What is MMA Conditioning Coach Certification & Membership?

Discussion in 'Health and Fitness' started by Old_kyokushin, Sep 16, 2011.

  1. Osu,


    Otherwise known and advertised as: CMMACC


    What precisely is that & what credibility to give it?
    I don't know, but I was not impressed by this online course:
    Hummmmm............... I'd like to hear from some that may have followed the course, but it smells faintly of a marketing scheme.....
    McDojo anyone?

    IMHO, you ought to beware before you enroll, or request more credentials if your coach pushes this certification forward!


    Osu!
     
    Last edited: Sep 16, 2011
  2. nekoashi

    nekoashi Valued Member

    Its the only such certification out there specific to MMA that is ofered through accredited organization. It is even accepted for CE credits for the long standing gold standard of sports training certification the CSCS.

    It is a very good course to take if you wish to learn about the subject and the material is taught with notable trainers such as Martin Rooney. Getting the certification itself will not make you a trainer, just like getting a college degree in economics will not make you an economist. But notable UFC trainers like Doug Balzarini hold the certification and think highly of the course, as do I. The certification test is also no walk in the park, you really do need to know the material well.
     
  3. slipthejab

    slipthejab Hark, a vagrant! Supporter

    There are worse credentials to have than the CSCS if you're going to be training people. As has been pointed out any cert. isn't going to magically change you into a premier trainer... but some offer a good structure to get your head around the bigger picture and the details.

    Martin Rooney's work is great. Been following him for a long time with my own clients. He's got a very sound approach to training and conditioning.

    That being said in the PT world and for trainers and coaches everywhere... there are no shortage of certification courses that are absolute toss. There are two sides to the training world... those of us who charge our clients (individuals, corps, schools and orgs) to become smarter/faster/stronger. And then there are any number of organizatons and individuals interested in fleecing trainers for some cert that means nada. There are dozens of them.

    Generally PT's in most places are social misfits who were gym rats and wield severely outdated body-builder based regimens like they were Gods gift. It's a joke. Then there is another massive population of trainers who are looking for a personal identity in wearing Vibrams Five-Fingers and running on at length about functional strength.

    So much BS in the industry it's unreal. The basic NASM framework with a lot of hardwork, a hunger to learn and time on the job are a pretty good foundation. Taking it a step further means you need to read and experiment with what works for you and your clients. There is really no one size fits all approach. One thing that is key though for any level of coaching... is the ability to observe. If you are not an observer and can't point out issues/strengths/weaknesses in someones game plan for whatever it they train in or for then you are just stroking yourself and defrauding your client.

    :p
     
  4. nekoashi

    nekoashi Valued Member


    While this is true, there are great folks in the PT profession too and certifications worth taking if you are in it in some way. I see the CMMACC as more of a sports training cert like the CSCS than personal training cert like say a CPT. That said, the CSCS does require a college degree. It may be my next certification, if I am going to expand my training business.
     
  5. slipthejab

    slipthejab Hark, a vagrant! Supporter

    The odd thing about the CSCS is that it doesn't stipulate which college degree requires. It's not like you need a degree in kinetics or biomechanics... it can be in underwater basket weaving for all they care. That always struck me as a bit odd.

    True there are some good people in the PT world... however... many of the trainers I work with who are worth their salt and make a tidy living on top don't have all that many certs. Most things you are going to learn in a cert are nothing that can't be learned on ones own... if... (and this can be a big if) you have the ability to self study and can place it within the appropriate structure.

    The one big benefit of certs I would say... is if you get into a good program you do get to train and bounce ideas and questions off some top notch people. Peter Twist, Gary Gray, Paul Chek, Ross Enamait and the some of the guys at PTA global (many who were previously the head guys at the NASM) are all pretty switched on. Though to having done some of the PTA global certs I can say much if of it needlessly complicated for what is being done in your average day to day PT's. Their whole 'nomenclature' system they at one point were trying to employ was pointless and based on a deep seated fear of big chains gyms being sued - so they thought they'd preempt the lawsuit and already have each workout so finitely spelled out in physiotherapy type terms that I had to scratch my head and wonder how much time would be left for a 1 hour training session. Absurd.

    Anywho... before I go on a rant. :p
     
    Last edited: Sep 16, 2011
  6. nekoashi

    nekoashi Valued Member

    Yes, this is true about the CSCS. However, having a college degree is an intellectual accomplishment and says something about that person ability to study, absorb and utilize information. The best thing about the CMMACC is their Inner Circle forum. Much like this, but all fellow trainers to bounce ideas off of, including notable ones. The president of NESTA and his head of exercise science actively post in it as well. I can't speak highly enough of them.
     
  7. slipthejab

    slipthejab Hark, a vagrant! Supporter

    Wow. I've got to say I don't hold the same view entirely. I've worked with and hired and fired a great many college grads who were functional idiots. Couldn't think there way out of a paper bag but kept high grades some of them well into the honors/4.0 gpa throughout their college career. Massive tracts of regurgitation and constant pressure to reference your supervising professor from himself or the department. Perhaps the biggest lesson college teaches is how to navigate the political minefield once you are out in professional life. Though I do have to wonder if anything can be so petty, catty and and outright jealously vindictive as academia. Obviously I realize the reason that the CSCS puts the requirement in there is they need people who will complete the study course and do the coursework. :p



    Ah very interesting. It's an interesting look from my side because traditionally in boxing and muay thai have always been somewhat of haphazard mix of trainers and coaches. No certs, no degrees... none of it. The pedigree has usually been the history as a fighter or time in the ring and the ability to develop fighters. With MMA becoming very big business I think there are going to be no shortage of training certs... its a cash cow. But it's also good to hear that from someone who's been through it some of the details.

