Learn More about the SMAC Program
Frequently Asked Questions
Welcome to our FAQ for sports medicine acupuncture information and answers to the most commonly asked questions regarding our Sports Medicine Acupuncture Certification (SMAC) program. If you are looking for answers related to your C.SMA certification, please visit our C.SMA FAQ page.
There are now two tracks for the SMAC Program: ALL IN-PERSON & HYBRID
The ALL IN-PERSON track consists of the 12 classes—four 2-day Myofascial Techniques & Therapeutic Exercise (MTTE) classes, four 3-day Postural Imbalances and Acupuncture Protocols (PIAP) classes (2 days only for Module I: The Spine), and four Assessment & Treatment of Injuries (ATI) classes:
- Module I: Huatuojiaji Points: Vertebral Fixations and Facilitated Segments (2 days)
- Module II: The Low Back, Hip & Groin Assessment & Treatment of Injury (5 days)
- Module III: The Lower Extremity Assessment & Treatment of Injury (5 days)
- Module IV: The Neck, Shoulder and Upper Extremity Assessment & Treatment of Injury (5 days)
For those pursuing the certification track, you have two program years to complete all of the material.
For the full list of SMAC Program, classes and available formats, please visit our Class Descriptions pages: ALL IN-PERSON & HYBRID
To apply online SMAC Program webinars towards your SMA certification, please email acusportinfo@gmail.com with a copy of your CE certificate.
To purchase Recorded Webinars in the HYBRID TRACK, click here.
Students pursuing the certification must complete each module either as a HYBRID or ALL IN-PERSON. For students who have already begun taking classes, you have several options.
- If you have started taking classes within a module, but are missing only the live, in-person only Assessment & Treatment of Injury course, you only need to take that class to complete the module.
- If you have started taking classes within a module, but are missing one or two of the Anatomy, Palpation Cadaver (APC) Lab, Assessment & Treatment of the Channel Sinews (ATS or SAM) or Postural Assessment & Corrective Exercise (PACE) classes, you can complete the rest of these classes online only and then attend the live, in-person only Assessment & Treatment of Injury course on either coast.
- If you have taken only the live, in-person only Assessment & Treatment of Injury and none of the other classes in the module, you can take the rest of the classes either all online or all in-person for that module, but they must all be in the same format, online or in-person.
- You cannot combine nonhybrid classes and in-person within a module for the certification track. For example, you cannot combine APC and PACE with the new MIIP class in order to complete the module; you would still need to take the online ATS class.
- Each module can be taken as a different format though! You can take module I as HYBRID and module II as ALL IN-PERSON.
The SMA Live, In-Person and Online Foundational Courses are developed for licensed acupuncturist and students of acupuncture to learn the integration of traditional Chinese medicine and sports medicine in the assessment and treatment of many common musculoskeletal injuries.
The SMA Foundational Courses courses range from foundational SMA training, cadaver lab training, qi gong classes and more! These classes not only provide unique assessment and treatment skills, but also provoke excitement with learning new and evolved information that can be immediately applied clinically. This has been and continues to be an SMA strength.
Read the Student Reviews.
Absolutely. Participants may take individual courses in the SMAC Program and earn CEU’s / PDA’s for each course.
No. Regardless of the practitioners’ specialization, musculoskeletal injury is the most common complaint bringing patients to seek help from acupuncture. This program addresses not only the professional athlete, but anyone with a work-related or sports-related injury. Because this program is an integration of TCM and Sports Medicine, the tools the participant learns will address all age groups and varying levels of fitness.
For in-person classes, participants must be a licensed or registered acupuncturist and provide proof of having graduated from an ACAOM accredited or equivalent traditional Chinese medicine acupuncture school. They must also have a minimum of 2,000 hours of acupuncture and TCM training and provide proof of having an active license and malpractice insurance.
Acupuncture students are eligible to enroll in all online courses and attend the live, in-person class Myofascial Techniques & Therapeutic Exercise without participating in needling. Acupuncture students cannot attend the live-in person Postural Imbalances & Acupuncture Protocols (PIAP) or Assessment & Treatment of Injury (ATI) courses due to the extensive amount of acupuncture needling.
