Masters Alliance
9th Dan BlackBelt and Olympic Gold Medalist Herb Perez visit with the best and brightest to bring clarity to the future of Martial arts.
Masters Alliance
Martial Arts Meets Canadian Hospitality: Reflections from the Canadian Open and the Call for Authentic Leadership
What happens when martial arts expertise meets the vibrant backdrop of Canadian hospitality? Join us at Warehouse 15 as Grandmaster Disaster, TJ, and Coach Moreno unravel their experiences at the Canadian Open in Montreal. We celebrate the remarkable organization of the event and the warmth of our Canadian hosts, with special nods to high-performance director Alan and Brittany. Revel in the pride as TJ and Coach Master Perez both receive accolades that add a jubilant note to our conversation.
As the spotlight shifts to the international stage, we share tales of Canadian fighters like the legendary Ashley, who has mastered the art of the "testicle tickler" back kick. Through laughter and storytelling, we recall the spirited performances of Naomi and Michael Rodriguez, with TJ basking in the glow of his own achievements. Lighthearted anecdotes about guitars and Wayne’s World bring a touch of nostalgia, blending seamlessly with memories of playful trips to Reno.
Finally, we tackle the gritty realities of sports organizations, where leadership and team dynamics often clash with progress. Questions arise about the qualifications and decisions behind key appointments, sparking a call for genuine expertise and integrity. Through candid discussions on navigating fear, imposter syndrome, and the toxic environments that inhibit growth, we advocate for a more respectful and fair future. Stand with us as we champion authenticity and accountability in the pursuit of a positive change.
Welcome to the Warehouse 15. Again You're here with Grandmaster Disaster and we got TJ and Coach Moreno and, as always, we're going to keep it real but, more importantly, real interesting. And if it bothers you a little bit or hurts your feelings, well oh well, sorry.
Speaker 3:It might be that day. It might be that day.
Speaker 2:And you feel free. You know my email well, sorry, it might be that day. It might be that day and you feel free, you know my email address is TJ. Anyway, welcome, Mr TJ. How are you doing? Today. Sir, what do you got going on? Tell us a little bit. Just wait, Hold on a minute. I want to get a shout out to Budo Brothers. I'm wearing their awesome martial art theme hoodie. So when I wear it around the streets everybody says how you doing, Mr TJ, what?
Speaker 4:do you got going on? That's so funny. You know, I've worked with that company before. They actually sent me a bunch of clothing. It was like this Komodo thing and like a combat stick or something. I've actually worked with those guys. It's like let me see the symbol.
Speaker 2:I don't know where the symbol is. I just dug it so I just kind of put it on.
Speaker 4:I think I've seen it before there. Those are. Those are pretty cool guys. I've actually worked with them before. Um, I'm chilling, having a nice rainy day here in North Carolina Nice and cold. Um, I just real quick. I just want to say thank you to all the people that and responded to my post and said some nice things. Thank you, Understand that this is not a personal attack on anyone. This is just simply what's been going on. I'm just over it.
Speaker 2:Thank you guys Marando what do you? Got. How are you doing today, sir?
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm good, I'm good, I'm happy to be back into my. I'm the exact opposite sunny 80, miami just getting back from Montreal. It's sunny 80, miami just getting back from Montreal. It was very cold, it was very snowy. You had a great event. So, no, I'm doing good and I'm just ready to get into the session.
Speaker 3:I think maybe we have a little recap about Reno I'm sorry recap about the Canadian Open in Montreal and then kind of get into Reno and then kind of honestly, I think for maybe some bigger, more interesting topics, is kind of a state of affairs was going on with with the organization here in the United States. So I think we'll talk about that. So let's go with the with Montreal, the Canadian open. I thought it was a first and foremost. I got to say these guys put on a great event.
Speaker 3:Actually, someone said something to me recently and I and I didn't think about it too much, but they were just talking about how the venue was just laid out beautiful, young. It looked really really first class, spacious, open, nice. But what they said and I didn't think about it that has to be one of the nicest staff that I've ever seen in my life, these Canadians. I know the technical director. You know high performance director. You know Alan, mr Alan and his staff. There's like five people or five people lay the mats down but pick the mats up, run the holding area. You know, have a coach's meeting so polite at earth, tj. I didn't hear one time John Smith you meeting so polite at earth, tj.
Speaker 3:I didn't hear one time, john smith, you got three seconds before you're disqualified, like it's just. They're so athlete friendly that it just it. It was long days, you know. I mean it was just like any tournament there's some good calls, bad calls, whatever, but just uh, the friendliness and openness and the way the venue looked. First class, you know. First class from my standpoint. You know. Shout out to the Canadian Federation for doing such a good job. I'm not sure what you thought about that, tj.
Speaker 4:I thought it went well. I mean, like you said, normal tech windows with the long days, good calls, bad calls, all that stuff. Like you said, it felt very free flow and like everything was kind of moving. You know what I mean. There was no like large disruption or anything going on, like you said. I think that huge shout out to you know, like you said, um, a high performance director, alan, because I think you know, just having everything, everyone able to work together that kind of smoothly and no, no chaos, no, real nothing going on, that's a, that's an awesome feat. I know he has a lot of help behind the scenes. I know Brittany also. I know Brittany, the lady that works at the Garwards. She's awesome as well. But overall good event Good fights, good matches, some divisions a little tougher than others, but I think overall level pretty good. I liked it for a season opener.
Speaker 4:It definitely was a good event.
Speaker 3:I mean for me personally.
Speaker 2:I haven't been to this right.
Speaker 4:Oh, oh, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, coach Master Perez. Yes, sir, I got one. Does this count? Can I count?
