Phillips experiences busy times
The travelling has not stopped XKT from maintaining their high standards.
Brakpan’s shihan Raymond Phillips had been busy the past few months.
The head of Xtreme Kickboxing Technologies (XKT) has been at work in his other role as an executive director of the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) while making sure the club remains competitive.
IMMAF is looking to have mixed martial arts recognised as an Olympic sport.
“It has been a non-stop working experience to get amateur MMA as a recognised member of the Sports Accord and the IOC (International Olympic Committee).
“IMMAF is currently the only MMA federation that is a WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) signatory. We ticked most of our boxes and it is only a matter of time before we get recognition for amateur mixed martial arts,” said Phillips.
The local shihan represents Africa on the IMMAF board of directors and has watched the organisation grow over the years.
“I am 10 or 11 years with IMMAF and we are working for seven years towards recognition. We received the WADA recognition last year, one criterion needed to get into the IOC,” he said.
“We are the only MMA federation that is a signatory to the code, so obviously we have taken all the steps.
“It is a matter of time before we get recognition because MMA has become famous all over the world. It is just that other sporting codes are trying to get in the way.
“I would not mention which sports, but they are scared that if we get the recognition, then they might lose their spot at the Olympics.”
The travelling has not stopped XKT from maintaining its high standards. Phillips and his son, sensei Ryan, have made sure kickboxing of their members remained competitive, as has been the case for many years.
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XKT fighters recently competed in the provincial and national championships, where they won several titles.
They have produced three national champions AJ Smith, Amy Lange and Bryan Barnard (who won two gold medals at the South African Championships). Working for IMMAF and XKT has been quite a balancing act for Phillips.
“What people don’t realise is you sacrifice so much of your personal time,” he said.
He credits Ryan for working hard with the athletes.
“With the travelling, I cannot attend to all my athletes the way I wanted, but Ryan has done a fantastic job with them,” he told the Herald.
“We have done well under his leadership. He got them through the nationals. I would like to take the credit, but it wasn’t me.”
