FROM the top of the competition, collecting gold medals across continents, Meggie Ochoa finds herself in unfamiliar territory.
She is still immersed in the world of jiu-jitsu, but now it’s less about chasing medals and more about shaping futures.
It’s much tougher being a coach, Ochoa admits, but she is loving it.
‘It’s much harder than I imagined,’ she admitted. ‘As an athlete, you focus on your own game. As a coach, you think about the whole team. You can’t control everything, and sometimes you just want to jump in and fight the match yourself.’
‘You need to manage your emotions because you have to be on top of things and you also need to be more composed for the athletes, so they won’t be rattled,’ said Ochoa.
Ochoa worked with coach Chris Gallego in guiding the 18-member Philippine youth jiu-jitsu team at the recentThird Asian Youth Games in Bahrain.
The Philippines wound up fifth in the jiu-jitsu medal table with one gold and one bronze medal-the United Arab Emirates topped the list with two gold, two silver and three bronze medals.
‘I used to think I’d just be an athlete forever,’ she said. ‘But when I started coaching in 2024, I found fulfillment I didn’t expect. I realized I was more willing to let go of competing than I was to give up coaching.’
Ochoa made history as the first Filipino to win gold at the JJIF World Championships in 2018.
The 35-year-old Ochoa now helps oversee the development of around 50 grapplers, but she said the Philippine team has identified many more promising talents.
Ochoa was on the corner for 15-year-old Mara Alexandria Sarinas, who claimed the bronze medal in the girls’ -57kg division with a submission win over Thailand’s Prasita Rumakom.
Asian Youth Games gold medalist Isabella Butler is also one of the younger stars-from Art of Jiu-jitsu in California-that Ochoa believes will be an inspiration to their wards.
Butler’s dominating performance-Gallego was on the corner having previously trained at Butler’s jiujitsu academy-has been an eye-opener for the Philippine team, Ochoa said.
‘Bella is a huge inspiration and a valuable lesson for us,’ Ochoa said. ‘We want to learn from the system that’s helping her grow. We need to study how they build champions so we can elevate our own system in the Philippines. Because right now, it’s clear-we’re not yet where we should be.’
‘We’re still far from where we need to be to reach our vision,’ Ochoa added.
‘But I’m excited because we’ve started identifying what needs to be done. Jiu-jitsu already delivers medals in the adult division. Now we need to bridge the gap in youth development.’
Ochoa likens herself to a white belt again-this time in coaching.
She’s attending clinics, learning from fellow mentors.
She’s not done competing entirely-she’ll still fight outside the national team, just to satisfy that competitive urge-but her heart is now with the kids.
‘I’m challenged every day,’ she said. ‘And when I’m challenged, that’s when I’m most driven to grow.’