Coaches

Erik Arevalo, Strength and Conditioning Program Director

Erik Arevalo serves as the Strength and Conditioning Program Director for the Universal Sports Institute, bringing over 14 years of expertise in fitness and athletic development. He is the visionary founder of ReCode Fitness, a revolutionary program dedicated to transforming lives through a holistic approach to health and wellness. Erik's methodology emphasizes the integration of optimal movement and fascial health, creating a unique training environment that prioritizes the unity of mind and body.

Since its inception, ReCode Fitness has gone beyond the traditional gym experience. Erik's dedication to developing a program that focuses on injury prevention and enhanced neuromuscular coordination sets ReCode apart. By shifting the emphasis from slow, heel-based movements to dynamic, ball-of-the-foot actions, Erik ensures athletes train in ways that mirror the organized chaos of competitive sports. This approach not only enhances performance but also significantly reduces the risk of injuries like ACL, MCL, and Achilles tears.

Erik’s commitment to fostering a safe and effective training environment extends to young athletes as well. ReCode Fitness offers a "black belt system" that layers movements and skills, continuously challenging and improving athletes’ abilities. This innovative method avoids potentially harmful practices and instead promotes proper movement patterns and physical conditioning.

At the Universal Sports Institute, Erik leverages his extensive experience to oversee the strength and conditioning programs, ensuring athletes receive cutting-edge training that enhances their overall performance. His vision and dedication make him a pivotal figure in the world of sports performance, continually pushing the boundaries of what athletes can achieve.

Brad Clark, Fitness Trainer

Brad Clark is an experienced fitness trainer and exercise program designer. He founded BC Adaptive Fitness in 2020, which has now expanded to serve the northern Orange County area with five group class locations and a personal training facility. With a Master's of Science in Kinesiology, Brad specializes in creating fitness programs for individuals with various disabilities and fitness levels, using progressive resistance training techniques. Brad has spoken at the National Adaptive Physical Education Conference twice and has produced and presented research with a team. His passion for serving the special needs community comes from his sister, who has Down syndrome. Brad has volunteered for a camp for children and adults with special needs for 15 years and is also the CEO of the National Adaptive Fitness Foundation. He is dedicated to providing high-quality services to an underserved population.

“Don’t be patient, be understanding.”

Stirley Jones, Track and Speed and Agility Coach
Interestingly enough, Coach Jones started his coaching career with college athletes. His first coaching position was at Santa Ana College. He was the Sprints Coach and Cross Country Coach. One of Coach Jones’ athletes concluded her season as a Top-Three Female Athlete of All Time in the Santa Ana College Record Book as a 400-meter hurdler. In addition, the women’s sprinter team posted faster times that had not been seen since 2005.

Coach Jones began his first high school coaching position in 2015-2016 at Marina High, where his athletes broke school records. Fifteen athletes made it to CIF, seven qualified for CIF finals, and one had a 5th place finish with the 4 x 1 relay at CIF finals. These athletes became league champions for the Sunset League. These kinds of accomplishments by athletes had not been seen at Marina High School since the late ’80s.

In 2017, Coach Jones moved to Los Alamitos High School Track and Field, and his athletes continued to break school records. He coached an Indoor Champion for the 600 meters and a 2022 CIF Champion for the 100 meters. In addition, he coached the state record holder for the freshman 100 meters, and he put together the SMR Team that won the Arcadia Night Invitational Section in 2018. His relay teams have won the seed section – in 2019 the 4×1 and in 2021 the 4×2 relays. Moreover, Coach Jones has coached league champions, and he has helped students achieve CIF, Masters and State Track Meet Qualifiers and Medalists. While Coach Jones was at Los Alamitos, 15 athletes broke school records, and 50 athletes made it into the All-Time Record Book. Moreover, numerous athletes transferred to the next level: division 1, 2, 3, NAIA, and junior college.

In 2021-2022, Coach Jones moved to Vanguard University. His athletes broke the school records in the 60 hurdles and the 400 hurdles. First time in school history to be named conference champion back-to-back years. Was apart of the schools first conference team championship on the women’s side. National Championship qualifiers and medalists.

