Stephen Kamphuis, the newly designated head coach of the Philippine Jiu-Jitsu team, is racing against time to complete a highly competitive crew that will compete in the 31st Southeast Asian Games in Vietnam in May.
“We really have to get through this (pandemic). We have to get the team back and start competing overseas. That’s how our team will excel,” said Kamphuis, who will be taking on a new role as a lead mentor of Team Philippines.
In the 2019 SEA Games hosted by the country, he acted as competition manager in jiu-jitsu, where the Philippines hauled 5 golds, 3 silvers and 3 bronze medals.
In the coming Hanoi SEA Games, Kamphuis will be hard-pressed to surpass that outstanding finish by Team Philippines.
“This time around, we’re coming from behind. With the limited time we have, we have to keep pushing through and start working with the athletes and our coaches,” he said.
Team Philippines is in good hands because of Kamphuis’ rich background and achievements in the sport. He was originally from New Zealand and came to the Philippines in 2004 to help promote the sport. He was also highly responsible for forming the national federation and its recognition by the world body.
Kamphuis is ranked no. 1 in the world masters and a 4th-degree blackbelt. He was trained under the highly respected Fabricio Jiu-Jitsu system from Brazil.
In Vietnam, his main concern, however, is the selection of weight categories.
“Some weight classes that were chosen are not in our favor this time. So we have to prepare our team in this kind of situation and we can do that by getting overseas competition and train with the best,” he said.
To get the team going, the Jiu-Jitsu Federation of the Philippines will be holding the 2022 National Team Trials to select the athletes that will compose the national team for the Vietnam SEA Games. Registration for the trials is now ongoing.
The good news for Kamphuis is that he has an array of high-caliber athletes and upcoming practitioners available for selection.
“We have a lot of potential players. Kaila (Napolis) is the best example. It’s a great opportunity to be working with wonderful Philippine athletes,” said Kamphuis.
Napolis recently bagged the bronze medal in the -52kg women’s adult event of the JJIF World Championships 2021 at the Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi.
Napolis’ weight category, however, is not included in Vietnam and she has to try it out in the bigger 62-kg category if she wants to be part of the team.
“Mahirap po kasi mabigat na ‘yung sa 62 kgs at maraming magagaling sa Philippine Team sa weight na ‘yan pero mag-try pa din po ako,” said Napolis.