Speaker 2:Whoa, whoa, whoa. Can I count that?
Speaker 4:Where we at.
Speaker 3:Is that? What is it? There you go. Coach of the year. Coach of the year Coach of the tournament.
Speaker 2:Oh nice, that's gold.
Speaker 3:That's gold. I'll keep this and I'll keep this, so let's go. I mean for me, no, for me. Personally. I was good. No, it was good he did. Well, we'll talk about that. I mean for me. It was really interesting because I think it was the first time I was at a cadet junior day. I don't know, man close to a decade.
Speaker 3:I mean, I haven't been to one of those in in years and so, um, it was a long day for me. I brought a group of kids from Miami and it was fun for me to watch those guys compete and have some gold medals and a couple other medals and some good and bad, but it was fun to watch the level. Always, the cadet juniors are just amazing because they're wild, they're crazy, they're fun, they're free-flowing, and so that was pretty cool, um, for me. But I think the senior day, like you said, tj, there was some divisions that were pretty darn competitive.
Speaker 3:You know you had, you know, the saline brothers were there, the spanish team were there. Um, you know, canada had most of their national team fighters there. Um, so I thought the level was pretty darn good, especially for an opener. What I thought was really interesting it was very combative, like there was some fights, herb, like I mean, there's always going to be some some points like that, but there was some like some hitting and some, yeah, it was pretty interesting it was a little rough, you know, and I kind of like that.
Speaker 4:I thought that was pretty cool. It felt more like old school pan am region when it was like that, like they were something hitting each other. You could, you could feel the shots, you could see the shots. People are getting put to the floor, kicked to the floor. I've seen, I saw some big body shots. They kind of stuck, stuck some people. I mean that overall, like you said, that event they were out.
Speaker 3:So, like you know, by the end it just was. It was very physical, it almost looked. It almost looked a little personal, like it was a real fight, versus like hey, let's win and dap you up and go home. Something was different in that venue so I got to say I liked it, it helps.
Speaker 4:I think Canada also has really good when they have their cheering sections and it's Canada versus anyone. They like that, so it's always so.
Speaker 3:it was really loud in those matches, yeah yeah, I mean, there's a couple people who stood out to me. Obviously, Omar Saleem fought extremely well. Again, he had a couple. He had a close match with Braven Park early on, but in his final he fought an Olympic-level athlete, an Olympic Olympian from Spain, and he pretty much handled him pretty easily. So that was pretty impressive.
Speaker 3:A young lady. Check this out, herb. There was a girl that made the Canadian Junior National Team and then the Canadian Senior National Team, then she won the Canadian Junior Open and then she won the Canadian Senior Open. This girl got four gold medals as a junior in an adult tournament. She was dominant. She's a world silver medalist at the Junior World Championships. So she's legit. But I'll tell you what she's in 62, which is lightweight. That girl Brewster, she's something. She's going to be something that we have to watch out for, I would think in the in the near future. Um, I got, I got a chance to watch her. Uh, actually she fought one of my girls in the semifinal the juniors and um, it was a lot, I gotta lie, it was a lot. I was impressed. And then, as soon as I heard she was going to fight seniors, I'm like, oh, she's winning, she's winning. She's just that, that raw, that tough. So that was a, that was a female that stood out to me pretty, pretty well I wonder how many matches I was throughout the whole weekend.
Speaker 4:Oh, I'll find out. It's a lot of matches. It's a lot of matches, skylar park pretty much walked through the tournament too.
Speaker 3:I mean the olympic bronze medalist from Canada. She walked through the drop pretty easily. I mean it didn't even look difficult for her. Our Michael Rodriguez, united States national team guy fought a very good Brazilian in the final and came away with another gold medal. You were sitting in that chair, dj. That was a pretty I don't want to say it was a tough match, but it was pretty much in control.
Speaker 4:Those are always good matches, though I can't think of his name right now. I'm after that but he likes to fight. You know what I mean. You say going back to the.
Speaker 4:Jadonis, jadonis. Yeah, going back to the that we were saying about people hitting each other, that was definitely a slobber knockover match. They were kind of being physical and fighting for those rounds. So, yeah, definitely won an intense match. It's always intense matches versus those guys, though, but yeah, michael was able to kind of keep the composure and score his points where he needed to and make some good decisions throughout that match.
Speaker 3:So very, very good. It's funny, herb, check this out. On the US national team there's a Michael Rodriguez, then there's a Victor Rodriguez and then there's another Michael Rodriguez, then there's a Victor Rodriguez and then there's another Michael Rodriguez. There's three Rodriguez's on the national team for the United States. So it's kind of interesting.
Speaker 2:And the big.
Speaker 3:Michael which is in the middleweight 87,. He won a gold medal too.
Speaker 2:You mentioned something about Kendall, which I think is important to recognize and I want to get back to the fighters for a minute but the level of professionalism that you run an event for, for people that are professionals, is important, right?
Speaker 2:I mean, I think if you can go to a country and they treat you correctly, they treat you like an athlete, they treat you like a professional, because our athletes are, you know, vis-a-vis professionals. For the most part, that resonates with the coaches and your desire to go back to the event, unless it's a must-go-to event, and certainly our experiences at the Pan Am Games and at the Olympics. We didn't have people pulling us and pushing us and yelling at us. We had people taking care of us, doing what we needed them to do, treating us like professionals, and I think that's kudos to Canada, right? Canadians, by nature, just nice people, right. I'm always, uh, impressed with the level of politeness and going out of the way for others. Um, although they have some of toughest fighters that you know I've ever fought certainly were from Canada, but um, you know, I think, shout out to one of your old friends.
Speaker 3:You know who was. You know was there was he there One of our good friends you remember who was? There. Was he there? One of our good friends, which one you remember, ashley, was there.
