SCOTT SONNON

'Scott Sonnon' is a former Penn State University adjunct Professor of Physical Education and internationally-recognized functional strength conditioning coach, most well known for training Ultimate Fighting Championship mixed martial arts fighters such as Alberto Crane, Andrei Arlovski, and Elvis Sinosic and his online diary of training UFC fighters [1] Born in 1969 in Pennsylvania, USA, He comes from a family who emigrated to USA two generations before him from the town of Sonnon in the district of Passau in Bavaria in Germany. Sonnon lives with his wife and two children in Bellingham, Washington where he operates his headquarters, but has gyms around the world.

Contents

History

Martial Arts

Teachers

Fitness and Health

Books

Pop Culture References

External links

History

Sonnon created an unusual martial art-based fitness approach which has expanded into an international organization of gyms and instructors located in many countries. Discussions about his theories and research on physical culture can be found throughout the internet, in his many printed magazines, authored books and published DVDs.[2] He is most known for providing free fitness DVDs to people from his country (USA)[3], but is also well known for his "active aging" work with fitness icon Jack LaLanne [4]
More recently, Sonnon gained acclaim for providing free training to all USA Military Personnel.[5]. Sonnon first became embraced by the US ARMY due to the efforts of Matt Larsen - ''"The Father of Modern Combatives"'' who enlisted Sonnon as a subject matter expert contributing combat conditioning methods to the US Army Combatives School[6]. In 2006, Sonnon's trademarked ''Circular Strength Training® System'' was named an official conditioning program of the US ARMY.[7]
Sonnon is most well-known within the martial art community for developing his trademarked coaching program called FlowFighting. He assembled a faculty of recognized authorities beyond his individual expertise to include boxing, kickboxing, sambo, judo, jiu-jitsu, and mixed martial arts, et cetera. As a member of the national coaching staff where each coach specialized in a particular area, and working with the Russian Olympic and national team coaches, he realized that no one lifetime is sufficient to develop advanced understanding of all of the various aspects of martial art. So he gathered a team of professional subject matter experts in boxing, kickboxing, judo, jiujitsu, sambo, mixed martial arts, knife and stick fighting, sport and criminal psychology, hostile subject control and close-quarters combat.
Some online discussions argue that Sonnon's Flowfighting remains unproven as a coach in mixed martial arts, as he only has created champions in lower level events. Sonnon's advocates argue that although he has created champions in regional level events, he has also contributed to the training of national and international competitors such as UFC Winner Elvis Sinosic and Superbrawl Champion Egan Inoue. Sonnon remains a controversial figure in martial art for incorporating Soviet and American sport psychology, alternative conditioning approaches from Russia and India, and his own theories and approaches.

Martial Arts

Scott Sonnon is one of only a few Americans to be awarded the Distinguished Master of Sports in Sambo, the Russian national martial art and wrestling style, through FIAS (Federation International Sambo Association). He was also the 1993-1995 USA National Sombo Coach of the United States Sombo Association (USSA), the 1999 USA Police Team Coach for the World Police Sambo Championships (Kaunas, Lithuania). In addition, he was the 1994 Pan-American Sambo Champion (USSA), 1995 USA Grand National Sambo Champion (USSA), 1993 World University Games Sambo vice-Champion (USSA) and the 1996, 1998 USA National Sambo vice-Champion (AASF) and the former chairman for the International Combat Sambo Commission for FIAS. He earned his degree as an International Category Referee in Sambo (FIAS) in 1999.
With extensive combat and sport Sambo as his background, he was given the opportunity to become the first Westerner to study in Russia with the "Spetsnaz" special forces in the martial art of R.O.S.S. (also known as "Combat Sambo Spetsnaz") and spent many years learning from Distinguished Master of Sports in Sambo and Judo, Russian General Alexander Retuinskih, founder of R.O.S.S., himself a student of Alexey Kadochnikov, founder of Russian martial art or Kadochnikov Systema. Sonnon traveled throughout the world for many years conducting seminars on R.O.S.S. with his coach, General Retuinskih.
In 1999, he was inducted into the International Martial Arts Hall of Fame for his innovative fitness leadership programs for martial artists around the world.[8]
In 2001, at the 10th Anniversary National Festival for Russian martial art's revival, he performed at the world-famous Bol'shoy Theater which included an introduction from Russian President Vladimir Putin. Sonnon was the first American to teach Russian martial art in Russia; and he remained General Retuinskih's personal representative and the North American Director of R.O.S.S. in 1996, until he resigned from Russian martial art in 2002.
In 2005, he came out of retirement to test his theories personally with his teammate, Joseph Wilson, at the Open International San Shou Championship in Mobile, Alabama. He won the gold medal in his weight class.
In 2006, he was nominated as "Pioneer of American Sambo" by the American Sambo Association.
In 2007, he served as consultant to the History Channel's "Human Weapon" television series - episode on Russian Sambo.
He now devotes his energy to preparing the mental, emotional and physical conditioning of mixed martial arts fighters.