Acupuncture students are eligible to enroll in all online courses and attend the live, in-person class Myofascial Techniques & Therapeutic Exercise without participating in needling. Acupuncture students cannot attend the live-in person Postural Imbalances & Acupuncture Protocols (PIAP) or Assessment & Treatment of Injury (ATI) courses due to the extensive amount of acupuncture needling.
All of the classes in the HYBRID online classes, as well as the Postural Imbalances and in-person Acupuncture Protocols (PIAP) & Myofascial Techniques & Therapeutic Exercise (MTTE) classes, prepare you for the four live, in-person only Assessment & Treatment of Injury classes. Both allow you to earn CEUs and count toward pursuing the C.SMA certification.
Yes, live webinar registrants will be given a copy of the recording. Please note that if you are unable to attend the entire live webinar, you will be granted CEU credits only after watching the entire recording and answering a short comprehension quiz as required by the NCCAOM and California State Acupuncture Boards. Students attending the entire live webinar who have successfully checked in and out at different times throughout the live classes do not need to take a quiz, and their certificate will be provided at the completion of the live webinar once the class survey is completed.
Yes! About 8-12 weeks after the class has finished, distant learning CE’s will be granted for the class. All you have to do is contact Net of Knowledge through your portal and ask them to move the distant learning class into your portal free of charge. This will allow you to take the short comprehension quiz at the end of the webinar that shows that you watched it and your certificate will instantly downloadable. In some cases, the number of CE’s might vary slightly due to editing, but it should be minimal!
There are now two tracks for the SMAC Program: ALL IN-PERSON & HYBRID
The ALL IN-PERSON track consists of the 12 classes—four 2-day Myofascial Techniques & Therapeutic Exercise (MTTE) classes, four 3-day Postural Imbalances and Acupuncture Protocols (PIAP) classes (2 days only for Module I: The Spine), and four Assessment & Treatment of Injuries (ATI) classes:
- Module I: Huatuojiaji Points: Vertebral Fixations and Facilitated Segments (2 days)
- Module II: The Low Back, Hip & Groin Assessment & Treatment of Injury (5 days)
- Module III: The Lower Extremity Assessment & Treatment of Injury (5 days)
- Module IV: The Neck, Shoulder and Upper Extremity Assessment & Treatment of Injury (5 days)
The HYBRID track contains 75% of the SMAC Program as recorded webinars, plus four required live, in-person Assessment & Treatment of Injuries (ATI) courses, as listed above.
We vary the location of the SMAC Program between east and west coasts of the U.S. in order to best minimize student traveling expenses. We also offer in-person SMA Foundational classes all around the world. You can see our previous locations HERE.
Participants must complete all four modules within two program years from their start date to become licensed in Sports Medicine Acupuncture. If courses or modules are not available within a two-year window, the allowed completion time frame would be extended accordingly.
Participants may start the program at any stage of the program. The curriculum is designed with a sequential learning within each module so it is recommended to start at the beginning of a module if possible.
The following documents are needed for completion of registration. Please make sure all documents are clear, legible and saved as a JPG, PDF or Word document and upload them to our secure AcuSport Education Dropbox folder using this link https://www.dropbox.com/request/DCvhOiEUJZBd1HpeKThp
- Copy of current acupuncture license or registration.
- Copy of diploma from an ACAOM-accredited or equivalent Traditional Chinese Medicine acupuncture school from which you graduated. Please see the Program Requirements tab on the SMAC Overview page for more info.
- Copy of current malpractice insurance.
Follow these four easy steps:
- Go to the link
- Select from where the documents are stored
- Attach the documents
- Choose Upload
We are here to help! If you have questions about your documentation, please feel free to email us at acusportinfo@gmail.com and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can. If you have any issues with Dropbox, please check out this helpful link https://www.dropbox.com/help.
For students taking online webinars, we do not need proof of diploma or current licensure, but if you wish to earn CEUs, you must provide your acupuncture license number. For acupuncture students, you need only provide proof of current enrollment in an accredited acupuncture school. This document must contain your current class schedule, your name and current date.