In 2023, Coach Jones Moved to Yorba Linda High School as the head coach. His athletes continued to break school records Moreover, Coach Jones has coached league champions, and he has helped students achieve CIF, Masters and State Track Meet Qualifiers and State Meet Champions. With a total of 7 athletes transferring to the next level: division 1, division 2, division 3 and junior college

As a recognized multi-athlete, Coach Jones has played football, basketball and ran track and field. He still holds numerous records in the community college and university level. In 2015, Coach Jones was the USA Track and Field National Club Champion in the 200 meters. In the summer of 2016, he ran in the 200-meter race. This race qualified him to compete at the 2016 USA Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon. In 2017, Coach Jones competed in the USA Outdoor Championship in Sacramento, California. In 2023, Coach Jones competed in the PanAmerican Games and took the bronze medal.

Coach Jones completed an Associate’s Degree in Accounting from Goldenwest Community College, a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration with Sports Emphasis from Bristol University, and a Masters Degree in Education from North Central University.

Certifications:
LA 84 Foundation Certification in Coaching Education Curriculum for Track and Field.
USATF Level 1 Track and Field Certification Coach
USATF Level 2 Track and Field Certification Coach Sprints, Hurdlers & Relays
NASM Certified Personal Trainer
U.S.Center for SAFESPORT Trained/Certification
CIF SOUTHERN SECTION Committee REPRESENTATIVE 2023

Muneer Saied, Basketball Trainer and Coach
Coach Saied has been a basketball coach at the high school level for 9 years and a Trainer for 8 years. He has been mentored by trainers and coaches that work with players at every level, whether that be pre-school, special needs, or NBA players. Although kids need to learn the skills and fundamentals of the game to get better physically, in this day and age there are so many tools online that can be accessed to help them do that. His philosophy is to give them the habits and tools that help them understand how to apply those skills in big moments of the game. Another focus of his is teaching athletes discipline, communication, accountability, consistency, and leadership skills at HOME and at SCHOOL, and how those things will translate to their game and help elevate it at a more efficient rate! He looks forward to his journey with USI and helping our student athletes achieve excellence!

Marcus Jones, Baseball Conditioning Coach
Marcus Jones is a former Major League Baseball player with the Oakland A’s and a 1993 graduate of Esperanza HS, where he led his team to the 1993 Division 1 CIF title. After earning First Team All-CIF, First Team All-State, and All-American nods he participated in the U.S.A Olympic Festival before continuing his career at Long Beach State. There he was the 1996 Big West Pitcher of the Year and an All-American. Marcus was drafted in the MLB Draft three times, once out of high school and twice in college. Ultimately, he signed as a 3rd round pick, 95th pick overall after being drafted by the Oakland Athletics. He spent 6 years with the A's, making his MLB Debut in 2000. After his career ended, he coached at Esperanza HS and ran a baseball training facility for 10 years. He has worked with hundreds of future NCAA athletes, NCAA athletes, MiLB and MLB players. He currently resides in Yorba Linda with his high school sweetheart, Heather, and their 12 year old son Jake. His daughter, Taylor, is a 2019 Division 2 CIF Champion in Volleyball and 2021 Esperanza graduate. She is currently a Biology major and All-American Volleyball Player at Haverford College in Pennsylvania.

Joshua Holiday, Wrestling Coach

Coach Holiday began his wrestling journey at Calvary Chapel High School (1991-95), where he became a 2-time California State Champion and a 2-time USA Wrestling All-American and National Finalist. He was a key part of the 1993 and 1994 California CIF State Championship Teams. At the University of Minnesota (1995-2000), he started all four years, contributing to both the Big 10 Team title and the NCAA Division 1 Team title. Coach Holiday's competitive career took him across the United States, Russia, Ukraine, Israel, and Greece.

From 2003 to 2011, he served as the head coach at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa High School, coaching 33 CIF champions, 26 state placers, and 8 state champions. Currently, he is the head wrestling coach at Kings MMA, training multiple UFC title contenders, and an assistant coach at Esperanza High School. As the founder and director of Rough House Wrestling, he has developed one of California’s premier wrestling clubs, producing multiple state champions and national team titles. His experience and dedication to wrestling span over 40 years, and he is committed to working with USI to develop elite wrestlers and shape future leaders.

