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herb
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Honest Conversations with Masters of their craft about life and Olympic Sport Issues

  1. 3D AGO

    Green Stamps For Kicks And Double Secret Probation

    The sport isn’t just fought on the mat anymore, it’s fought in rankings, calendars, email lists, and who gets invited to the table. Tonight at Warehouse 15, we talk candidly about the points culture spreading through Taekwondo and why “more tournaments” doesn’t automatically mean better athlete development when families are paying for every step of the so-called pathway.  We dig into USA Taekwondo and AAU Taekwondo realities that coaches see up close: monthly rankings that feel performative, memorandums of understanding that look like leftover paper from the printer, and a growing sense that governance is being run like PR instead of high-performance sport. We also address serious trust issues, including ongoing suspensions without clear explanations and the kind of rumor mill that can smear coaches for things as absurd as “hacking a Zoom call.”  On the competition side, we preview the Pan American Championships in Brazil, talk travel logistics, and break down what a points reset to zero could mean for the new cycle. We also debate World Taekwondo policies like junior points carrying into senior Grand Prix access, plus scheduling conflicts that make a two-year cycle even messier.  If you care about Taekwondo coaching, athlete funding, competitive fairness, and how leadership decisions ripple into real matches, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share this with a coach or parent, and leave a review so more people can find it. Where do you think the system breaks first: money, transparency, or trust?

    1h 10m
  2. Olympic Hopefuls And The Chancleta Awards

    APR 28

    Olympic Hopefuls And The Chancleta Awards

    Eight years of flat results is not a slump, it’s a signal. We start with the adrenaline of a collegiate taekwondo tournament and quickly get to the bigger question: what are we building in the U.S. right now, and why doesn’t it reliably translate to medals and deep runs at World Taekwondo events? We react to the stats making the rounds, talk about “pound for pound” comparisons, and draw a hard line between a rare phenom and sustained competitive excellence. That turns into a blunt look at national team identity, coaching presence, and the culture shift where early losses get framed as “good experience.” We don’t say it to be harsh, we say it because standards shape outcomes, and the rest of the world can see what we tolerate. From there we get practical: development pipelines, selection systems that keep changing, and why fundamentals still win. Footwork, distance, timing, and clean technique matter more than trendy drills, especially when electronic scoring can push athletes toward habits that look wrong but score. We also preview the Pan American Championships, what different countries have to prove, and why recent rule tweaks hand even more control back to referees at the worst possible moments. If you care about Olympic taekwondo, athlete development, and building a program that’s more than highlights, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a coach or teammate, and leave a review with one change you’d make to fix the pipeline.

    1h 11m
  3. Stop Selling Auditions And Start Coaching

    APR 23

    Stop Selling Auditions And Start Coaching

    The Junior World Championships didn’t just showcase great taekwondo, it exposed which countries are building real systems and which ones are hoping talent can cover the cracks. We walk through what we saw up close: young athletes who look comfortable in chaos, teams that share an unmistakable rhythm, and programs like Uzbekistan that don’t feel “small” when half the bracket seems to come from the same pipeline. From there, we get honest about Team USA. We can compete, we can steal matches, and we can celebrate a medal, but that’s not the same as being dominant. We talk about the development gap and why it shows up early: coaching time, culture, and the unglamorous work of building juniors and cadets who are ready for long tournaments and world-level pressure. Mexico and Brazil become the contrast points. Mexico’s long camps and tournament toughness show how preparation translates on the world stage. Brazil’s hybrid approach highlights a different path: find talent early, invest in it, pair it with experienced support, and create opportunities that are earned, not sold. Then we dig into the uncomfortable stuff, pay-to-play auditions, bloated event calendars, and what happens when selection becomes marketing instead of development. If you care about USA Taekwondo, Olympic taekwondo, athlete development, and what it takes to build a national identity that actually shows up on the mat, this one will hit. Subscribe, share this with a coach or parent, and leave a review, then tell us: what’s the first change you would make?