Speaker 2:He's always. I stay in touch with him. I love he's one of my favorite fighters ever.
Speaker 3:Yeah, he's awesome. He's such a good dude. He comes around and obviously he's good friends. My wife worked for him when she went to Montreal for a little while after she retired, and so we have just a really good relationship. So he was there. So he always speaks highly of you. Yeah, very fun. Yeah, he's a warrior, I mean he's a wild warrior.
Speaker 2:He did taekwondo when it mattered and he did it because it mattered and he made it matter. You know, he had arguably he was the I won't say he's the designer of it but he was the I won't say he's the designer of it, but he was the master of the Canadian, what we called the Canadian back kick, and it was unstoppable. And I saw him put more people on the floor with body shots, almost as many as his teammate Jean-Claude put on the floor with back hook kicks. I mean, that guy was unbelievable.
Speaker 4:So what's the can can describe canadian?
Speaker 2:back kick, canadian back kick. Is you, it's a, it's a, almost like a donkey kick. You can't, you don't turn your head over, you don't look because you don't need to look, because you know where it's going to end up and I it's a testicle, what I call the testicle tickler with the toes. So they take their heel and they point their heel up and their toes down. Yeah and no, seriously. And when you hit it, this is the clip that will come out, by the way, testicle ticklers.
Speaker 4:I don't know why I.
Speaker 2:No, but it's true. So I could stand up and demonstrate, not the tickling part, but the foot and the toes are down, the heel is up. So when you hit somebody and we hit them as a lower stomach, the heel is in the lower stomach and the toes are literally tickling the testicles depending on the size of the testicles, of course, and but it's deadly effective because you're hitting them on the weakest part of the stomach. And Ashley dropped more people, and early on, I think, when people tried it, and the reason it works is your knee is tucked into your body, as opposed to the Korean style where your knee eventually comes out. Their knee never comes out. The other people that took a version of were the Spaniards, so the Spaniards have slightly different back kick. That was similar, I think, old school Moroccan back kick was the same.
Speaker 4:Was it Moroccan back kick? They similar. I think old school Moroccan back kick was the same Was it. Moroccan back kick. They used to tuck in and drive their foot straight back and hit the center of the chest guard.
Speaker 2:I got to be honest. I copied it for a while. I had like three or four different back kicks and that was one of them that I copied, but in particular for the testicle tickling because I thought that was fantastic. I'm joking.
Speaker 3:It was a good tournament. Obviously there was a lot of good matches and there was a lot of good results. The United States had a female heavyweight that won a gold medal, Naomi the big. Michael Rodriguez won a gold medal.
Speaker 4:87, yes, Ava Lee, who fights in Haiti, she won a gold medal. He fought a good Spanish guy, Michael Rodriguez. Yeah, that was a good match. I think it went three rounds, but that was a good match. It did it did go three.
Speaker 3:There was, like I said, there was some. I think it was a well-run tournament. It was a well-laid out tournament. I think you had a good level, like you said it, and just a great first tournament. I think most of the divisions people had four and five fights. I'm sure there's a few that had get a bye and get three, but it wasn't extremely big in the numbers. But I think overall a pretty decent level, which kind of leads us into well, I should say this I mean TJ did win that coach of the year as a male coach. I think he was awesome and well-deserved. I mean, you know he was working all day with his own personal athletes, with TOPS athletes, with AU athletes. So I mean I thought that was very, very deserving Congratulations to you. I'm very happy for you.
Speaker 2:I'm proud of you, congratulations. I have moved my guitar, my gold guitar, above my head in honor of you. So you are now occupying the top space in my mind. So that beautiful PRS gold top is for you, that's for you.
Speaker 2:So if you had done less, you would have got the one down in the corner that's painted in some pseudo Japanese, chinese dragon year of the dragon theme. So you'll know if you mess up, because I'll put that one up over my head, but it is next to my silver base and my bronze, fretless, just in case.
Speaker 4:Every time I see you, I think of Wayne's World. Wayne's World.
Speaker 2:Hell of a good place. Oh, I was in love with Tia Carrera. I was in love with her. Tj, I was in love with Tia Carrera.
Speaker 4:I was in love with her. Yes, I'm going to say TJ, I'm not going to Reno.
Speaker 3:I chose not to go to Reno because, number one, I don't like Reno and number two, I just don't want to be around some of these guys.
Speaker 2:Are you allowed to go back to Reno after that incident? I'm joking, I'm joking. Look, you thought I found out right. I'm joking, I'm joking.
Speaker 4:Look, you were like you thought I found out right.
Speaker 3:No no because I thought I yelled at something I thought I yelled. I thought I was talking about from the tournament. I'm like I've had a couple of different little spats with people.
Speaker 3:But no, no, no, honestly, I'm not a big fan of Reno and, quite honestly, I mean didn't feel like going there and spending my money on certain people, so I decided not to go. I do have some kids that are going to be going again, and my wife is fortunate enough to go, but I know you're heading out there, tj, with expectations and stuff. What are you thinking?
Speaker 4:I'm not sure. I mean, like I said, I know that I was looking at some of the stats and who was signed up for the event. We'll see who actually ends up being there when they fight. I mean, I think you'll have a couple more, some of the fewer, higher, other higher level athletes from the USA there, so there'll be a the addition of those. I think you lost some from Canada and I was speaking to a lot of my coaches out there. A lot of them aren't coming to the U S open. Some of them are, but we see what the divisions look like once they put them out.
Speaker 4:I'm excited. Is it the US Open? The US Open, yeah, the.
Speaker 3:US.
Speaker 4:Open is in Reno, I mean I know the Uzbekistan goes.