Igor Puglia, Soccer and Speed and Agility Coach

Igor Puglia is a seasoned soccer coach with a rich background in both playing and coaching at various levels of the game. Born and raised in Brazil, Igor's passion for soccer ignited at a young age, where he mastered his skills in the vibrant football culture of his homeland, playing the many variants of the games such as futsal, indoor and even street soccer.
Igor’s journey in soccer began when he joined the professional academy of a prominent Brazilian club called Portuguesa de Desportos at the age of 15, from then on, Igor played for several other professional academies, such as Redbull Brasil and Clube Atletico Bragantino, where he also had the opportunity of being part of the professional squad. At the age of 20, driven by the desire to further his education, but also fulfill his dream of continuing to play soccer, Igor moved to the USA, where he played DII college soccer for Biola University and USL2 for the SoCal Eagles. After graduating with a degree in Business Management, Igor transitioned seamlessly into coaching, drawing upon his wealth of playing experience and his passion for the game. He began his coaching career by working with youth soccer, club and High School Varsity soccer at La Mirada HS in 2018. He has since coached for some of the biggest local clubs in SoCal. He is currently the Head Coach at AYSO United, as well as the assistant/goalkeeper coach at SoCal Eagles and was a part of the coaching staff at Soka University in 2023. His mission now as a coach is to use both his playing and coaching experience to help the new generations of soccer players in America.

Kelly Oberle, Mental Performance Coach

Kelly Oberle is the founder of Access Human Potential, a mental performance and leadership development agency delivering programs for athletic teams, corporations, organizations, and individuals to access their ultimate potential through purpose, passion, perception, and perseverance. Access Human Potential programs and workshops build mental toughness, increase emotional intelligence, and enhance mental performance within teams, individuals, coaches, and administrators. With a strategic focus on positive psychology, breathwork and mindfulness, the goal is to help create an environment that allows people as individuals and within teams to perform at their highest potential.

Kelly grew up in St. Louis, Missouri and has been involved in athletics since childhood. She played Division 1 softball at Northwestern University, has coached High School Varsity Softball, and has served as a volunteer coach for a variety of youth sports leagues. In addition, she has run softball camps, speed and agility and conditioning programs for children ages 6 – 18. She also created a “fun fitness” program that focuses on helping kids become more active and improve coordination, balance, endurance, and confidence in themselves and their abilities to perform. Over the years, Kelly realized that stress had been affecting her both personally and professionally. She started investigating breathwork, mindfulness, and various stress management strategies. She found that learning tools and techniques to control breathing, increase mindfulness and improve self-regulation helped her to become more productive, successful, healthier and happier. She is certified in HeartMathTM and has extensive training in emotional intelligence, VIA Character Strengths, Human Brain Dominance Index (HBDI), DiSC and positive psychology. In addition, she has a certification in Mental Health First Aid and Mental Performance Mastery from Brian Cain Peak Performance. Kelly has a BS degree in Organizational Studies from Northwestern University and a Master’s in Leadership from University of Redlands. She has 3 children and lives the trials and tribulations of balancing personal and professional worlds every day.

Shannon Steen, Dance Coach

Shannon is a former Los Angeles Laker Girl dancer and choreographer. Currently she is the director and coach for the award winning El Dorado High School Dance team. She also was the choreographer for the popular children’s television series "Yo Gabba Gabba" and the Assistant Director/Choreographer for their touring stage shows as well as the choreographer for the Emmy Nominated Nickelodeon children's show, Mutt n Stuff with Cesar Millan.

Shannon has worked as a coach and choreographer across the Orange County School Districts and many orange county studios. Her students and choreography have received numerous awards at studio and high school competitions both regionally and nationally, and she was the recipient of, Coach of the Year, from the California Association of Dance/Drill Team Directors. She currently teaches adult and teen classes at local studios along with her coaching at El Dorado.

Steve Lawson

Steve Lawson is an Army Veteran with 30 years of high school physical education teaching experience. He has been the head wrestling coach at El Dorado High School for the past 25 years and has also coached football, track and field, baseball, and tennis. In wrestling, Coach Lawson has coached 17 individual CIF Champions and his teams have won three CIF Championships and multiple League Championships. As a high school wrestler, Coach Lawson was a three-time CIF Champion, three-time Masters Champion, and a High School State and National Champion. While competing for the United States Army, he was an Armed Forces National Champion, Freestyle and Greco-Roman Espoir National Champion. While competing for California State University, Bakersfield, he was a Team USA member, winning the U.S Open National Championship, a bronze medal in the Pan American Games, and a silver medal in the US Olympic Festival.

Chris Fitzgerald - Strength and Conditioning Coach

Chris teaches Health, AVID, and Strength and Conditioning for off-season athletes at Esperanza High School. He coaches the Women's Flag Football team and has been an assistant coach for the Track team for three seasons. Prior to teaching, Chris was a personal trainer in Claremont for nine years. He has three national training certifications from American College of Sports Medicine, National Council on Strength and Fitness, and National Strength and Conditioning Association. His passion in life is health and fitness and he looks forward to the opportunity at USI to have a positive impact on the athletes!

