Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

PhD karate guy Vasil Tepedelenev

БНР Новини

The smile of Vasil and his peaceful temper are the things that do impress anyone who has just met him. The man has obviously managed to find that soul-body-mind balance that we all dream about. Vasil is not the typical PhD and university assistant with the Technical University, as karate appears to be his greatest love. His parents made him train when he was a kid, but he was really unwilling. However, this sport gradually turned into his big love and now that man of science has his own karate club. Vasil says that most people do not have the right idea of martial arts:

СнимкаMany see those as fighting, blood and violence, thinking that only dump people practice. Things are quite vice versa. Martial arts teach respect, humility, self-control. These are all important qualities, no matter the age of the person. I teach smaller kids to respect – something that starts to mark its lack nowadays. Those guys with several years of practice do differ from their coevals – they become more successful at school, they take their own decisions and score higher results.

One could hardly think of a fitness instructor with a PhD, but Vasil breaks that stereotype as well. Moreover, they rely on healing procedures at the hall and not large muscles. Body and mind are trained simultaneously. More from the young man on the positive sides of sport:

Sport has created me as a person. I have the psychological balance, I can stand up for myself, to be successful at job interviews, keeping the positive attitude. People tend to be very negative recently due to the way they accept everyday events around us. I remain calm and smiling in almost all situations and those around often wonder about it. Teaching gives me personal satisfaction. I see people at all ages growing right in front of my eyes – they get better, more confident, with changed attitude, body stance and skills… One gets away from all the stress during those two hours of training – the mind goes into a completely different direction. All the worries and negative emotions are gone in the end of the practice and satisfaction appears instead. This makes me happy.

Снимка
Vasil has devoted his everyday life to the others and his mission is to pass on his positive attitude and energy to them. He started from nowhere and hard labor helped him in achieving his dreams. I envy, because the man simply doesn’t recognize the meaning of the word laziness. Besides his three main activities, Vasil loves drawing, traveling and playing computer games with friends. He also often has lectures for the healthy lifestyle.

Still, due to his passion for science, Vasil secretly leaves a formula on the table behind his back. It reads: “strong mind + healthy body = happiness + success”.

English version: Zhivko Stanchev
Photos: private archive


Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Ivaylo Nachev

Bulgarian scientists in Antarctica analyze solar activity and its impact on Earth

Measurement equipment installed at the Bulgarian Antarctic base "St. Kliment Ohridski" has been collecting valuable data on solar activity and its relation to the Earth's magnetic field for two months. The research is part of Bulgaria's first polar..

published on 2/23/25 8:05 AM

Young Bulgarians to explore Europe through a free train journey

558 Bulgarians aged 18, selected from 1,785 applicants, will be able to embark on their dream journey by train across Europe, learn from other cultures and build new friendships. They have been selected to receive a free travel pass through the..

published on 2/23/25 6:10 AM

Artificial intelligence creates a new reality for employers and workers

In the era of increased digitalization and the penetration of artificial intelligence into all spheres of our lives, the professions of people with high qualifications and higher pay are most at risk of extinction. The least affected are jobs that..

published on 2/22/25 2:15 PM