Meggie Ochoa transitions to coaching next generation of jiu-jitsu champions

Filipina jiu-jitsu star Meggie Ochoa is set to take on a new challenge as a head coach for the country’s youth jiu-jitsu team. 

Ochoa, a two-time Southeast Asian (SEA) Games gold-medalist, has shifted her focus to developing the country’s next generation of jiu-jitsu practitioners.

“My motivation is to build up our youth athletes who will take our place in the adult team in the future, for them to level up to the point that they can outnumber the medals we delivered in the past,” Ochoa said.

Ochoa’s transition to coaching comes after her retirement from the national team back in January.

The Filipina’s career marked championships in the JJIF World Jiu-Jitsu Championships, IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu World Championship, Asian Jiu-Jitsu Championships, and the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games.

Ochoa admitted that she did not expect to announce his retirement this early in her career but found purpose in coaching.

“To be honest, before I really thought I was just going to be an athlete all the way. But I had opportunities to coach in 2024, and somehow, I really found fulfillment in it and I saw that I was willing to give up being an athlete than to give up coaching to focus on being an athlete,” she said.

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Despite her illustrious career, she has found out that coaching is even harder than competing.

“I find coaching harder because you have to think about a lot of things and you have to manage your emotions because you have to be on top of things and you also need to be composed for the athletes, for them not to get rattled,” said Ochoa.

“When you’re a coach, you think about your athletes, their opponents, and the team as a whole. There are a lot of different layers. But it is exciting and challenging for me. When I’m challenged, I’m more eager to learn and to do better,” she said.

The national jiu-jitsu squad captured two medals in the 3rd Asian Youth Games in Bahrain, courtesy of Isabella Butler, who nabbed gold in the girls’ 63kg category, while Mara-Alexandria Sarinas took home bronze in the girls’ 57kg class.

For Ochoa, her coaching career is a reflection of her past career as a competitor, and she vows to be the best coach she can be to deliver more glory to the country.

“I’m know I’m not at the level I want to be. I still have a lot to work on as a coach. I want to be the best possible coach I can be, just like how I sought to be the best athlete I can be,” she said.

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