Richard Pohle Jr. - Baseball Coach

Rich Pohle's journey in baseball began at Buena Park High School, where he quickly emerged as a standout player, earning All-Star and All-League honors for three consecutive years. He continued to hone his skills at Cypress and Fullerton College before catching the attention of professional scouts. Signing with the Philadelphia Phillies after his second year of college, Rich embarked on a professional career that saw him also don the jersey of the Seattle Mariners and later play independent baseball with the Orange County Flyers. Transitioning from player to coach and trainer, he founded Rich Pohle's Baseball Development, dedicated to guiding players on their own baseball journeys. Currently serving as the head coach at Brea Olinda High School, Rich's passion for the game extends to scouting, where he serves as an associate scout for the Seattle Mariners organization, continuing to shape the future of baseball talent.

Shan Lawson - Fitness and Recovery Coach

Shan Lawson teaches at El Dorado High School and serves as the Physical Education Department Chair. This is her 25th year at El Dorado and has taught Lifelong Fitness, Yoga for Life, Blended PE, Beginning Dance, PE 1, PE 2 and Recreation. Shan is responsible for writing the curriculum for four of these classes which the PYLUSD school board approved and are now taught throughout the district. The driving force behind the creation of these classes is an effort to help students increase their overall fitness level and give them more choices in their physical education. In her 35 years as a fitness professional she has also taught Pilates, Zumba, Step Aerobics and weight lifting. During her teaching career Shan has coached volleyball, track, cross country, soccer and dance teams. As a high school athlete, she was a four sport varsity letter winner and was named female athlete of the year by her school. Shan is the mother of five children who have all participated in youth sports, multiple high school sports and college athletics. She hopes that by sharing her passion for fitness with her students she will motivate and encourage them to embark on a journey of healthy living.

Ashley Pruitt - Volleyball Coach

After 4 years of playing volleyball at El Dorado High School, Ashley played beach volleyball at Fullerton College. She started coaching in 2015 and coaches both girls and boys at El Dorado High School as well as girls at ACT Volleyball Club. Ashley also became the head coach of the beach volleyball program at El Dorado. During her first year heading the beach volleyball program, the team made it to CIF. Additionally, one of the teams made it into the individual pairs CIF. In her second year heading the beach volleyball program, one of her pairs made it to the CIF Individual Pairs Championships and finished in the top 10. During her many years of coaching club volleyball, Ashley has coached various ages ranging from 9-18 y/o. This has given her the unique experience to adapt her coaching techniques and styles to the age group she is working with. She currently coaches 14, 16 and 17 year olds at the club. Her years as both a high school and club coach have helped her develop a greater knowledge and passion for the game. She cares not only about the outcome of the games but that her players are having fun and developing skills that will transfer on and off the court. She enjoys coaching and hopes for more successful seasons to come. Ashley is excited to be an indoor and beach volleyball coach for the USI program to further spread her knowledge and love of volleyball with the future generations.

Kousei Mattox - Soccer Coach

Kousei Mattox was born and raised in Japan, where he developed a passion for playing and coaching soccer. He started playing soccer at age three and continued to play at a high level throughout high school. During Kousei’s years in Japan, he played for a J-League academy team, Yokohama F. Marinos, and Esperanza S.C., where he spent much of his time gaining a unique style of soccer from his Argentinean coach, who had been a former National team player. Here, Kousei learned a specific playing style as his coach emphasized combining Japanese preciseness for ball touches, passes, and tricks with Argentinean aggressiveness throughout defense and offense. Kousei has received many awards, including multiple MVP awards. Post high school, Kousei brought his unique playing style to America, where he played and started all 4 years at Biola University (DII) soccer team. There, he captained the college team during his junior and senior years. He earned 1st and 2nd team all-conference and individual team awards yearly at Biola. Kousei also played for the Southern California Eagles (USL League 2) during the summer of 2015-2022. He was also the captain of the Eagles for 2 summers. Coaching was also a part of Kousei’s soccer journey. He started coaching at 17 in Japan for the youth team for Esperanza, which he had played for in Japan. In America, he coached for La Mirada High School and Biola University Men’s soccer team. He continued to coach and do personal training for many youth ages with a wide range of skill levels in the community. Kousei’s coaching philosophy is to teach soccer players to be intentional with soccer skills and life skills on and off the field to hold space for both intentional aggressiveness combined with preciseness and to help players discover their unique style individually and as team players.