On Friday, March 22, 2024, USA Karate announced major changes to its National Coaching Structure. Among the changes announced was the creation of Head Coach roles for “five key programs crucial for nurturing talent and fostering excellence.”
In addition to the new structure of Head Coach leadership roles, another significant change is the creation of the Director of Sport role to implement a comprehensive High Performance plan for the organization and coordinate the National Coaching Staff, National Teams, and related programs. Brody Burns has been named as the new Director of Sport for USA Karate.
The five Head Coaches for USA Karate’s key programs are:
In their announcement, USA Karate explained, “These Head Coaches were selected following a rigorous process, including interviews with the CEO, Chairman of the Athlete Advisory Commission, existing Head Coaches, and the Director of Sport. Their expertise and leadership will be instrumental in driving the success of their respective programs and shaping the future of USA Karate. These coaches will report to the new Director of Sport.“
Champion Sports Performance Founder and Coach, Chris Stratis, responded to the announcement, saying, “I am honored to be named USA Karate’s Head Coach for Sports Performance alongside the other Head Coaches for USA Karate’s key programs. This new National Coaching structure will help provide leadership in important areas to help our athletes and move USA Karate to the top of the podium. I’m excited to continue collaborating with USA Karate’s Director of Sport, Head Coaches, National Coaching Staff, and National Team athletes over the coming years.”
With a background of coaching athletes across a broad range of sports for over 25 years, he has a proven record of helping athletes reach their greatest potential and improve their performance in the sports they love. He excels at helping athletes develop the strength, speed, mental skills, and character required to become Champions, and helping those at the top of their game perform at their best on the biggest stages.
Coach Stratis has a unique blend of experience and expertise combining decades of Karate training and competition with deep Sports Performance and Coaching knowledge. He has served as the Sports Performance Coach for the USA Karate National Teams since 2017 while also coaching hundreds of athletes across numerous different sports, ages, and experience levels. As the sole sports performance coach for Olympians Brian Irr and Tom Scott, he is the only sports performance coach in the nation to coach Olympic Karate Kumite athletes through the qualification process and in the Olympic Games. He looks forward to continuing his work of helping USA Karate’s emerging athletes earn their place on the National Team and make an impact on the international stage, and helping USA Karate’s best athletes prepare and perform at their best to dominate against their competition around the world.
This work will keep Coach Stratis at the forefront of the Sports Performance field as he continues to help local athletes of all ages develop the athletic traits necessary to reach their greatest potential in their preferred sports.
Congratulations to Coach Stratis on this new role as Head Coach for Sports Performance, and congratulations to all of the other leaders announced by USA Karate! The future is bright for USA Karate with this improved structure and organized focus on helping our athletes become the best in the world.