AIMING to boost the country’s medal hopes in the 31st Vietnam Southeast Asian Games, the Samahang Kickboxing ng Pilipinas is organizing the first national musical forms kickboxing competition in November featuring members of the national team.
“This event will be a tournament that will feature our kick boxers through their sportsmanship,” SKP secretary general Atty. Wharton Chan said yesterday during the Philippine Sportswriters Association online forum.
He added that organizing the online event was on the suggestion of SKP president Sen. Francis Tolentino “who wanted our kick boxers to have some form of activity despite the present COVID-19 pandemic. He is fully behind this event.”
Chan said those who will see action in the event, whose registration has begun, will be scouted for the national team since the event could be included in the regional games scheduled in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi in November next year.
“While we expect the Vietnam SEA Games organizers to push for combat kick boxing, our Asian Kickboxing Confederation president Nasser Nassiri of Iran wants them to include this event. Given our skill and grace, Filipino kickboxers have a huge chance of winning medals here,” Chan said.
Max Fusion head coach Noriel Acquisio, who will be the tournament director of the inaugural event, explained the mechanics of the meet in the public sports session supported by PAGCOR, San Miguel Corp., Milo, Go for Gold, Amelie Hotel, Brasca Restaurant and powered by Smart.
“We will have the hard event which will have music and the creative event that will have none in both men’s and women’s divisions and in age groups,” said the Benguet-based Acquisio of the tourney that will have four judges and one referee screening the participants.
“In the hard style, the criteria for judging will the basics such as stances, blocks, and kicks based on the original style, balance and strength in relation to the power, degree of difficulty or fancy moves, synchronization to music and showmanship,” he said.
Acquisio said the judging for the creative event is nearly similar except that it will be performed without music, no kicks beyond 360 degrees and without gymnastic movements, although moves in arnis and all other martial arts are allowed.
“These moves are done as if the participants are facing an imaginary opponent,” he said.
Chan said the submission of the unedited videos will be Nov. 9-13, the screening to be held by the judges will be from Nov. 14-17 and the video program of the winning entries will be shown on Nov. 28.