Speaker 2:No, no, go ahead.
Speaker 3:I was watching you try to say Uzbekistan.
Speaker 2:Uzbekistan.
Speaker 3:Uzbekistan. I was having a struggle. Oh, even better, uzbekistan is going to be coming.
Speaker 2:That's a true Kazakhstani pronunciation of it Uzbekistan. It's correct. Most people say Uzbekistan and it's not Uzbekistan.
Speaker 3:Uzbekistan is good Uzbekistan yeah.
Speaker 2:But they're coming. I mean, they're supposed to be coming. I know Argentina is there.
Speaker 3:Yeah, but they're coming. I mean, they're supposed to be coming. I know Argentina is there, mexico is there. Of course, like you said, some of the top athletes from the United States will be there again. So I mean it could be a good mix, and of course, there's just a bunch of other Americans as well. The divisions look a little bit larger. I'm not quite sure about the overall quality. I mean, I think the upper echelon will be pretty well represented, but the other ones are some, you know, maybe some lower level guys. They're just trying to take a shot, and which is awesome, which is exactly what they should do. I think the cadet junior divisions same thing are a little bit bigger as well. So people have, you know, a little bit longer of a day. So I'm uh, I'll be watching, I'll watch on tv, so I'll see how you guys all do it. I uh, I'm curious to see, um, how match up again, it should be interesting.
Speaker 4:Do you know how to say hello in Uzbekistan?
Speaker 2:Do you guys know how to say hello in Uzbekistan language? Do you want to know how? Hold on.
Speaker 4:Hello, that's how you say hello.
Speaker 2:I was like, oh, you say salam. But yeah, I was like, oh, that's how you say hello. I was going to try to say hello to you in Uzbekistan-ish ease, because I've actually been to Uzbekistan a few times.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I think for the brackets, though I think right now because all the ranking points are still a little low and everybody's kind of not settled yet. So it makes for a couple of good matches here there, like early in the day or at times. They normally wouldn't happen, you know.
Speaker 2:So and it'll be good. Everyone's just there well, let's go, you know there's something else I, I think we I want to talk about, and I, you know me, I always like to bring up the topics that people hesitate to talk about, um well, I got something you know, you do it. I don't want I don't know.
Speaker 3:no, this is probably the same it's probably the same topic, because I think it's important and crucial, and it dovetails into many of the things that Warehouse 15 is known for, besides its cool apparel so I mean, listen, I'm gonna start it because there's, there's, there's a couple of different versions of you know, I want to talk about and and I'm gonna say this again, disclaimer, this is not, this is not personal, because I'm gonna, I'm gonna, I'm gonna talk about a couple people today that I actually happen to like as people. Like when I say I like them as people, nothing but respectful to me, nothing but polite to me, I don't have anything bad to say about them as a person at all, like zero. I will question why they're in certain positions and I'm going to start right now because it's a hot topic in the United States. There was a staff named and right now it's just for the cadet and junior national team, along with team trainers and along with staff, and I'm not going to say anything about the coaches. At one moment they say merit and then some people have people on the team, some people don't, but I like the staff, I think they're fine. My problem is with two different positions, one trainers and one leaders, and I'm going to put it out there. I just saw a name on the staff as a trainer and, if I'm not mistaken, I could be 100% wrong and maybe, tj, you can correct me or somebody can put in the comments, but from what I know, this person is a trainer and hasn't been around for about four or five years, if I'm not mistaken, since the 2020 Olympic qualification event and this guy is now on the staff as a trainer. And so my question is how does this guy get on the staff one and you two? Are you telling me there's no other coach that's been to nationals and trials and international events over and over and over over the last four years that wasn't capable to fill that role? It drives me absolutely nuts, because I like this guy. When I tell you I like this guy, I like this guy a lot, but how he was positioned there is unfathomable for me, which takes me to my other position.
Speaker 3:So in each group, you have three coaches and two trainers. That's five staff people, three coaches on the cadet team and two trainers, and then you have a USAT administration person and another person. So you got management, you got coaches, you got trainers, and then you have a person that's been named to a title that I've never even heard of the team lead for the team lead yeah, the team lead for juniors and cadet. Meanwhile, the person doesn't really even have athletes in that category, but even more to the more to the point, like what is their role? What is their function? What is this person in particular Again, nice person to me, a super nice person. I have nothing bad to say about her but are you telling me that this person has the expertise to be the leader and the overseer of all this, above these coaches that have been there doing it are there, you know, contributing year after year after year, and this person just gets elevated up there.
Speaker 3:I don't understand it. I don't understand it and I don't even know what it is. Again, I don't know what it is, but the two people that I'm referring to, it's just, it's unbelievable. How does this, how does how do we segue into this? How does this go? I mean cause, one minute, they're saying merit. One minute they're saying who's working with organizations. One word, they're saying as long as you're not detrimental to, I don't even know, but these two people individually, I don't know how they get there.
Speaker 2:So let me, let me let me help you guys with at least a historical perspective of how team leadership used to work or should work, or how the Olympic Committee used to work, and it may have changed so historically. You have mission-critical people, and those are the people that do the training for the athletes and, depending on the budget, you have coaches, assistant coaches and trainers, people that actually hold the targets, or training partners. So we understand that and that really, I don't think has changed much, nor should it change. Above that level, you have head of team or team leaders, or whatever the terminology may be, and theirs is not supposed to be a position based on technical knowledge, but it should be a position based on organizational knowledge, and they're literally water carriers. They're the guys that go out, get the fruit and the vegetables and the sports drinks, and if somebody needs something specific, they do that so that the coaches can focus on coaching and the athletes can focus on winning.
