I have written before about the importance of relevant conditioning in combat sport. About the benefits of congruent training and developing sustainable protocols.

Well, for the strength and conditioing coach, progressive trainer or commited fighter, there is a resource that will tick all of the above boxes and provide you with enough information to keep you progressing indefinitely.

Juan Carlos Santana’s reputation is solid. You don’t have to look far to find a wealth of infromation (Google is your friend) on who he has worked with and the fighters he has coached. So, we have the story…here are the facts.

I want to tell you about the MMA Strength and Conditioning Certification just passed, here at Combat Ready in Edinburgh Scotland. First off, we had a full house, testament to the appetite of the training community here, with fellow trainers coming from Isreal and Denmark, further testament to the reputation on JC, Joel Proskewitz, the Strength Company and IHP.

We had a humle group of attentive participants. From the get go, the certification is based on practical, usable, functional information and protocols. JC can give you the science, the art and the application without losing anyone along the way.

The course itself follows a very logical progressions mixing theory and practice in perfect measure. Although the certification is presented as a MMA Strength and Conditioning, it covers the most effecttive and efficient training methods scalable to anyone interested in supremely functional protocols.

For the longest time, fighters have been recognised as the fittest most resilient athletes in the world. What the MMA S&C certification does is distil the best practices, eliminate the less useful and ofcourse, offer some creative tools to keep things cooking.

JC has to be the most unpretentious teacher I have met. He delivers his lesson in tremendous energy and fantastic humour. I have not been to an fitness event that involved so much laughter. But as good natured as the atmosphere is, the depth of knowledge imparted is formidable.

I came away, delighted to have my own thoughts on simple effective training confirmed, at the same time I found myself consistently challenged. That has to be the perfect mix. There is a tremndous emphasis placed on balancing intense effort with effective recovery. Music to my ears in a culture of more is more…so let’s do more. The 10 drill ciruit we completed on the second day was a wake up call to anyone who thinks roadwork will get you fight fit.

The written test at the end is just another part of the learning process, no attempt to trick you with vague questions, it is in fact a re-inforcement of the weekend’s work and and opportunity to review the course.

The accompanying manual is fat free and a solid resource. The DVDs participants recieve are an excellent addition to the material.

I have to say this certification is unique. In the coming year MMA is going to go from strength to strength, I can see fantastic opportunities for anyone who wants to share the most effective all round conditioning methods, whether it’s with fighters, athletes or aspiring weekend warriors.