With a new coach, the UST Tiger Jins and Lady Jins emphasized fundamentals during their offseason training, setting the stage for a renewed title bid in the UAAP Season 88 collegiate kyorugi tournament.
From Season 80 to Season 86, the Tiger Jins finished as runners-up to National University before slipping to bronze in Season 87, their first drop from the top two in more than a decade.
The Lady Jins, meanwhile, fell short of a third straight title and settled for silver.
“Ang focus talaga namin nitong offseason ay bumalik sa basics,” new kyorugi coach Jean Buan told the Varsitarian. “Isa iyon sa pinakamahalaga. Useless ang techniques kung kulang ang foundation na gagamitin nila sa laban.”
Season 88 marks Buan’s first year at the helm of UST. A former UAAP player for National University, he also had a coaching stint at Emilio Aguinaldo College before joining the Tiger Jins alongside coaches Gershon Bautista and Christian de la Cruz.
UST will lean on a core of proven veterans, including Southeast Asian Games medalist Israel Cantos and national team members Aljen Aynaga and Justin Agno.
On the women’s side, Season 86 MVP Laizel Abucay headlines the roster alongside incoming rookie and Southeast Asian Games gold medalist Tachiana Mangin, who also ended the Philippines’ 28-year gold medal drought at the World Taekwondo Junior Championships.
This year, the league shifted its kyorugi competitions from a team-match format to individual events to align with international standards.
It will feature seven weight classes in both the collegiate men’s and women’s divisions, on top of five categories in the high school boys division.
The school with the most gold medals across kyorugi and poomsae disciplines will be crowned overall champion.
Still, Buan emphasized that success will not hinge on a single standout.
“Para sa akin, lahat sila kailangang mag-step up. Lahat dapat ready,” he said. “Ina-expect ko na lahat sila magpe-perform nang maayos.”
For Buan, matches are decided by composure under pressure.
“Sa pressure nagkakatalo,” he said. “Sa experience din. Halimbawa, ikaw ang last player, nasa iyo ang desisyon ng panalo. Patibayan iyon ng puso at utak.”
The season will also introduce the girls’ kyorugi division, with national team standouts Ryzza Cadileña and Shay Cadileña expected to lead the field.
The UAAP high school and collegiate kyorugi tournaments open Tuesday, April 21, at Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
