Martial artist, actor & stunt performer!
We are pleased that we can present another exciting brand ambassador for CENTURY Martial Arts Europe today.
Pietro Di Rauso started karate at the age of 6 in the prestigious FIKTA association. For over 14 years he has been celebrating successes at regional, national and international level. At the age of 10 he won his first national competition in Florence.
He founded the MAKA Martial Academy, his martial arts academy, on less than 60 square meters. After less than a year, an academy five times larger is opened. Praised by national and international magazines such as the US TKD Times, he received the award from the municipality of Capua for the sporting successes achieved in Italy and abroad. Excellent physical and technical preparation for his top athletes who take part in professional competitions such as the Venice Fighting Championship in Venice, the IFC or associations such as WTKA is very important to Pietro.
To this day, the young master Pietro Di Rauso has already had more than 27 years of martial arts behind him, has regularly completed training courses in Germany, Switzerland, Spain and England and his skills have drawn the film world to the attention of him, and he will be involved in many projects in the years to come be visible. Hollywood actor and martial arts teacher Steven Seagal is one of the stars who have already mentioned Pietro Di Rauso.
CENTURY is pleased that we have this great martial artist from Italy in our team and all customers from Italy are welcome to contact Pietro with questions about the products. Follow Pietro on his social media channels and of course he also has a CENTURY ambassador code with which you can get a discount when shopping on our site.
CONNECT WITH PIETRO!
Interview with Pietro Di Rauso
What had been the spark that lit your fire for Martial Arts?
I started with martial arts when I was five years old, but my desire began long before that. I was four years old and had witnessed the beating of a boy my age just a few meters from my home. I tried to intervene even though I was very small, but it ended badly for me too. Even before this event, I had martial arts on my mind, thanks to both my uncle, who was an excellent karateka, and for fighting with my older cousin on the sofas at home, where we liked to fight with the only pair of gloves he had, and for the first Bruce Lee movies I watched on TV and imitated the techniques. So it all happened spontaneously, and I found myself at the age of six in a prestigious karate school in my town.
Can you explain how you got into the part of Martial Arts style you have chosen?
I started karate when I was six years old (before that it was not possible). Under the guidance of my uncle Michele, who was a source of inspiration for me and my first teacher ... I spent days training to improve my techniques and become better and better... I fought against opponents who were older and better prepared than me. To exceed my limits and to open my mind more and more to the martial arts I increased my personal curiosity for other styles... This experience gave me a new martial arts identity, which made different styles passionate for me, so much so that I did not just have a favorite fighting style.
What are your favorite styles and what is a Martial Arts Style
that you never felt in love with?
The styles I studied the most are certainly those that fascinated me the most, which I found easier to find near my city. Starting with Karate, which was always present, and its various styles in which I came into contact with Full Contact, to Wingchun, the Tkd, the bjj, the Sambo. They have all given me so much along the way, and I believe that you can fall in love with any style, because in each of them there is a principle, a story, an elegance that deserves to be studied.
Why you made the step to create a system on your own?
With time and experience, I realized that I was teaching a mixture of techniques from the different styles that I had practiced without realizing it, and the result was fantastic for both me and the athletes. I felt freer and without a fixed pattern. So I decided to teach more than just one style, my style, which I call the Maka fighting system, a full contact style for personal defense.
What is the special situation of Martial Arts in Italy comparing to other European countries?
In Italy there are many talents in the martial arts and we are growing a lot every year, but on the cultural level and in terms of available resources we are still lagging behind other countries where the martial arts are more practiced and perhaps even more respected and appreciated.
What had been the circumstances to become an actor for the movie industry and what was your first movie?
Ever since my childhood I have loved to show myself in front of the camera, to see my mistakes and to understand what I transmit to people. This has led to the fact that during my growth and at a certain point in my life I started making demos showing my techniques. Everything was spontaneous. One day I was planning to make a demo with students to show some techniques to my YouTube friends. The place where we were supposed to shoot was occupied, so we decided to retire to my grandmother's terrace, where the environment looked good for a certain action scene. The demo turned into a small series of martial arts, whose success in the social field led to me taking small action classes from time to time. Early on I felt drawn to the camera, in front of the camera I felt like a new person every time and this passion together with martial arts grew more and more. One day I got the call for a role in an Italian production, which then went on a world tour, the film by Pietro Marcello, Martin Eden.
What has been the biggest success in your career so far?
The promise I made to myself as a child was to get into the movies through martial arts and to play my first role in an important movie like Martin Eden alongside an extraordinary actor like Luca Marinelli. The fact that I succeeded with the name Michele (in memory of my uncle) was the greatest satisfaction and emotion I felt, as well as the victories in karate at a very young age (my first title at 10).
What was your most memorable fight in your career so far
and who is the biggest martial arts star you had been working
with?
In all probability an international open karate game, where I was compared to a cat, Maka in Croatian, because of my fighting style and speed. Among the stars of martial arts, I remember the compliments of the Hollywood actor Steven Seagal, whose films have made history here in Italy, and seeing a great actor and martial artist like Jet Li at work.
Who is your biggest inspiration and why?
My greatest inspiration does not come from one particular person. Every day I get inspiration from all those who succeed in transforming a failure into a success that moves forward despite all the difficulties, those who never give up. I have had many positive examples of this in my family, and perhaps this is my greatest strength.
You have your own martial arts school – what are the most difficult things for you on the business side?
Yes, I have my own Maka Academy. The economic situation, but also the fact that we are not seen as such an important activity like soccer or other important sports does not give us much visibility, so we concentrate on high quality schools. The economic difficulties, although largely overcome, have a great impact on the business side, just remember that the recent covid situation has unfortunately led to the closure of many martial arts schools. Working for passion, as she has always done, has also made this moment less difficult for me.
Do you think, that the recent COVID-19 situation will change the way of how Martial Arts schools/gyms will offer classes long-term and what could be the biggest challenge?
The Covid-19 has put a strain on all group activities and especially on contact activities like martial arts, which are usually addressed by setting up small groups of lessons or by video lessons, which is the new challenge for martial arts right now while waiting for everything to return to normal.
It seem to be that Racism is taking a bigger part in the world again – what is your experience in the Martial Arts World, when it comes to this topic?
Racism has fortunately never touched me in the first person, and I have been a spectator of such a stupid thing in our time. We are all of the same race, the human race. Our goal should only be to grow more and more individually, to be a better collective.
What is your future plan in combination of Martial Arts and Media
Industry? Is there a role that you would like to be casted for?
Martial arts and cinema are my passion, and I try to do my best in everything I do, both for myself and for those who believe in me. Therefore I continue to study and wait for new opportunities to prove my value as a martial artist and actor. Just as I have never set a limit to martial arts, I do not propose myself for any particular role. A role far away from the martial arts would be a great challenge for me.
You have a lot of fans. What are your plans for seminars and for your community?
I've just started recently and I've seen my fans increase a lot but above all I've seen millions of people watching and sharing my videos, I know it's just the beginning and for this reason I'll continue to share with everyone my skills both on the web and teaching where I'll be called to hold internships both in Italy and abroad; in recent years I've been travelling between Spain, England, France and Switzerland where I'll be a guest next June.