DESPITE the coronavirus pandemic making various affairs challenging, the Samahang Kickboxing ng Pilipinas (SKP) has remained undeterred, continuously finding ways to engage stakeholders of the sport.

In their session on Tuesday at the online Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum, SKP officials shared that they have been in constant communication with members and athletes, trying to squeeze in as many programs and activities as possible to keep themselves active.

In November, in fact, SKP will be holding the Kickboxing Musical Form National Championships. But to adapt to the prevailing conditions with the pandemic, it will be done online.

The tournament is open to all practitioners in different age groups (10-12, 13-15, 16-18, and 19-40 years old).

“We want to give our kickboxers the chance to show their sportsmanship through showmanship during the pandemic,” said Atty. Wharton Chan, SKP secretary-general, during the forum.

He added that for the tournament there will be two categories, namely, hard style and creative form.

While both categories will be in the form of imaginary fights, the difference is that in the hard style, entries can be accompanied by their choice of music, kickboxing coach Noriel Acquisio further elaborated about the tournament.

He went on to say that while there is no limit to the number of attempts for each video entry, participants are not allowed to do any editing.

The SKP officials are expecting warm reception for the tournament, which was pushed for by federation president and Senator Francis Tolentino, recognizing the need for kickboxers to stay active during this time of the pandemic.

“We are expecting great volume. This is a rare tournament because participants can do it from their homes, their backyards or their offices, then submit their videos online or through our website,” said Mr. Chan.

For the tournament, experts will judge the entries based on the basics (stance, punches and kicks), balance (strength and focus on movements) and the degree of difficulty. Videos are limited to a minimum of one and a maximum of three minutes.

Kickboxing did well for the Philippines in last year’s Southeast Asian Games, winning six medals, three of which were gold. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR