When leadership changes at a major competition like the AAU National Championships, what happens to the quality of the event? Olympic medalists and veteran coaches Juan "The Mayor of Taekwondo" Moreno and TJ "Bronze" Grimes take us behind the scenes of the recent tournament in Salt Lake City, providing a raw, unfiltered look at what worked and what critically failed.

The 3,400+ competitor event showed promising participation numbers, especially in youth divisions where color belts had multiple matches. But beneath this success lurked serious problems: inexperienced referees making critical errors, procedural inconsistencies that changed match outcomes, and most troublingly, young children competing without coaches present. The hosts don't just criticize—they offer concrete solutions while acknowledging the challenges of rebuilding after a leadership exodus.

The conversation shifts to broader themes in combat sports, including a takedown of Joe Rogan's claims about his Taekwondo background (did he really have "Olympic aspirations"?), and a fascinating parallel with USA Soccer's systemic development problems following their disappointing loss to Mexico. Both discussions highlight how organizational structures and leadership directly impact athletic performance and development.

This episode delivers more than just tournament talk—it's a masterclass in sports organization from two coaches who've experienced everything from local competitions to Olympic gold medal matches. Whether you're a coach, competitor, or martial arts enthusiast, you'll gain valuable insights into what makes competitions succeed or fail at the most fundamental levels.

Have you experienced poor officiating at a tournament? Share your stories and join the conversation about how we can collectively improve competition experiences for athletes at all levels.

What happens when a combat sport's scoring system fundamentally changes what techniques are rewarded? In this revealing episode, we analyze footage from the Grand Prix Challenge match between CJ Nicholas (USA) and Sol Jungwoo (Korea) that highlights everything wrong with modern electronic scoring in Taekwondo.

Through frame-by-frame analysis, we expose phantom points, missing techniques, and bizarre scoring anomalies that have become commonplace in high-level competition. More troubling is how these systems have transformed the very nature of the sport – athletes now prioritize any contact with electronic sensors over proper technique, power, and the strategic movement patterns that once defined Taekwondo.

The conversation takes a nostalgic but critical turn as we compare today's matches with footage from the 1988 Olympics and 1989 World Championships. We lament the loss of Taekwondo's "attacking matrix" – the beautiful technical framework where every attack had a logical counter, creating a complex and effective martial art. Today's linear exchanges, with athletes standing toe-to-toe trading front leg techniques, bear little resemblance to the dynamic combat that made Taekwondo an Olympic sport.

We also discuss international training experiences across generations, from our own teenage adventures training in Korea with no language skills to watching the next generation navigate similar journeys today. These cultural exchanges remain one of the sport's most valuable traditions even as the competitive landscape continues to evolve.

Is Taekwondo losing its identity in pursuit of objectivity? Can electronic scoring be fixed to reward proper technique? Or should we create parallel competition formats to preserve the art's technical heritage? Join our passionate discussion about the future of this Olympic martial art.

The dark underbelly of competitive Taekwondo surfaces in this revealing episode as coaches Juan Moreno, Fred Borchardt, and TJ Proe dissect the technical disaster that unfolded at the recent Grand Prix Challenge in Charlotte. What began as a standard tournament quickly descended into chaos when the DADO Gen 3 electronic scoring system malfunctioned spectacularly, with officials secretly adjusting sensitivity levels midway through the competition.

Through firsthand accounts, the coaches expose how morning matches yielded only 16 total points across all rings, while afternoon sessions suddenly exploded with scores in the 30s and 40s. Athletes who fought early faced completely different conditions than those who competed later, fundamentally compromising the integrity of the entire event. The magnets in the new Gen 3 socks proved so powerful they would attract each other even in storage bags—a telling sign of a system gone terribly wrong. As one coach states bluntly, "We're on Generation 3 and it's gotten worse and worse and worse."

Beyond the technical failures, the discussion ventures into troubling territory regarding organizational leadership, selective rule enforcement, and the puzzling decision by officials to declare front hand punches non-scoring techniques despite allowing them to determine match outcomes. The episode isn't all criticism, though, as the coaches highlight impressive performances from CJ Nickolas and other athletes who managed to adapt and excel despite the flawed environment. The conversation concludes with hope-inspiring details about a collaborative international training camp that demonstrates what's possible when coaches and athletes focus on shared knowledge rather than politics.

Whether you're a competitor, coach, parent, or fan of combat sports, this episode provides crucial insight into the challenges facing modern Taekwondo. Listen now to understand why the sport's technological growing pains threaten its competitive integrity, and how the community might chart a path forward.

What happens when three Olympic-level Taekwondo masters remove their filters and speak their unvarnished truth about the state of the sport? The Warehouse 15 podcast delivers exactly that as Coach Juan Moreno, Herb Perez, and TJ dive deep into the challenges facing modern Taekwondo.

The conversation begins with TJ sharing his vision for his newly opened training facility, where he aims to create an environment focused on competitive excellence rather than traditional formalities. This sparks a broader discussion about how proper training environments should build athlete pipelines while fostering a culture of mentorship where champions help develop the next generation.

Drawing from US Olympic Committee research, the trio tackles the controversial question of athletic specialization, arguing that the trend toward single-sport focus before age 18 is damaging athletic development across all sports. They share personal experiences of how cross-training and multi-sport participation builds better overall athletes, while lamenting how modern coaching often forces premature specialization.

The conversation reaches its most passionate point when discussing World Taekwondo's rule-making process. They critique the closed system where small committees make decisions with limited external input, often originating from the Korean Taekwondo Association before being adopted globally. This leads to a deeper examination of Taekwondo's identity crisis – is it still the full-contact martial art it was designed to be, or has it been fundamentally altered by electronic scoring and spectator-focused rule changes?