Speaker 2:But you've got to remember the polluted and nepotistic atmosphere that the athletes and the coaches find themselves in now. Athletes are cajoled or threatened to have to go train in I don't know some backwood area of Kentucky or somewhere, and if they don't, then they don't have a chance of making the team or they don't get coached, or if they do show up and they're not going, they don't get coached. So that's level one. Level two is the organization has decided to maintain the people in power by removing anybody else that has knowledge or ability or is merit-based. So they've taken second, third and fourth tier people. They've eliminated first and second tier people that have history.
Speaker 3:That's where they're going. That's where they're going. Yeah, that's where they're going. They've eliminated first and second tier. That's what they've done.
Speaker 2:So they've gotten anybody that actually had success and could threaten their jobs. Because, let's be clear, if they were to put a first or second tier person in any position in USAT, there would be two things that would happen immediately. Number one Steve McNally would be fired. Number two, jay Warwick would be fired as well because he's taking a paycheck, because he hasn't found a paycheck or a plane ticket he doesn't love. Number three, high performance director would probably be gone, as would Sherman Nelson, whatever his position is, because he's not value-added. Because in a mission-critical sport organization, value-added means what you do is crucial and adds to either revenue or to winning. And I can't say that Steve McNally, who hasn't done anything other than be a marketer, pr director of nonsense. Jay Warwick didn't win when he competed and didn't win when he was executive director, and I could say the same about pretty much everybody else in that third and fourth what I call third and fourth tiers. So now, when you empower third and fourth tier people, they're extremely happy. And do you know why? Because, much like a weed under the concrete, they haven't seen sunlight. And when you break the concrete and you allow them to see sunlight, they're so glad that they're getting water and they're getting sunlight, that they're willing to carry the water and say yes, sir, yes, sir, yes, sir, yes, sir. And so it doesn't matter anymore. And the results aren't there. So that's what's happening Now.
Speaker 2:I'm not surprised by it, because if you look at any good plutocracy, any good oligarchy, any good monarchy, any good thing like that, the first thing they do is kill the smart ones Cuba by way of example. When Cuba decided it was going to be communist, the very first thing is they exited everyone that could threaten that. So all the people that had money got to leave, and in fact, they welcomed them to leave. Leave your money and leave. And they got to leave and they got rid of anyone that could cause them any problems and, as a result, cuba still continues to exist.
Speaker 2:When you leave the people that can cause you trouble in power, they will come back to kill you, and this happened in USA Taekwondo before. So they learned the lessons of what happened to the guys like Sang Lee and their predecessors when you had people in the room that were first here some of us who are on the phone now. We got rid of everybody that was doing bad things. We killed them, we got rid of them. So this group has learned a lesson because, quite frankly, jay Warwick got killed by them and then he got back and now he's got the ultimate revenge. He's the only guy in the room that was originally a first year person, so he's smart enough now not to have a single colleague or compatriot or contemporary in the room with him, because then he knows what will happen he will be out of the room.
Speaker 2:Steve McNally, I don't understand how they rehired them. The very first thing I would do is take the board on a trip, a one-way ticket, fly them back to their country of origin, wherever that is, and leave them there and let them get home, however they would, because they've done nothing for the organization except to disempower it. All right, anyway, I'll get a lot of comments on that later.
Speaker 3:Let's. I mean TJ, I want to. I mean, if you don't have anything to say about that little staff thing that I mentioned, I mean that's fine. If you do, you can go ahead. But I mean, if not, I'm going to get. I want to get to something that you posted yesterday and I want to ask you a couple of questions about that. But you, I mean, do you want to say anything about that or comment on what I talked about? No, you're right.
Speaker 4:Right, I talked about no, you're right on, right on. So I think I put it in my post. They do what they want, how they want, when they want. If they want to make a position, they make a position. If they don't want it to exist, no more. There's no more space. There's this reason. It's because of this, it's because of this, it's because of this. I just, I just want everyone to remember, like even some of the people that are on, how they acted when you guys were on the team, how they treated you when you were on the team. So remember that and taking those positions, and at least make sure, if you're on the inside, you're fixing it, because remember what they did and how they put you to the side. That's it. You can go ahead.
Speaker 3:So let me, if I want to talk, I'm going to go on your. When I read your thing, it was obviously lengthy. I mean it appears it was pretty thought out. It seemed like it came from some emotion. But experience and I think that's the best way I can put it I mean you were frustrated, let's use that word. But it all comes from experience and I read it like a couple of times because I wanted to see if I could poke holes in it. And when I started reading it, I mean, obviously you've told me things that pertain to me, my relationship with you and how it's affected you, but it was never for me to talk publicly about that because that was for you. But now that you opened up that can of worms, I'm going to talk about first things.
Speaker 3:First, people think about this If our leadership, if your leadership, has told another coach that because he's who he's associated with, he is not going to be considered, no matter what he does, no matter what merit he has, it's only because you have a friendship or a relationship with another group or person. Like, what does that say? Like, how does that say we want the best for our organization? Now, tj, if you were nobody. You have no results, you have no performances. Okay, you know you're asking for a favor, but if people in the organization said, hey, who you hang out with, they don't like that person. And so, because they don't like that person and you like that person, now you can't be part of the club, you can't be part of the team, what are we saying? You know what's crazy.
Speaker 4:It's like a rotating joke. It's like everyone in the room knows this. Everyone in the room knows this. They know this, they understand this. It's spoken about, it's whispered about, it's rumored about. They know this for 100% fact. It's not a secret. Nobody thinks it's a secret.
Speaker 3:No, and I'll apologize because, honestly, I don't know why they don't like me. I don't know if it's jealousy, I don't know if it's, I don't know.
