ABOUT

 ABOUT

Despite doctors and teachers claiming that would "never amount to anything academically or athletically " Scott Sonnon overcame childhood obesity, learning disabilities, and joint disease, to be named by Men's Fitness Magazine, one of the top trainers in the world, and by Black Belt Magazine as one of the most influential martial artists of the century .

"One of the Top 24 Trainers in the World "          

 " One of the 6 Most Influential Martial Artists of the century "

Scott Sonnon

In a wonderful twist of irony, despite being institutionalized as a child in a psychiatric hospital for his learning disabilities, Scott earned his membership into MENSA, the International High IQ Society, became a keynote speaker for their annual conference, and was named one of the year’s “Most Noteworthy Mensans.” In November of 2013, he became a TEDx Fellow speaking on “The Genius of Learning Styles concealed by the Labels of Learning Disability.” Though early childhood teachers claimed he’d never amount to anything academically, Scott became Graduate Faculty at Virginia Commonwealth University, and adjunct professor for Penn State University, HACC Campus.

But his passionate motivation derived from a shattered family life, disintegrated by the painful divorce of his parents when his father returned from the Korean war, full of rage and violence. Transforming that early trauma into a life’s quest for effective stress recovery techniques, he went on to develop history’s first “tactical fitness” course for first responders. Becoming an adjunct instructor for the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) and a lecturer for the State and Local Law Enforcement Training Symposium (SLLETS), he has had his course P.O.S.T. approved in HI, WI, NJ, GA, TN, VA and OH. His courses have reached 50,000+ federal agents through implementation at the US Customs and Border Protection Advanced Training Center and the US Marshals Service Academy, as well as having the distinct honor of officially certifying the US Army 3/160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR) “Nightstalkers” and the ItalianCarabinieri Gruppo Intervento Speciale (GIS) in his system.

Despite incredible obstacles, became the first foreigner in the 1990s to officially receive an invitation and to intern behind xUSSR’s “Iron Curtain” in their national martial art style called “Sambo” and became one of the first 20 Westerners to earn the discipline’s highest athletic distinction: “Master of Sport.” As the USA National Sambo Team Coach, he repeatedly put his knowledge to practical application winning international titles for himself and his athletes. To test himself again, he came out of retirement at the age of 40, for the 2010 World Martial Art Games, and won 5 gold medals for his country, in Sport Jiujitsu, Submission Grappling, and MMA, against fighters half his age and 100lbs heavier.

His love for helping others improve their quality of health was born out of his own need to learn every imaginable remedial step; of never being able to take for granted what came naturally to most others. But due to poor nutrition, improper conditioning and rapid aging,  others now suffer pain similar to what Scott was forced to overcome. Though his programs were originally designed to prevent accelerating aging of joint and connective tissues, they now give people of even Scott’s genetic challenges, access to the physical and psychological mastery which can only be described as “flow” - not merely functional, but optimal experience of life.

As a speaker for the International Youth Conditioning Association, the National Active Aging Council, and the Obesity Radiant Recovery Ranch, emcee to the world’s largest fitness expo - the Arnold Schwarzenegger Sports Festival, the National Strength Conditioning Association, Canadian Personal Trainers Network, Australian Yoga Conference, and FILEX annual conferences, he has become an inspiration to thousands of people by his incredible story of triumph and his passionate dedication to helping others. As an acclaimed public speaker and author, has taken his world-class fighting skills off the mat to the fight against the core issues underlying obesity, disability and accelerated aging.

Bringing his discoveries and methods to true warriors “healed” Scott, by helping other families to prevent not merely the physical, but the mental and emotional wounds, which deteriorated and eventually killed his father. In a true “full circle” parable, while Scott was in Israel teaching at their special operations counter-terrorism academy LOTAR, he followed his father’s footsteps, unknowingly, to bathe in the baptismal waters of the River Jordan in precisely the same spot his father had traveled before his death: a journey which rejoined Scott with his father, and invigorated him to work harder and reach out farther to others suffering the wounds of violence and trauma.

Scott’s array of patented equipment - such as the Clubbell® - have become renowned in their unique effectiveness. His Circular Strength Training® and TACFIT® Systems can now be found worldwide, earning Scott a place in the National Fitness Hall of Fame Museum, the International Martial Arts Hall of Fame and the Personal Trainer Hall of Fame.