    It's interesting because with boxing and less with Muay Thai there has been a massive change in coaching because now there are often separate conditioning coaches. Boxers fight less than ever these days. If you compare fight frequency with that of say fighters from the 1960's and before. So while these days the coaches may have improved most fighters aren't even scratching the surface of the kind of ring experience fighters in other eras were able to obtain. I think the dynamic with MMA is a fair bit different.
     
    Last edited: Sep 16, 2011
  8. nekoashi

    nekoashi Valued Member


    There have always been good and bad trainers out there. Learning a ton about training from an academic standpoint does not make you a good trainer. See my comment above about holding a degree in economics. Nevertheless, holding a certificate like the CSCS or CMMACC does show that at least you did study about the subject and passed a test on the subject matter from an accredited institution. You don't need to do so to be a great trainer, but the material you learn is a good foundation, just as a degree in economics is a good foundation to start a career in that field. You can still be a book smart idiot that can't do anything right in the real world in both cases.

    Lastly, I see absolutely nothing wrong with earning money from coaching or instructing. I am not a communist.
     
  9. Mangosteen

    Mangosteen Hold strong not

    What gets me is this:
    It's a fair bit of crap to get a specific conditioning cert and tote it round if you've never had any experience in an MA or any PT/exercise science certs.
    I'd rather have NSCA coach monitoring my conditioning as they'd understand the goals better and have hopefully done their research.

    They need a good prerequisite for the course.
    Even NASM is a pretty good pre-requisite with experience in MA and lots of previous clients.
    At least PT's understand specific programming for individuals.
     
    Last edited: Sep 16, 2011
  10. slipthejab

    slipthejab Hark, a vagrant! Supporter

    hahahaha!!! Good thing that. Neither do I or the rent would never get paid. And there'd be a skad of fat people out there that couldn't do chin ups or press ups! :p
     
  11. nekoashi

    nekoashi Valued Member

    You do realize that you don't need anymore experience to get an NSCA cert and that the NSCA recognizes this certification as CE credits for their certifications.


    :bang:
     
  12. Mangosteen

    Mangosteen Hold strong not

    WOAH
    thanks for that. i completely missed that!

    derp derp derp
     
  13. nekoashi

    nekoashi Valued Member

    In the world of certs, it is a very legitimate one. The material is great for anyone involved in martial arts and the test for the certification is not a walk in the park. I had to take it twice and I am a university grad with deans list distinction who studied for the cert. I only say this to point out that the test wasn't easy. Which is good, as if it had been easy, I would seriously question the value of the cert.
     
  14. Kuma

    Kuma Lurking about

    The epitome of book smart over common sense.

    You'd be surprised how many disorderly drunks you get in my town who have college degrees. Heck, they've arrested a few doctors over some silly shenanigans.

    Basing someone's intellect purely off of a college degree isn't saying much, as if you don't have the money you either have to put yourself in serious debt (thanks to my wife's master's degree, we spend more a month on her college loans than we do our own mortgage), aim for scholarships or some type of financial aid (which nowadays usually involves the US military), or just do the best with what they've got. I've met some razor sharp guys who never had any formal education past high school, just like I've met some fellows with advanced degrees who I wouldn't trust to make me a cheeseburger correctly.
     
  15. nekoashi

    nekoashi Valued Member

    There are geniuses who have no education (a tragedy in my opinion) and plenty of people with an education who don't have any common sense. That doesn't mean education is not valuable and it should count for something. It is a personal achievement that takes time and effort.
     
  16. slipthejab

    slipthejab Hark, a vagrant! Supporter

    Yeah I don't think anyone is saying that all the way across the board it doesn't. Of course it's plenty tough to get through a masters or a doctorate. Education is something to held in high regard. I think though that in this day and age there are so many who have degrees achieved by rote learning.

    Most of mates who went the masters route and completed it were really left in a bit of a weird spot because they finally got this degree that's highly regarded and then said it was one of the most stressful times in there life and it put them massively in debt and that they finally realized education had little to do with original thought and everything to do with shoring up their supervising professors ego and reputation.

    hahaha... ok wait... admittedly I'm biased. :p Gee yah think? They also did some exciting stuff like field research and extended stays in Mongolia etc... but man when I saw the debt they incurred and then got out to get offered a job at USD 35-40K per year... I was baffled. :p
     
  17. Kuma

    Kuma Lurking about

    That's exactly what happened to my wife. She has her master's yet her job was barely paying enough to survive on. I don't have my master's or even much education outside of some college and the academy, yet I was making more. That's why she decided to stay at home for the kids.
     
  18. nekoashi

    nekoashi Valued Member

    That sucks, all that hard work and money should pay off.
     
  19. Kuma

    Kuma Lurking about

    Agreed. Unfortunately it seems like it's getting that way for a lot of people due to the economy and whatnot.
     
  20. Mangosteen

    Mangosteen Hold strong not

    Thanks for the info!
    I'll probably get onto this after uni!
    How big was the sport specific section of the testing and learning and how did they discuss various phases of a fight in terms of the conditioning needed (would you say it was pretty well designed)?
     

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