Speaker 2:They don't like you because you like me.
Speaker 2:You're right, probably Herb, no, no, let's get clear If you're friends with me, and I'm okay with that, because I don't like clowns, I don't like ass clowns. So you know this all starts with the fear of people right, imposter, failure, imposter syndrome. When you yourself don't believe that you are good enough, it affects your performance and the very first thing you do is you do a Tanya Harding on people. You get out the bat and you hit people in the knees out the building. And this is the USA culture right now.
Speaker 2:In Taekwondo, steve McNally knows he's not a CEO. He knows that more than he knows who he is. Every time he gets threatened, the next phone call he makes is threatening. I can't tell you the times he sent me threatening texts. I'm like knock yourself out, go ahead, jay Warwick. Every time he feels threatened, you get a phone call. Aren't we still friends? Don't people say you're not saying nice things about me? No, I'm not saying nice things about you. This is a you know.
Speaker 2:I just got off a podcast with a dear friend of mine, Sifu Harinda Singh, and he said you know, one of the things I like about you is you're authentic and you're you unapologetically. You, yeah, I am, and that's what we should all be. So, with regard to these guys, coach both of you. They don't you gotta feel honored. Feel honored? No, no, we're going to get a mug, and the mug is going to say I too have been ostracized by the the the ass clown show. And so, with that said, yeah, they don't want their best and brightest and they hope the rest will make it through. Because, to be honest, over the past five to 10 years, the decisions that have been made by this particular leadership group the very first thing I would do is undo all of them and get the petition together. I'll come in and lead USA Taekwondo for one year and I'll fix it in a year, and everybody can kill me on the way out, but the reality is that the organization is going the wrong direction.
Speaker 3:But you know what the herb difference is. Okay, you've, you've, you've been outspoken about it in social media and whatever. Like me, I don't even talk. I mean, since we started this podcast, I've talked about some trials and situations, but really I have no stick in the fire, which is crazy. So that means I haven't been in an organization for five years Five years minimum, I think it's longer, but let's say five years.
Speaker 2:Juan, coach, coach, coach. Think about this for a minute. You ever watch Game of Thrones? Yeah, all right. When you kill somebody, you don't just kill them, you kill them, you kill their family, you kill their children, you kill their children's children, you kill anybody that know them, because then they can never come back. Virtue of what's happening with tj is they're saying to tj, you know him, you'll probably still be with him. So if we give you something, you won't suck off the proverbial global teat of Steve McNally and Jay Warwick. You will revert and become Juan's biggest fan and biggest friend.
Speaker 3:Listen, the reason I'm talking about it TJ opened up the can. And the reason I'm talking about it today is because, tj, you said it. Everybody knows. You know how many people I got calls of people who just got put on staffs and they called me to thank me for my support from when they first started and now they're getting there. They thanked me and they said you know what I'll still, I'm always going to be respectful, blah, blah, blah blah. And I'm thinking to myself. But that these people throughout the years yeah, you know they don't mess with you, juan, you know they don't like peak Juan, you know they're not going to let you they said I'm like okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay. But like what is that again? Five years? I'm not, I'm not even. I haven't even been to a USA Tech Wando event. I went to the team trials and people are like what are you doing here? I and I left the next day, that's it.
Speaker 2:Literally, you don't have a lifetime membership.
Speaker 3:I don't have a lifetime membership.
Speaker 3:I got one of those To hear that two staff members are telling TJ not to be friends with Juan, not to think, to be so petty like you might watch a training and then go tell Juan and Juan will tell the Brazilians. Yo, no to you fools. We've beaten you guys before and I didn't need anything, so stop that. I mean it's just a match. I mean you guys are ridiculous. It's so petty that people need to know, and people need to know that we know People need to know that we are going to try to get rid of this stuff.
Speaker 2:Can I tell you a story that was related to me and I won't tell you One more thing.
Speaker 3:One more thing it's even worse when people try to act like they're your friends, when people try to act like they got your best interest, when people that you've known for years say, yeah, it's not right, but yet they go in that circle and do the exact same thing for year after year after year, and so it's too much.
Speaker 2:Here's the.
Speaker 4:Sorry you year after year and so. So here's too much, here's the, here's the sorry, here 's you're good, you're, and you're, you're good and it's not wrong. That's the biggest part. That's the biggest part when the upper echelon of people you know for a long time can sit there and tell you that they know it's not right. They can tell you that you're being shit on. They're literally saying it to your face and they're in the mix, and then they're shitting on you too. What is the what is the what? What? What's the deal Like? I don't understand. You can't tell me that this is wrong and this is wrong and this is wrong, but you do it again and again and again. It's like then, then what are we doing? Just because, just just be, like you said, just because of who I'm associated with, because I'm a, I'm a, I'm sometimes, I'm going to be somewhere, I'm going to see something, and it's going to change the whole outcome of the tournament. I don't know if that's like a superpower of mine, but it's the most absurd thing I've ever heard in my entire life. And, like you said, if that's what you fear, you have bigger problems.
Speaker 3:And the funny thing is, I mean TJ is like you know, this is not, this is not my opinion right now. This is not my opinion. These are facts, these were said, these are being said and so you know, these guys gotta own up for that, like I. I mean in a strange way, that's some kind of like I don't know what the term is. I mean like like if you're, if, if our organization is out. I keep saying our if you're, if that organization is out, because it is our, because that's what?
Speaker 4:because you can't like the, the it's. It's the fact of how it is it matters.