Yes, participants enrolled for SMA Certification must pass 4 online Module exams and pass the Final Practical Exam to become a certified graduate and granted to use the Sports Medicine Acupuncture license.
Participants taking SMA courses and who are not enrolled for SMA certification do not need to take any examinations.
Acupuncture students taking SMAC classes online or as a recorded webinar do not need to take the quiz at that time since they will not need CEU’s.
Yes, all courses are approved for NCCAOM and CAB CEU’s.
Please visit our live in-person SMAC Program registration page and our Online Learning page for the CEUs associated with each class.
Please visit our About page to meet our highly qualified instructors and read their bios. To quickly find out who is teaching a particular class or section of the SMAC Program, visit the SMA Course Dates and Locations page and look under the column labeled “Instructor.”
C.SMA are the initials the acupuncturist receives once they have become certified in Sports Medicine Acupuncture and who is licensed to use the exclusive “Sports Medicine Acupuncture®” trademark.
We offer discounts and a payment plan. You can find information on the cost, discounts and payment plan for SMA classes by visiting the respective SMA Foundational Course or SMAC Program Registration pages.
For courses sponsored by AcuSport Education, repeat students receive a 10% discount if attending the same course within a two-year period. If you have taken a live webinar class and want to repeat the class in person, a 25% discount applies. C.SMA practitioners receive a 15% discount if repeating any class or program so long as their certification is active.
There are a limited number of discounted seats available per class. Please register as soon as possible to take advantage of your discount!
Each individual course may be purchased separately, but discounts are available for enrolling or purchasing entire modules in-person or online. Payment plans are also offered for the ALL IN-PERSON track.
For in-person classes seminar notes will be available to be downloaded within 3 days before the class starts. An email will be sent with a code to be used to grant you access to the notes for a 48-hour period of time. In addition, students will be issued a study guide three weeks prior to the class to help them prepare.
For live online webinar classes, notes will be posted in the Net of Knowledge portal by the morning of the class. For recorded classes, notes are included in the course.
Seminar & Certification Course
For live-gathering classes, cancellations received greater than 21 days prior to course start date may be eligible to receive a full refund, less a $50 cancellation fee and an 8% transaction fee for credit card payments. All cancellations must be made in writing and emailed to acusportinfo@gmail.com. Cancellations made within 21 days prior to course start date are not eligible for a refund. Registrants who choose not to attend the seminar without notice will also not be eligible for a refund.
Refunds will be credited back to the original credit card used for payment or by check if applicable.
Class notes are available for 14 days after the end date of the seminar. Registrant is responsible for all shipping charges.
For live webinars, cancellations received greater than 24-hours prior to the start of the online webinar may be able to receive a full-refund less a $50.00 cancellation fee and an 8% transaction fee. Cancellations made within 24-hours will receive a 50% refund.
Partial Completions
Participants will not receive credit for any missed sessions and will not receive certificates of completion for partially completed courses.
AcuSport Education Cancellation Terms
AcuSport Education reserves the right to cancel an event due to low enrollment or other circumstances which would make the event non-viable. If AcuSport Education is forced to cancel an event, a full refund of the tuition paid will be granted to the registered student. AcuSport Education will not pay for travel costs incurred due to a canceled class.
TO REGISTER FOR AN ADDITIONAL CLASS IN THE SMAC PROGRAM:
Visit the SMAC Program Registration page, select the class/es you would like to add, and re-enter your contact and billing information.
Note, if you are a C.SMA practitioner wishing to register for an additional class, please make sure to log out of your account before registering for additional classes.
TO MODIFY OR CANCEL YOUR EXISTING REGISTRATION:
Please email acusportinfo@gmail.com to modify or cancel your existing registration.
Visit the Refund and Cancellation Policy tab for more details.
If you are applying recorded or online webinars towards your SMAC certification, please email acusportinfo@gmail.com with a copy of your CE certificate and in the header of your email write APPLYING WEBINARS FOR SMA CERTIFICATION. If you have any questions, please email Patricia at acusportinfo@gmail.com.