Teachers

★ Alexander Retuinskih - Distingusihed Coach of Russia, Master of Sport in Sambo and Judo, Chairman of International Combat Sambo Commission and Founder of ROSS

★ Alexander Krivorotov - the First Distingusihed Coach of Russia in Sambo (highest award in sport in Russia)

★ Prince Boris Golitsin (deceased) - last of royalty from pre-Soviet Russia, founder of Golitsin Family-Style martial art

★ Peter Pashkov - Russian National Boxing Team Coach, Master of Sport in Boxing

★ Alexander Medved - Cossack Dance Instructor for Bol'shoy Theater, Master of Sport in Sambo, former KGB Officer

★ Mikhail Tikhomirov - President of Federation International Amateur de Sambo, Distinguished Master of Sport in Sambo

★ Pranciskus Eigminas (deceased) - General Secretary of Federation International Amateur de Sambo, President of Lithuanian Sambo Federation, Master of Sport in Sambo

★ Josh Henson - President of Federation International Amateur de Sambo, Master of Sport in Sambo

★ Dr. Leonid Polyakov - Vice-President of International Sambo Federation, Master of Sport in Sambo, President of American Sambo Federation

★ Mikhail Galperin - President of United States Combat Sambo Federation, Grandmaster of Combat Sambo

★ Mark Densberger - USA National Sambo Team Coach, Master of Sport in Sambo, USA Olympic Greco-Roman Wrestler, and Founder of American Sombo

★ Valery Fedorenko - Distinguished Master of Sport in Kettlebell Lifting, World Kettlebell Lifting Champion and Record Holder

★ Oleg Shishkin - Master of Sport in Olympic Lifting, Sambo and Judo, Director of Moscow School of R.O.S.S.

Fitness and Health

Coach Sonnon's background in martial art lead him to bring combat style conditioning to the fitness world. He has authored several books and many videos, and holds multiple patents such as the Clubbell®, which he developed based upon ancient Indian Kushti and Iranian Pahlavani wrestling called Indian Clubs or Iranian Clubs. He is also well-known for teaching a "flow" based yoga called Prasara which integrates asana for structural integration and vinyasa for breath integration. His system focuses on a "health first" approach to fitness by isolating joint ranges of motion to lubricate and transport nutrition to connective tissue which damages during any athletic endeavor, like in martial art.
Coach Sonnon holds a world record in club swinging: (1,433 repetitions of 25lbs mills in under an hour - 1/6/07), and the highest score in the sport. In 2006, he was nominated to the National Fitness Hall of Fame. In 2007, he was nominated into the USA National Fitness Hall of Fame.[9], and appointed as Advisor to the American Kettlebell Club by World Champion Valery Fedorenko.[10]
In 2007, he was appointed as Conditioning Advisor to the International Youth Conditioning Association [11] to help develop pediatric physical exercise programs for North America.
Coach Sonnon's publishing firm, RMAX.tv Productions, incorporated in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1996, and focuses on health, yoga, fitness, weight loss, and stress managementon with an obviously strong influence from martial art. He has gyms in several different countries, but primarily in North America, with his personal headquarters, The RMAX Gymnasium, Ltd. located in Bellingham, Washington.

Books

★ ''Mastering the Saddle: Russian Sambo for Mixed Martial Arts Competitions'', Paladin Press, California 2007.

★ ''Prasara Yoga: Flow Without Thought'', RMAX.tv Productions Atlanta, Georgia 2007.

★ ''The Big Book of Clubbell Training'', RMAX.tv Productions Atlanta, Georgia 2006. ISBN 0-9717949-2-8.

★ ''Body-Flow Freedom From Fear-Reactivity'', RMAX.tv Productions Atlanta, Georgia 2004. ISBN 0-9717949-3-6.

★ ''Clubbell Training for Circular Strength'', RMAX.tv Productions Atlanta, Georgia 2003. ISBN 0-9717949-2-8.

★ ''Three Dimensional Physical Preparedness'', RMAX.tv Productions Atlanta, 2005.

★ ''RMAX Magazine'', RMAX.tv Productions Atlanta, Georgia 2003-2006. ISSN 1555-7723.

Pop Culture References

★ In his 2006 novel, 'Star Wars: The Cestus Deception', the Jedi Academy recruits were trained in a mysterious system of "body flow" and "soft work". The author, Steven Barnes, trained with Sonnon in order to develop the character background. A character in the novel even bore his name, "Tocs OnSon."

External links

★ Scott Sonnon Live Blog. [12]

★ RMAX International (1996). "About Scott Sonnon".

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★ Scott Sonnon MySpace.com. [13]

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★ Scott Sonnon YouTube.com. [14]

★ Independent Review of Scott Sonnon [15]

★ Depew Fitness Show Interview with Scott Sonnon (2005). [16]

★ Dolphzine Magazine Interview with Scott Sonnon (2004). [17]

★ Testosterone Magazine Interview with Scott Sonnon (2003). [18]

★ Articles by Scott Sonnon at Athletes.com. [19]

★ Articles by Scott Sonnon at Bodybuilding.com. [20]

★ Girevik Magazine Interview with Scott Sonnon (2003). [21]

★ The Martial Arts Network Magazine Interview with Scott Sonnon (1998) [22]