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SHIFT Certification: Applied Movement & Strategy

A 5-day, in-person professional certification for fitness and movement professionals.

SHIFT is a martial arts–informed movement and decision-making framework that integrates core martial principles—balance, leverage, timing, positioning, and strategy—into functional fitness, strength & conditioning, and group training.

It gives instructors access to the intelligence of martial arts without requiring combat training or a martial arts background.

Why SHIFT Exists

Modern fitness education excels at strength, conditioning, and performance — but often leaves instructors without tools for teaching decision-making, embodied awareness, and movement under stress or interaction.

Martial arts have trained these capacities for centuries.

SHIFT exists to translate martial arts principles into functional training environments—strength work, conditioning, group classes, and athletic settings—so they can be coached safely, inclusively, and at scale.

The result is clearer coaching, more confident movement, and training environments that support both performance and nervous system regulation.

SHIFT is not a workout format or branded class.
It is a framework for how instructors teach movement.

What You’ll Be Certified To Do

After completing the SHIFT certification, you will be:

• Certified to use the SHIFT framework across your existing practice

• Recognized as a SHIFT-certified instructor

• Able to integrate martial arts–informed principles into:

  • strength and conditioning

  • group classes

  • movement prep and warm-ups

  • athletic training

  • 1:1 coaching environments

SHIFT does not require you to teach a specific class or program.
It enhances how you coach, cue, and structure movement — regardless of discipline.

Who This Certification Is For

SHIFT is designed for:

• Fitness professionals

• Strength & conditioning coaches

• Martial arts instructors

• Movement educators and trainers

No martial arts experience is required.
This certification is for professionals already teaching movement who want a deeper, more strategic framework grounded in martial arts logic and functional training.

The SHIFT Certification Experience

SHIFT: Applied Movement & Strategy is a 5-day immersive, in-person training built around embodied learning, applied practice, and real-world teaching.

Day 1 — Experiencing SHIFT

• Experience SHIFT as a student

• Foundations: nervous system literacy, balance logic, agency

• Framing and pedagogical groundwork

Day 2 — Teaching Martial Arts–Informed Movement

• Technique families and martial movement principles

• How to teach, cue, and progress safely

• Partner drills and embodiment practice

Day 3 — Applied Movement & Science

• Working with freeze, flinch, breath, and recovery

• Movement coaching and troubleshooting

• Trauma-aware frameworks (intro level; not therapy training)

• Designing a 1-hour community workshop

Day 4 — Practice & Refinement

• Practice teaching

• Instructor feedback and refinement

• Ethical boundaries and safety protocols

• Final workshop preparation

Day 5 (Morning) — Assessment & Integration

• Practical exam: deliver a workshop

• Assessment and certification

• Group debrief, closure, and integration

What the Training Emphasizes

SHIFT structurally supports:

• embodied learning and somatic absorption

• nervous system literacy

• trauma-aware coaching practices

• pedagogical clarity

• applied martial arts–informed movement drills

• real-world workshop delivery

This is not theoretical training.
You will practice teaching, receive feedback, and leave with a framework you can apply immediately.

What’s Included

• 5 full days of hands-on instruction

• Printed SHIFT training manual (received at check-in)

• Teaching practicum with personalized feedback

• Certification in the SHIFT framework

• Access to ongoing professional resources

Travel, lodging, and meals are not included.

Optional Specialization

Certified SHIFT instructors may optionally pursue Pretty Deadly Self Defense™ program licensing as a specialization for specific audiences. This is not required to complete or apply the SHIFT certification.

Upcoming Certification Dates

Europe
Berlin, Germany — April 7-11, 2026

United Kingdom
Greater London Area — July 14-18, 2026

United States
New Orleans — October 8-12, 2026

Certification Fee

$1,650 USD

Price shown in USD. International participants will see local currency conversion at checkout.