Speaker 3:It's hard not to say it yeah, it's hard because I mean yeah, but if, if, whether it's me and my peak people or john smith, if our group says we need to keep that group out, for whatever reason that is, you guys state that you say, oh someone, that's detrimental to the organization. You're detrimental to the organization because you're not looking for the best people, you're looking to keep people away for whatever reason. And I keep going back to this five-year thing. I haven't, since these guys have come into administration, I haven't been part of it. Literally, I haven't been a part of it. Literally I haven't been a part of it. Yet they'll still say things like that to you, tj, and to others.
Speaker 4:Like it or not, and they sell it to everyone around them. I've been at competitions and I've been intense moments coaching my guys in between rounds and I think it was oh, I need you to hit that shit harder Talking about the chess card to my guy, and I think it was oh, I need you to hit that shit harder. Talking about the chess card to my guy, I had the referees come up to me afterwards and tell me A you can't talk like that. The referees wanted to give you a yellow card At a USAT event. They said that to me About me talking to my athlete who's in the military in between rounds. Fast forward to nationals. They let a coach call a child a bitch, a bitch Twice. They let him call him a B-word and did nothing about it. The referees didn't do anything about it. The organization didn't do anything about it. They stood there. He stood there and yelled at the parent in the stands yelling at the grown-ass man talking crap to his child. It told him to sit down.
Speaker 2:So that same coach. Right, let me relate a story. I won't tell you where I got the story from, but I can tell you I got it from the source. A particular athlete female athlete won the ultimate goal on the way out to the award medal ceremony. The coach I won't mention his name, gareth brown. Um, did I mention his name? Sorry? Sorry, mr Brown. Appropriate name, appropriate color says to the athlete, grabs her and says you remember this? You would be nothing without me. This is not your medal, this is mine. You'd be nothing without me.
Speaker 2:So if that's pervasive in the way the coach is talking to an athlete, why does the b word surprise you? Why does any of this surprise you? And it shouldn't surprise you because this is unfettered power. Unfettered power. There's nobody watching the shop. There's nobody they respect watching the shop. And the guy who should be in the room teaching the legacy, mr I am. Oh, let me teach you how to be on the US team. That was Jay Warwick's coaching when he was captain. The very guy who should be teaching the ethics and the morals. When I call him up and I send a note to him about this same coach, giving the middle finger and putting it on Facebook, nothing, crickets. He's like well, you know, know, we don't feel, you don't feel. What could you imagine, during the days when we were fighting, if we had done that, what would have happened to us? So the guy who's supposed to be the taekwondo guy in the room, the ethics, the moral keeper, where is he like?
Speaker 2:he's drinking wine even worse no he's drinking wine on montana in a river and he's going to only when he has to and he he's taking the free plane tickets and the free trips. So you can go hang out with Jungkook Young and the guy that beat him all the time and laugh about the past and his past failures. But anyway.
Speaker 3:I think the point of it is like these things happen and there's no repercussions, but yet you're going to have a microscope on someone like yourself, tj, because you might see something in a practice. But you said I don't know the athlete you're talking about, herb that said that. He said that too, but these are two different coaches, first of all. But again, I never spoke about this publicly because it wasn't my. Again, when it's a culture culture, yes, you're right, and I never. I never mentioned, I never spoke about this publicly because it wasn't my conversation. This was me and tj's conversation privately. He put it in public.
Speaker 3:That's what I'm talking about now, just like I've had different calls from family members and said I want to say something but I can't because we have an agreements and this, and that I'm like it's sad that grown parents feel afraid to say something but I can't because we have an agreement and this, and that I'm like it's sad that grown parents feel afraid to say something, too afraid to speak up on behalf of their kids or whatever else, because of retribution. They feel like they have to go to certain places to train. If not, they will never get the chance to get to the Olympics. That's the culture that is here right now. That's not even my Juan Moreno culture, the peak performance culture that I feel. That's the parents telling us. That's the parents taking exodus to go move their families and train other places, because if not, if not, they don't have a choice.
Speaker 4:They don't have a choice. Everyone knows it. It's not a secret. Everybody knows it. It's not a secret. Everybody knows it. You all talk about it, we all talk about it, we know it and we've accepted it. And it's going to keep happening over and, over and over again. There's way too much talent to tell me that this is the only way. It's impossible. It's never been like that. It's impossible. It, it's impossible. It's never been like that. It's impossible. It doesn't work like that. It shouldn't be like that. I don't know what agreement or whatever, that you can't speak out or say what you feel. If that's not, I don't know what you call that. But if that's not bullying or whatever words you guys like to use, I don't know what is?
Speaker 3:Listen, that's blackmail. That's not you know. I keep hearing this word culture. We're trying to build a culture. You're doing just the opposite. You're telling people they can't talk. You're eliminating people that want to help and want to be successful, people that have put in time, and you're just getting in all these.
Speaker 3:I'm all for new blood, don't mistake it. People are doing well. There's a junior coach Again, I don't want to mention people's names on here that I think is doing really well. Put a couple of kids on national team and guess what? He's there. Hey man, good for you, I'm happy I see them when he used to come to my seminars. His program is growing up. He's producing good cadet and junior level athletes. Good for you. So I'm all for that new blood.
Speaker 3:But don't tell me you're going to put these positions of guys or put people in a position that haven't been around the organization for five years. Don't tell me you're going to build a new literally a new role that is not going to do anything, to take resources and money. When we can't pay for cadets and juniors to do things, we don't have money for other senior national teammates. Well, we don't have things organized. It's it's. It's just sad. I mean people need to talk about that.
