To make sure that the sport is alive and kicking during the pandemic, the Samahang Kickboxing ng Pilipinas is staging the online Kickboxing Musical Form National Championships next month.
Atty. Wharton Chan, SKP secretary-general, told in the Philippine Sportswriters Association webcast 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 Chan, adding that there will be two categories—hard style and creative form.
Kickboxing coach Moriel Acquisio said 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.
“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 Chan.
He said SKP president and Sen. Francis Tolentino pushed for the online tournament to keep the kickboxers in competitive form even during the pandemic.
Acquisio, however, clarified during the forum presented by San Miguel Corp., Go For Gold, MILO, Amelie Hotel Manila, Braska Restaurant, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation, powered by Smart and with Upstream Media as the official webcast partner, that while there is no limit to the number of attempts for each video entry, participants are not allowed to do any editing.
“If they make a mistake, they can do it again and start with a new video. But they cannot edit the videos,” said the kickboxing coach, who will handle the technical side of 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.
Chan encouraged the entries to give their best because the winners in this tournament will receive special recommendations for inclusion to the national team.