    1h 5m

  4. APR 14

    When The Scoring Gear Fails And Someone Gets Slept

    A training camp that starts with “easy practice” and immediately turns into full-contact sparring tells you everything you need to know about why Uzbekistan keeps producing world-level taekwondo. We’re calling in from the ground to break down what we’re seeing day to day: morning strength and conditioning, night sessions where everyone is fresh enough to fight for real, and a level of discipline and reps that makes athletes look comfortable even when the pressure spikes. Junior World Championships adds another layer. The matches are loud, fast, and emotional, but what stands out is how organized the best kids are. They play the World Taekwondo scoring system, they understand time and momentum, and they choose the right risks at the right moments. We also get into the uncomfortable stuff: bad electronic scoring gear that changes match reality, an axe kick knockout that sparks a rules debate, and why knockouts still matter in heavier divisions even in the modern game. From there we go straight at the bigger question: what actually separates good from elite? We talk honest post-fight feedback, stealing techniques that beat you, balancing group training with individual practice, and why legacy and culture are not “soft” factors. We end with a blunt look at USA Taekwondo development and the optics of pay-to-attend “Olympic auditions” versus a real high performance pathway. If this hits a nerve, subscribe, share this with a coach or athlete, and leave a review telling us what you’d change first.

    1h 24m
  5. Chuck Norris, Internet Freezes, And AAU Chaos

    MAR 24

    Chuck Norris, Internet Freezes, And AAU Chaos

    500 followers doesn’t sound wild until you picture 500 people packed into a room, listening, reacting, and carrying the conversation into their gyms. That’s where we start: gratitude, a little swagger, and a real talk check on what community means when it’s earned one person at a time. Then we do something we think martial arts culture needs more of: we correct ourselves out loud. Herb offers a public apology to Coach Curry, and we unpack why respect between coaches matters even when you disagree. From there, we shift into legacy and character with a heartfelt tribute to Chuck Norris, not just the jokes, but the humility, the mentorship, and the credibility that made him a symbol for an entire generation of fighters. The back half gets into the uncomfortable stuff shaping taekwondo right now: AAU governance, suspensions tied to speech, slow responses, and the kind of power plays that push good people out while others look away because it “doesn’t affect them.” We connect it to athlete development, inconsistent rules, and why unstable systems reward survivors instead of building champions. We also touch international momentum, including Uzbekistan (Tashkent) for Junior World Championships and what events like the Belgium Open can tell us about the current Olympic cycle. If you got value from the honesty, share this with a coach or athlete who needs it, subscribe, and leave a review so more people can find Warehouse 15. What’s the one change you’d make to protect fairness in the sport?

    57 min
  6. Sven Lorrimer On Fighting For Guyana And Speaking His Mind

    MAR 17

    Sven Lorrimer On Fighting For Guyana And Speaking His Mind

    Taekwondo has never had a shortage of talent. The real question is whether the system still rewards the people who can build champions, fund development, and keep the sport honest when nobody is watching. We sit down with Sven Tatafason, a Southern California product who fought internationally for Guyana and built a reputation as the guy who shows up to ruin your day. From Pan Am chaos to training room stories, Sven breaks down what it felt like to compete when matches were more brutal and strategy mattered across the whole fight, not just the sensor-friendly moments. We also go straight at the uncomfortable topics: electronic scoring, round resets, and why many veterans say Olympic taekwondo looks softer even though athletes work harder than ever. Then we turn the spotlight on USA Taekwondo and AAU politics, including coaching selection, the trend of hiring foreign coaches, and why proven domestic coaches can get pushed out of the room. We talk athlete “poaching,” the cost of chasing the national team pipeline, and why underfunded junior, cadet, and collegiate programs create a future problem that no single coaching hire can solve. If you care about Olympic taekwondo, Kukkiwon ranks, poomsae standards, and real athlete development, this is the kind of conversation that usually happens off-camera. If this hit a nerve, subscribe, share it with a coach or parent, and leave a review so more people find it. What would you change first to fix Taekwondo in the United States?

