The Most Advanced Sports Acupuncture Program Available
Integrating traditional Chinese medicine with Western sports medicine to assess and treat sports, orthopedic and work-related injuries.
Created by Matt Callison L.Ac. & AcuSport Education · Taught by C.SMA instructors worldwide
Advanced Training in the Assessment & Treatment of Injury
Our sports acupuncture program — the Sports Medicine Acupuncture Certification (SMAC) program — provides the highest level of advanced training in the assessment and treatment of sports, work and orthopedic injuries.
Each class evolves with ongoing, clinically proven research and development. We are passionate about what we teach and genuinely care about our students’ ability to apply Sports Medicine Acupuncture assessment and treatment techniques in practice.
Immersive, Hands-On Training for Every Level
Sports Medicine Acupuncture Intensive Courses are two-three day immersive, hands-on training for practitioners at every level, with a range of formats designed to meet different clinical learning needs.
Common Injury Courses
Our foundational Common Injury courses focus on building essential assessment, diagnostic, and treatment skills for frequently encountered injuries, introducing practical techniques and strategies for more effective, lasting results.
Specialty Intensives
Specialty Intensives, such as Nerve Entrapment Syndromes and Adhesive Capsulitis (Frozen Shoulder) courses, take a deeper dive into specific conditions.
Trigger Point Series
Our Trigger Point Series teaches precise palpation, identification, and treatment of myofascial trigger points, with an emphasis on integrating these techniques into comprehensive treatments.
Three-Day Cadaver Dissection Lab
For a unique anatomical learning experience, our signature Three-Day Cadaver Dissection Lab for the Acupuncturist provides invaluable, firsthand insight into how injuries occur, the tissues involved, and the interconnectedness of myofascial structures.
Through hands-on dissection, comparative anatomy, and collaborative discussion, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of the human body that can transform the way you assess and treat patients.
Across all formats, SMA Intensives are designed to expand clinical knowledge, refine hands-on skills, and elevate treatment outcomes.
Sports Medicine Acupuncture®
Sports Medicine Acupuncture incorporates principles and techniques from Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western sports medicine to assess and treat a patient’s injury from a truly integrated perspective.
Western Sports Medicine
Functional anatomy, range of motion testing, orthopedic examinations, manual muscle testing and palpation to identify the injured tissues. Postural and concomitant myofascial and channel imbalances are assessed through static and functional movement.
Traditional Chinese Medicine
TCM myofascial and neurovascular channel systems (jing luo, jing jin) are used to diagnose and treat the excess (shi) and deficient (xu) conditions involving injury.
An Integrated Diagnosis
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a powerful and effective medical system. TCM practitioners recognize the patient’s ability to control inflammation and promote healing cycles comes from their internal environment. Our education is for licensed acupuncturists who understand TCM assessment and treatment systems. We build on that knowledge. Rather than treating the injury in isolation, we manage it across its full arc—from assessment through rehabilitation to prevention—while simultaneously examining what actually determines healing: the patient’s inflammatory response through digestion, diet, sleep, and hormone balance. Static and functional movement assessments reveal the postural and muscular origins of each injury. We then apply TCM channel diagnosis, identifying excess and deficiency patterns in the affected channels and tissues.
Sports Medicine Acupuncture® is a registered trademark on the United States principal register. The SMA license is granted by AcuSport Education — a subsidiary of AcuSport Seminar Series, Inc. — exclusively to practitioners who have completed the Sports Medicine Acupuncture Certification program.
Matt Callison, L.Ac.
Matt has over 34 years’ experience in sports medicine, acupuncture and cadaver dissection. He is a renowned instructor and the author of the Motor Points and Acupuncture Meridians Chart, the Motor Point Index (MPI) Reference Guide, the textbook Sports Medicine Acupuncture: An Integrated Approach, and creator of the Manual Muscle Testing & Acupuncture Video Library.
Our Instructors
Instructors teaching the SMAC program and Sports Medicine Acupuncture Intensive Courses are all certified in Sports Medicine Acupuncture (C.SMA).
Brian Lau
Over 15 years in movement therapy, structural therapy and acupuncture. Long-standing instructor of Chinese Medicine at the East West College of Natural Medicine and of myofascial release at the Sarasota School of Massage Therapy.
Ian Armstrong
Instructor of the PACE series in the SMAC Program and an experienced teacher of the Treatment of Orthopedic Disorders classes. Supervises acupuncture students treating collegiate athletes at UC San Diego’s RIMAC center.
Ian Dunsmuir
Instructor of the SMA Foundational Classes in Canada, with 17 years of clinical experience treating over 3,000 people and delivering more than 20,000 acupuncture treatments.
Joe Bickle
SMA-certified acupuncturist teaching the Trigger Point Needling for the Head, Neck and Shoulder foundational course.
Find the Right Sports Acupuncture Training for You
Explore the Sports Medicine Acupuncture Certification (SMAC) program for comprehensive certification, or SMA Intensive Courses for focused, hands-on training in specific injuries and techniques.
