Sports Medicine Acupuncture Certification (SMAC) Program

Integrative training in the assessment and treatment of musculoskeletal pain

The SMAC program is over 250 hours of advanced Sports Medicine Acupuncture training. It combines many successful integrative Eastern and Western approaches and is designed to provide the highest level of instruction in the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal pain.

The SMAC Program instructors are all practicing, licensed acupuncturists with experience teaching at the collegiate level. Every class also has qualified graduate assistants, all C.SMA practitioners, specially trained to give more one-on-one practical supervision.

Graduates who pass the final practical exam earn the distinction of being a licensed practitioner of Sports Medicine Acupuncture®. The program continues to evolve with ongoing research and development, enhanced assessment and treatment techniques, and tested clinical applications.

In-person ATI intensives

All four required in-person Assessment & Treatment of Injuries classes are held at the Marina Village Conference Center in San Diego, California.

Online classes are purchased separately: see SMAC recorded webinars. The live, in-person registration page lists both SMAC and SMA Foundational and courses.

Truly integrating TCM and Western biomedicine

The SMAC program significantly expands on fundamental TCM assessment and treatment approaches for orthopedic and musculoskeletal conditions.

TCM is far from an antiquated medical system: it is imbued with powerful tools of differential diagnosis and acupuncture and moxibustion (zhenjiu) treatment techniques.

Rather than stacking TCM and Western biomedical facts side by side, the program applies TCM principles to Western biomedical facts, and uses those facts to illustrate TCM principles. The result is assessment and treatment strategies with long-lasting, successful outcomes. Read the student reviews.

You will develop the skills to:

1. Implement Sports Medicine Acupuncture approaches to assessing and treating the patient and the patient’s injury.
2. Manage the patient’s health care with SMA approaches.
3. Perform a differential diagnosis using orthopedic evaluation and manual muscle testing to help identify the musculoskeletal injury.
4. Formulate a working assessment of the patient and their injury.
5. Understand functional anatomy and identify the mechanism of injury for over 80 orthopedic conditions.
6. Assess postural alignment and functional movement to understand the postural and muscle imbalances contributing to musculoskeletal pain, examined through the lens of the sinew channels (jingjin).
7. Generate a Sports Medicine Acupuncture treatment plan and protocol.
8. Learn and apply innovative needle techniques, combining TCM acupuncture points and motor points to change muscle imbalances, increase range of motion, markedly decrease pain and treat the patient’s constitution.
9. Combine acupuncture point prescriptions, myofascial therapy techniques and therapeutic postural exercises to balance the human structure and decrease musculoskeletal pain.
10. Prescribe therapeutic postural exercises and intradermal point prescriptions for enhanced treatment outcomes.
11. Re-evaluate assessment and treatment outcomes.

What C.SMA practitioners receive

Still have questions? Read the SMAC Program FAQ or send us a message.

• Distinguished right to use the Sports Medicine Acupuncture^® license
• Distinguished right to use the Sports Medicine Acupuncture^® logo
• A listing in the C.SMA Practitioner Directory, with your photo and clinic contact information
• Exclusive discounts on AcuSport Education seminars & products
• Discounts from our partners, Lhasa OMS or Eastern Currents
• Referrals and opportunities: many C.SMA practitioners have received website referrals and job offers from sports teams, physical therapists, sports chiropractors and integrated clinics (see the student reviews & outstanding C.SMA practitioners)

Who can enroll

• All courses: you must understand and agree to the AcuSport Education Agreement Form, found on the registration page.
• In-person courses: you must be a licensed or registered acupuncturist with proof of graduation from an ACAOM-accredited (or equivalent) TCM acupuncture school, a minimum of 2,000 hours of acupuncture and TCM training, an active license and malpractice insurance.
• Acupuncture students can enroll in all online courses, but can’t attend the in-person ATI courses because of the extensive needling involved.
• Individual classes can be taken online or in person for continuing education credit. If you’re pursuing certification, you have two program years to complete all attendance and examination requirements.

Staying in San Diego

The in-person ATI classes for the 2026–2027 and 2027–2028 programs take place at the Marina Village Conference Center in San Diego, CA.

Where to stay

• Nearby hotels: the Dana on Mission Bay (opens in a new tab) and the Hyatt Regency Mission Bay (opens in a new tab). More affordable options are a short rideshare away.
• North Ocean Beach: Airbnb and VRBO rentals are about a 15–20 minute walk to Marina Village.
• Mission Beach (opens in a new tab): rentals are close by. Ask for one near, or preferably south of, the Belmont Park roller coaster. Many include a bike, and Marina Village is a short ride on safe bike paths overlooking Mission Bay.