    1h 25m
  7. Inside The Pan American Taekwondo Union Awards And What The Results Missed

    MAR 13

    Inside The Pan American Taekwondo Union Awards And What The Results Missed

    A regional award is supposed to be the easy part: look at the year, look at the results, pick the best. So why do some Pan American Taekwondo Union honors feel crystal clear while others feel like they were negotiated in the hallway? We jump back into Warehouse 15 Uncut to break down the PATU awards handed out around the US Open and to ask the question every coach and athlete ends up asking sooner or later: what does “best” actually mean when the numbers are sitting right there? We start with the categories that feel closer to the mark. Refereeing is never perfect, but we explain what we look for in top kirugi officials: consistency, clean match management, and the kind of presence that keeps the focus on the fighters. That leads into shout-outs for John Shea and Dania Gonzalez, plus a quick take on “best kick” as the one award that can be pure fun without pretending it is scientific. We also give Peru real credit for federation growth, event quality, and the kind of organization that moves a program forward. Then we get into the messy part: team and coach awards. We debate how a “best team” trophy can end in a tie, why World Championship medals and WT rankings should settle arguments, and where the logic seems to break when coaching honors do not match athlete outcomes. We also talk openly about PR, politics, and why a lack of transparency makes every future award harder to trust. If you care about taekwondo rankings, fair recognition, and the health of the sport in the Pan Am region, hit play, share this with a teammate, and leave a review. What should matter most for awards: results, development, or influence?

    32 min
  8. How A Leaked AAU Call Sparked A Showdown Over Power, Money, And Coaching

    MAR 11

    How A Leaked AAU Call Sparked A Showdown Over Power, Money, And Coaching

    What happens when a leaked phone call pulls back the curtain on how qualifiers, elections, and influence really work? We press play on an AAU conversation that sketches a second North Carolina district event, a quiet plan to unseat a director, a fast-track to a regional role—and one jarring condition: end the podcast. From there, we unpack what a “money now” mindset means for a nonprofit sport, how block lists and MOUs can shape access, and why silencing critics hurts the very athletes the system is supposed to serve. Then we head to Vegas for a frank U.S. Open debrief. Big brackets and packed schedules met thin international depth, choppy bout sequencing, and a spectator experience that made it hard to see the action. The harshest glare lands on DaeDo Gen3. When scrapes, toe taps, and phantom touches light up the board while clean punches disappear, tactics warp into front-leg foot fencing, 70-point junior rounds, and frantic “scoreboard lottery.” Refereeing amplified the confusion, with hands-off officiating giving way to sudden holding deductions in finals. Consistency isn’t a luxury—it’s integrity. Still, excellence broke through. We celebrate sharp, composed G2 golds and strong U.S. performances built on years of steady coaching and development. That success “didn’t come out of nowhere”—it came from systems that prioritize athlete growth over politics. Which leads to the bigger question: if domestic programs keep losing top talent and leaning on external hires, what does that say about our pipeline and coaching depth? Awards that feel like politics don’t fix that; transparent standards and measurable reforms do. We close with a simple playbook for leaders who actually want better outcomes: standardize tech thresholds, publish clear enforcement guidance, sequence brackets logically, invest in fan and warm-up infrastructure, protect independent voices, and remove backroom conditions from pathways. If we center athletes, results will follow. If we don’t, the scoreboard—and the community—will keep telling us why. Like what you heard? Subscribe, share this with a coach or parent who cares about development, and leave a review with the one change you’d make first.

    49 min
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About

Honest Conversations with Masters of their craft about life and Olympic Sport Issues

Information

  • Creator
    herb
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    24
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Masters Alliance Uncut
  • Show Website
    Masters Alliance Uncut