Scott Sonnon

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Former Penn State University adjunct Professor of Physical Education, 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.

With extensive combat and sport Sambo as his background, he was given the opportunity to become the first Westerner to study in Russia 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 Alexander Retuinskih, founder of R.O.S.S., himself a student of Alexey Kadochnikov, founder of Russian martial art or Kadochnikov Systema. In 2001, at the 10th Anniversary National Festival for Russian martial art's revival, he performed at the world-famous Bol'shoy Theater to an audience of thousands including an introduction from Russian President Vladimir Putin. He was the first American to teach Russian martial art in Russia. Coach Sonnon was made the North American Director of R.O.S.S. in 1996, until he resigned from Russian martial art in 2002.

Coach Sonnon is a world-recognized coach of a fight coach development program which he named FlowFighting at his gym in Bellingham, Washington, USA. The focus of the style is to enter what sport psychologists call flow-state through perpetual motion drills, as opposed to technique rehearsal of traditional martial arts. The style requires competition in ten different sports, from fencing to grappling to boxing, and mixed martial arts / no holds barred competition.

In 2005, he came out of retirement to test his theories with his teammate, Joseph Wilson, at the Open International San Shou Championship in Mobile, Alabama. He won the gold medal in his weight class. He 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 International Clubbell Sport. In 2006, he was nominated as "Pioneer of American Sambo" by the American Sambo Association

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 on his method called Circular Strength Training, and his equipment called the Clubbell, which he developed based upon ancient Indian Kushti and Iranian Pahlavani wrestling called Indian Clubs or Iranian Clubs. He also founded his own style of yoga which combines Cossack dancing, gymnastics, break-dancing called Prasara yoga. His system focuses on a "health first" approach to fitness of what he calls Tabula Rasa or "Cleaning the Slate" 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 runs a publishing company generally focused on martial arts and related sports, but also catering to general health, yoga, fitness, weight loss, and stress management. He also runs his own center, The RMAX Gymnasium, Ltd. in Bellingham, Washington.

[edit] Books

• 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 .

[edit] External links

• RMAX International (1996). "About Scott Sonnon".
• Independent Review of Scott Sonnon [1]
• Depew Fitness Show Interview with Scott Sonnon (2005). [2]
• Dolphzine Magazine Interview with Scott Sonnon (2004). [3]
• Testosterone Magazine Interview with Scott Sonnon (2003). [4]
• Articles by Scott Sonnon at Athletes.com. [5]
• Articles by Scott Sonnon at Bodybuilding.com. [6]
• Girevik Magazine Interview with Scott Sonnon (2003). [7]