On March 8th, the Fnac café hosted Jérôme Palazzolo and Christophe Pinna for the launch of their book “Learning to Manage Stress,” which has already sold over 2,000 copies: An unusual meeting between a psychiatrist at Sainte-Marie Hospital and a karate champion. One works with the mind and the other with the body, and this partnership has allowed them to share some secrets for combating this “modern-day illness.” “Learning to Manage Stress” is a book rich in teachings and solutions that everyone can apply because stress is the “unchosen” companion of many different people; it is everywhere: at work, at home… But how can one preserve oneself from it?
At the end of the “Fnacian” interview, Christophe Pinna kindly gave us a few minutes at the third floor counter. Between sips of a milk shake, this international competitor shared some confidences.
“The purpose of this book is to learn to manage stress, as the title indicates. And to do that, you have to put a face to it: you have to channel it, or at least through this book, you will learn to channel it. Of course, there are methods to protect yourself from it, but stress is primarily a matter of quantity. The solution? Reduce your stress. There isn’t a single technique that encompasses everything but several situations that are easy to detect. For instance, getting up earlier in the morning to take your time getting ready before going to work because if you start getting stressed from the moment you wake up, that state will accumulate throughout your day, and that’s the danger: accumulation. Or, I also recommend doing sports.” So, Christophe Pinna, is stress the malaise of the century? “Not exactly. The disease of the century is malaise.” So why not create a school of well-being? “Worth considering.”
Who is Christophe Pinna?
Christophe Pinna defines himself as a sports enthusiast, which we could have guessed on our own, but he is an enthusiast who tries to make people understand that the important thing is not the sport but the love of sport. By the way, Christophe, why choose karate? “I didn’t choose it; it was imposed on me from the age of 5 in 1975. As I was hyperactive, my parents punished me by enrolling me in martial arts classes. It wasn’t easy at the start because there was a discipline to respect and a strict philosophy. Then, after the playful aspect, came the pleasure and the dream of becoming the best karateka in the world. My greatest victory was on October 14, 2001: the world final in Munich,” where he won the supreme title of World Champion “all categories.”
Seeing him so zen, it’s hard to believe that Christophe Pinna was a disruptive child. However, this didn’t prevent him from being a six-time French karate champion, twice winner of the French Cup, twice winner of the World Cup, world champion in all categories in 2000, and more. Yes, the sports coach of the Star Academy has a beautiful collection of titles that makes all children and adults dream, but that doesn’t stop him from being humble. And if the President of the Republic promoted him to Officer of the National Order of Merit last November (“No comment”), Nice-Première awards him the medal for remaining true to himself, at least this one he can’t refuse since it’s him who told us: “I am the champion of staying as I am, no matter who I have in front of me. It’s not a matter of celebrity. Whether I train the Princess of Dubai tomorrow and kids from suburbs next week, I bring the same interest. I make no distinction. I just do my job.”
Simply, as he says, Christophe Pinna, besides his brilliant sports career, is engaged in the fight against drugs and delinquency. Since 2000, he has ended his high-level sports career, today he holds workshops and shares his knowledge throughout France. Not to forget, his sports club “NICE ELITE SPORT” established in the Port area since 1991, is accessible to all: Karate, Body Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Kung Fu or Weightlifting are offered at all levels. So if your child is like Christophe Pinna, a hyperactive child, enroll them in one of the martial arts. Maybe a future champion is slumbering within them?
Let’s leave the last word to the champion. In one word, Christophe Pinna is…? “Authenticity.”
Website: https://www.christophe-pinna.com/
