The second Tiny Titans youth kickboxing tournament and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) and No-Gi grappling development tournament for the year was held at the Brakpan Indoor Sports Centre by shihan Raymond Phillips recently.
“Both tournaments again proved why we should invest in the youth as well as development tournaments for all age groups in combat sports,” said Phillips.
The two tournaments were hosted in the same complex but under different sanctioning bodies, the kickboxing was sanctioned under the South Africa Kickboxing Association (SAKA) umbrella and the MMA tournament was sanctioned by Mixed Martial Arts South Africa (MMASA).
Phillips explained why he undertook to host three different fighting arts on the same day: “The Tiny Titans tourney concentrates on kickboxers who are 15 years old and younger, whereas the MMA event was for all age groups.
“Due to the events being held in the same complex, but at different times, younger students could cross-compete,” added Phillips.
“The contact is controlled to keep the student safe and the shihan believes by doing this they are developing athletes for the future with more rules in place and fewer injuries.
Also read: Local kickboxers perform in Pretoria
“It is also a time where family and friends can get involved with helping and the basic running of the event. “It is a time where everyone has a chance to learn about the rules of kickboxing, MMA and No-Gi grappling.”
Phillips will be travelling to the Kingdom of Bahrain soon as international director for the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation.
“The Senior and u-21 World MMA Championships will be taking place in the city of Manama and we are very excited to send a South African team.”
He added that the first ever Junior Cadet World MMA Championships (for 14 to 17-yearolds) will be hosted in August 2019 in Italy.
For more information on these combat sports contact Phillips on 083 701 2154 or email to rayforce@xkt.co.za
Follow us:
For more #hyperlocal news at your fingertips, visit Springs Advertiser, Boksburg Advertiser, Benoni City Times, African Reporter
