2x Overall Best Female Competitor
13 uninterrupted years as member of the Argentine National Team
*this accomplishment is a World record as I am the only woman in achieve 5 consecutive gold medals.

My current awards:

Artista Marcial 2018
Hall of Fame - Multiple Campeona Mundial 2015
ITF ICON 2019

I currently teach ITF Taekwon-Do at my academy Dojo Ds that's located in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I'm also traveling doing seminars of Sparring, Patterns and Martial Meditation which keeps me busy.

Nowadays, it's difficult to connect with, and make recommendations to teenagers. We live in an age where, at the touch of a button on a screen, they have what they want immediately. Although they are working on improving themselves physically in class, their targeted focus on their physical shows they are forgetting to work on the rest of themselves, especially mentally. It's difficult for them to fight for their dreams, to commits to a discipline or to their own goals because they don't understand the direct link between physical and mental.

So, with these Martial Meditations I teach, we talk to them about effort, sacrifice, commitment and discipline, allowing them to refocus and realign their thoughts in the ultimate purpose of achieving their goals and not quitting.

What’s next?:

I want to continue developing as a leader at my own academy, and also to educate all practitioners and competitors on the importance of Mental Training and Visualization.  I've created a program called “Martial Meditation”, which helps practitioners achieve goals, sustain processes with motivation and discipline, and work through nerves and stress before competitions.

´Martial Meditation´  is therefore the result of all my sacrifices, my self-improvement, my emotional strength and my mental focus to achieve each of those achievements and medals achieved above.

I am also a member of the ITF National Association Committee and my future goal is to continue developing internationally to improve the ITF system.

My experience working with Mightyfist:

I haven't worked directly with the brand yet, but I have worked with the boss behind it all. What can I say about her? She's a natural leader, and it's easy to catch on to her drive and energy.

That's why, today, I'm aware of what I inspire as a competitor, but now I want to inspire by having a great school and being a businesswoman, a Boss Lady in dobok.