US Team - Assistant National Team Staff

[armortkd]

Let's start with the Head Coaches: I don't have a problem with Jean. Steven, Mark, and Diana are his athletes and they have produced at the World/Olympic level. Once they retire from competition, his position as Head Coach needs to be reevaluated. Juan is a great guy and coach. Many athletes are moving down to Miami to train with him and are on the senior team.

My issue is with the number of assistant national team coaches who have a business relationship with Juan and his Peak program. Christina Bayley, Eui Lee, Russell Benneby, and Peter Bardatsos (seminars only). That's 4 out of 8. With our developmental teams being selected by coaches and a rule of coaches recusing themselves when selecting athletes, that's too many irons in the fire to say that the system isn't being manipulated.

The reason why I'm fired up about this is because Coach Josef Salim went to England as their High Performance Director and Coach Patrice Remarck is coaching Aaron Cook as well as many African athletes. With Team Progression (Fugi, Poos, McCutchenson), Salim brothers, and RST producing so many athletes at the junior and senior level......they should be on the national team staff!!! Let Coach Remarck & Fugi on the senior team staff and Poos & Salim on the junior team staff. It's ridiculous to lose Patrice and Josef!!!!!

 

[msmitht]

Agreed on some parts. Jean should have been removed years ago. Gerge salim is producing athetes who win in the bb/poom divisions who are only green/blue belts. Josef is outstanding but gb got him first. He was here for a while but no offer from us team. Master Ryu was in simi valley for 3 years and took katie bell from white belt to us jr. Nat team in that time. There are many coaches who are good but these guys are great. The main problem is no resident athlete/coach program @otc for taekwondo.

 

[Bones]

I agree on Jean -- he should have been replaced a while ago and if not for his siblings he would probably would not have been a national coach.

Regarding Juan, nice guy and seems to know his stuff but would he have all those kids from the national team staying with him at peak performance if he was not a "national coach". Would he have peak performance branches in different states if he was just another high profile coach? Most of those kids did not get their spot because of him -- their old coach, their dad or whomever got them there. Juan's selling point is that as national coach, who also happens to have a school is that he can help them stay on the team and advance internationally. The only glitch with that sales pitch happens when the kids compete internationally and don't do well.

at minimum, there is a conflict of interest (with the current structure and checks and balances or lack thereof) with a national coach having a school because then you have Juan's scenario -- his position as national coach and kid's from the team willingly paying him as they hope to not only stay on the ladder but also climb up. Then you have the others who tag along as assistant coaches less because of what they can do and more because of who they know or how they know them. In the end, we are killing our own talent pool because we are allowing this. Kids who we should focus on and groom may be getting sidelined. The people who actually got these kids there are not getting the credit and the people who can really help them advance are not being brought on board because it may harm someone's elses job security or hold on the spotlight.

My hope is that with everything happening with the USOC and USAT that we can shake up the good ol' boy network and bring the real producers on board. Maybe then we'll have the foresight to not neglect our talented coaching pool that remains untapped by us but not overlooked internationally. Haven't both Salims beaten Juan in sparring?

By the way, its not just the coaching program. I think the U.S. needs to compete more internationally. Different countries/regions have different styles. New kids make the team, they are carted off to the next big international competition and we can't figure out why they did advance as much as we had hoped -- could it be the new pressure, stage fright, second guessing themselves in approaching an international fighter's different style -- all things that would develop with exposure.

Give the kids more international exposure and things could get better. Tap our really talented coaches and this thing could take off -- I know, a dream, but thats what keeps us all going -- the hope for tomorrow. The difference between a good coach and a talented coach can make a major difference. Can someone fire up the Bat-signal?

 

[RSweet]

Juan and Jean are probably not going anywhere under the current regime - unless they do not qualify anyone for the Olympics. Remember, Eric Parthen has been involved in the USAT for years before becoming Interim CEO. I discussed this situation ad nauseum with him. His opinion is that Juan and jean are the best two people to select and run the teams. Eric even did a speech that the BOD should support the CEO yadadada..... And remember, it was Juan and jean who sent Kevin to the Olympics, Worlds, and all those other prestigious events as a National Assistant Coach, even though he has never put anyone on a team. now Kevin does swear he has students on the teams, other instructors send them to him to train occasionally. That's what he says, but no one says, I owe my spot on the team to Kevin Padilla. I do hear, KP is a lousy coach and certain team members don't want him coaching him though.

 

[Gorilla]

The AAU Coaching staff is much better than the USAT Staff. Jean has only developed his family. Juan only takes from others. The AAU coaches are selected from people who have put members on the team on a consistent basis. The USAT coaching staff criteria is are you a friend of Juan, Jean or Herb.