Whether you're a competitor, coach, or martial arts enthusiast, this episode offers rare insights into the sport's challenges from those who've experienced it at the highest levels. Join us for a conversation that's as educational as it is entertaining – ending with a lighthearted challenge between two Olympic veterans that proves their competitive fires still burn bright.

Three Olympic gold medalists engage in a no-holds-barred critique of USA Taekwondo's latest cash grab – yet another "Talent ID Camp" charging athletes $225 for a chance to be "discovered." The hosts unpack why this approach fundamentally misunderstands how genuine talent identification works in successful sports programs worldwide.

Drawing from their extensive experience both as athletes and coaches, they contrast USAT's pay-to-participate model with legitimate talent development systems used by countries like Australia and China, as well as private initiatives that return proceeds directly to participating athletes. The discussion reveals a troubling pattern of leadership treating the organization as a "personal playground" while members remain complacent.

Most revealing is their analysis of how America's most promising taekwondo talents are currently developing outside the national system. Athletes like Michael Rodriguez and North are finding success through private coaching arrangements, raising serious questions about the effectiveness of centralized training programs that force athletes to abandon successful coaching relationships.

With the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics approaching and America automatically qualifying four athletes as host nation, the team examines what this means for USA Taekwondo's development pipeline and Olympic prospects. Their candid conversation provides an insider's view of the challenges facing American taekwondo and what must change for the U.S. to maximize its potential on the world stage.

The podcast wraps with exciting predictions about the upcoming Grand Prix Challenge and reflections on what truly makes a champion – the right training partners, dedicated coaches, and the freedom to build on success rather than constantly starting over.

Three Olympic Taekwondo veterans discuss the controversial Gen 3 chest protector technology causing scoring chaos ahead of the World Championships, while examining how officiating decisions are negatively impacting the sport's strategic diversity.

• Gen 3 chest protectors showing serious malfunctions at the President's Cup with random point registrations
• American athletes disadvantaged by training on outdated systems while international events use newer technology
• Referees increasingly eager to issue deductions rather than allowing fighters to develop their natural styles
• Rules have eliminated strategic diversity by penalizing defensive tactics that should be respected as legitimate approaches
• Team culture deterioration has created an "us versus them" mentality between the national organization and independent athletes
• Historical team captain selection based on seniority and accomplishment has been replaced by organizational control
• Upcoming Grand Prix Challenge training camp aims to foster collaboration between athletes from various backgrounds

Our goal with the camp is to bring athletes together for growth and development, not to compete against each other but to learn from one another. It's completely free because we believe in giving back to the sport whenever possible.

What if everything you thought you knew about creating champion fighters was wrong? In this raw, unfiltered conversation with Olympic gold medalist Herb Perez and bronze medalist Juan Moreno, we crack open the uncomfortable truth about what's really happening in American Taekwondo.

The discussion begins with a critical examination of the recent Cadet World Championships, where Russia's dominance reveals a stark contrast to America's approach. Despite our supposed advantages in resources and population, we're watching other countries consistently outperform us—and it's not for lack of talented athletes.

"You take kids from a system they're growing in, just to go there, and then what?" TJ asks, challenging the centralized training model that uproots athletes from their support networks. Moreno and Perez both built their Olympic success outside the system, training in environments where accountability wasn't optional and performance wasn't just measured, but expected by entire communities who knew them by name.

The conversation takes a fascinating turn when Perez shares insights about his mentor, the legendary Stephen Vizio—one of the first non-Asians accepted into traditional Kung Fu schools who later created an underground fighting system that produced champions across combat sports. His philosophical approach distilled fighting to its essence: "Do what you do well, avoid what you don't do well, and exploit the weaknesses of what other people don't do well."

Between discussions of "pimps and pinky rings" in sports leadership and the absurdity of talent identification camps for athletes who have already proven themselves, this episode offers a masterclass in what actually develops champions versus what merely creates the appearance of development.

Whether you're a fighter, coach, or simply fascinated by high-performance mindsets, this conversation will challenge your assumptions about talent development and make you question the systems we've built to create excellence. Subscribe now and join us next week when our hosts share stories about the mentors who transformed their lives.

Olympic medalists Juan Moreno, TJ , and Herb Perez pull no punches in this raw, unfiltered examination of what's happening behind the scenes in American taekwondo.

Coach Moreno shares fascinating insights from his training camp in Uzbekistan, where he's witnessed a thriving system with nine full-time coaches for their senior team, impressive test matches, and remarkable depth of talent. The contrast between this environment and the current USA program becomes the springboard for a deeper conversation about leadership, accountability, and inclusion in American taekwondo.

The coaches reveal their frustrations with USA Taekwondo leadership's systematic exclusion of Olympic medalists and experienced coaches from the national program. Despite reaching out directly to program directors, these accomplished coaches receive no response whatsoever – a stunning lack of professional courtesy that reveals deeper organizational issues. As Coach Perez pointedly remarks, "The program has been historically run by non-performers."

What emerges is a troubling picture of an organization that, despite significant financial resources, struggles with athlete development and maintaining competitive depth across weight divisions. The coaches question why leadership remains unchanged despite years of underwhelming results, noting that in any other professional sport, such performance would trigger immediate changes. Their proposed solution centers around creating true "buy-in" from the broader taekwondo community – building an inclusive environment where experience is valued and everyone feels respected.

Whether you're a taekwondo practitioner, coach, or simply interested in sports organization development, this episode offers rare insider perspective on what it takes to build truly successful athletic programs. Listen now to hear these Olympic medalists speak truth to power about the sport they love.