New Cuban Coach to head USA Boxing

[T Duquette]

I know a lot of people have spoken out against this but I think it is the best move the organization has made in a long time. Pedro Roque Otano is the real deal. Hopefully he can help us turn the program around.

http://www.insidethegames.biz/sports/su ... g-olympics

[JMac]

I know a lot of people have spoken out against this but I think it is the best move the organization has made in a long time. Pedro Roque Otano is the real deal. Hopefully he can help us turn the program around.

http://www.insidethegames.biz/sports/su ... g-olympics

Agreed. I've know him since around '05 and have been watching him as the Cuban coach when he was with the juniors and the seniors. He is a good guy with excellent credentials and I think will really help USAB.

[T Duquette]

I know a lot of people have spoken out against this but I think it is the best move the organization has made in a long time. Pedro Roque Otano is the real deal. Hopefully he can help us turn the program around.

http://www.insidethegames.biz/sports/su ... g-olympics

Agreed. I've know him since around '05 and have been watching him as the Cuban coach when he was with the juniors and the seniors. He is a good guy with excellent credentials and I think will really help USAB.

I sure hope so. A lot of you may have heard about the building of a new USAB training facility that is to be located in Miami Fl. Its just a rumor, but I have heard that it is being funded by some rich Cuban American because of our new relationship with Pedro. Definately a good positive externality. I have always said that we need our training camps to be held in major cities with access to good sparring. Co Springs--though beautiful--is in the middle of nowhere and it is too expensive to bring a wide array of sparring partners with different styles out to training camps for weeks on end.

Im surprised I havent heard more opinions on this. I felt that a lot of our American coaches were offended by this decision when it was announced at the meeting. I don't feel that its anything to be offended by personally. Our coaches are still the best in the world as is evidenced by our continued dominance of the pro game. But this international style is just different from that pro style and we need to adapt. As Americans we feel that the world always needs to adapt to us; we're a very stubborn people. I feel like this trait can be positive and has set us apart from the rest of the world in a number of key ways but I also think that this trait has hurt us with regards to amateur boxing. The sport has left us behind temporarily and its time for us to let go of our stubborn ways temporarily and adapt. Because aside from our stubborness and arrogance our key differentiator over time has been our ability to succeed. To find a way to win at all costs. Lets start winning again...

[mike222]

During the Olympics Richie Woodhall commentating for British television was very impressed with the US teams hand speed and agression but thought all the boxers had poor foot speed.Planting your feet for maximum power is necessary for Pro boxing but at Amateur level you have to move more and this is probably due to the way they are coached.