Speaker 3:And I know people say we're trying, we're trying, we're trying. You know, I know they had this town meeting and they're they're going back to a regional centers and stuff. God bless them. This is the third time. And I will say, you know they were like listen is the third time. And I will say, you know they were like listen. I know we've tried it before but we gotta keep trying. Hope you guys have a better mousetrap because, for whatever reason, you know, the two guys that see we're on that call never had a program, never developed athletes from the. You know, from the beginning, uh, one was part of a program, I can say that. But and and now you guys have come up with a plan, I don't know. I mean, it doesn't, doesn't seem to make a lot of sense, doesn't seem to make a lot of sense. But anyway, tj, look, I'm meanwhile, meanwhile I get the call.
Speaker 4:I get the call and I'm told I have one of the highest tech window iqs in our country but I'm being not utilized. Again, I'm being, I'm, I'm being, I'm being told how good I, but I can't work with you guys by the people that are there right now and it's not going to change unless X, y and Z happens. Like it doesn't make any sense.
Speaker 3:It doesn't make any sense. Tj, do it right now. Denounce your friendship with me. We are no longer friends.
Speaker 4:We are no longer friends. I do not like the colors blue and yellow. I am TJ.
Speaker 2:Did that word phone ring. Does the phone ring? I accept Did it work, wait no.
Speaker 4:No, I can't do it no no, I won't do it no. No phone calls. Give it to TJ. No phone calls from me.
Speaker 2:All right, gentlemen. Well, I think we've hit that topic now. If you want to um a couple of things, let's get started to go fund me, so I'll make this commitment to everyone. If you want me to help USA Taekwondo, I will do it free for one year. I won't take a salary. No plane tickets, nothing. I will fix it. I will get rid of all the clowns. I will fix it. The go fund me will rid of all the clowns.
Speaker 2:I will fix it. The GoFundMe will be to get plane tickets for them to go back to whence they came. Let's send Steve McNally back to. I thought it was Australia, but somebody told me it's Great Britain. I'm sure they'd welcome him back. I'm sure there's a job waiting for him. Come on, man, they love America, america.
Speaker 2:Well, they got to listen. We used to be the guy that did the OxyClean, so they probably need another OxyClean spokesman, and that's what he is and that's what the GoFundMe will be. So start the petition, start the GoFundMe and I will do it for a year, fix it and then I promise at the end of the year I'll leave and put somebody better in. Second, fire the board of directors. I will find a way to replace everybody on the board of directors, because they are responsible for this. And then, thirdly, we'll make it a meritocracy again and I think it would be good and I think we could fix it. But that's my challenge to everybody Now. If you're willing to do that, the guy who starts or the girl who starts to go, fund me. I got some warehouse 15 swag for you, so just let me know your size and we'll send it off four different people.
Speaker 3:It's not a lot, but four different people at different things, like hey, when are you gonna do the shirt thing?
Speaker 2:or hey, tell them to send me the thing. All I ask is we'll get them whatever a hoodie, t-shirt, whatever they want hat. They got to do a social media post on it and it's got got to say sorry, but sorry, not sorry, that's it. That's all I asked for. Nobody needs to say anything else Sorry, not sorry, that's it. On the other side of it, though Closing thoughts from my two my well, my new. We're going to raise him now. He's going to change his name to best coach, not bronze TJ, tj. Closing thoughts.
Speaker 2:No, I mean, I think we talked always a place for you in Canada, apparently go ahead.
Speaker 4:It's a woman, he's good. Yeah, I'm chilling. No, I just just again, like you, I think coach will hit it right on the head. I don't want this to be personal. I've talked to, I talked to a lot of people. I'm nice to a lot of people. We I have a lot of a lot of these people are my friends and people that, like I'd say, I work with very well. This is just. This is just what the case is. I don't want to hear, of course, like the thing is you're a hater, you're this. I don't know about nobody else, I don't involve anything else. This is my experience and what I've had to deal with. That's it. And, like I said again, thank you guys for everyone who reached out and said the nice things and in support of me. I appreciate you always and I'll see you guys soon.
Speaker 3:Coach Moreno, yeah, I mean, I'll echo that Again, I said it earlier these people, I mean I like them as people. They haven't done me wrong at all. I just question the why. But I'm going to say something, tj, I'm going to challenge all those people, because I've seen, for example, I've seen you put some posts up, tj, and it's like like, like, like, like, like, like All those people that I know you're out there watching on social media. You didn't comment one and I know that the names of the people, nothing, nothing. Oh, we're with you, tj. Oh, we understand TJ. We hope it gets better. Tj, nothing.
Speaker 3:Shame on you guys. Shame on you guys for just being quiet. Shame on you guys for not feeling brave enough to speak your mind as adults, as coaches, as supporters, because you guys know what's right and you know what's wrong, and for me it's just, it's not correct. You don't have to be as brash as I'm being today. You don't have to be as mean as being Juan is being mean. I know how to be a professional. I've been a professional for 30, 40 years in this game and I have a lot more friends than enemies. But it how to be a professional. I've been a professional for 30, 40 years in this game and I have a lot more friends than enemies. But it needs to be said and I wish people that talk all this stuff behind closed doors would be adults enough to do the right thing and support when you say stuff like this, tj. So kudos to you, brother, I'm proud of you and we keep moving forward Well the warehouse.
Speaker 2:You know, one of the things I'll say is I've spent a long time trying to fix things in your organization and usually what happens is everybody calls you and they want you to step up and they say they'll be there when you turn around. You're alone and that's okay. I've been in that room too many times. So I hope that some of them step up for you, brother, like we are stepping up for you, and I hope that we can find a way for the great, inimitable, unrefutably worst CEO in the history of mankind and his COO co-partner to go back. Jay can go back and fish fly fish in Montana and Steve McNally can go back to selling OxiClean wherever that is that he's from. But in the words of the Warehouse 15, it's been real, real nice. And again, if we offended you, sorry, not sorry, we're out, peace.