Practitioner Courses at CTBI
The online and in-person courses required for CTB Practitioner Level are listed on this page. Students must also be enrolled in the CTB Membership. These classes are available for enrollment as individual workshops, although some classes have prerequisites. Several classes may be taken as first classes, including Level 1, Functional Anatomy, CTB Fundamentals, Level 1 and HandsFree. Clinical Core for the Upper Body 1 may be taken as a first class by students with some background in anatomy and trigger point concepts. Most in-person classes also have an online component that covers theory and background.
The CTB Practitioner level involves completing all of the classes below in addition to successful completion of Year 1 of the CTB Membership, and in-person mentoring and testing with CTB Instructors.
Chuck Duff's Coaching The Body approach is a unique merger of mat-based manual therapy techniques with modern neuroscience and trigger point therapy that is consistently effective in treating pain. We are experts at the functional effects of movement on muscles, and our students get a deep grounding in what is happening as well as why. Because our offerings are so unique, our demographic includes students from across the US and other countries. Please use the Chat box in the lower right to get your questions answered about Coaching the Body programs.
Level 1: Thai Bodywork Fundamentals
HOURS: 20
CE HOURS: 17
TUITION: $650
TYPE: IN PERSON + HOME STUDY
This fantastic training is the gateway to the rest of our program. There are no prerequisites, and students are accepted without any prior bodywork training. You will be amazed at what you learn in a weekend as we teach you the critical fundamentals of body mechanics, positioning, compression, working with passive stretches, a key set of techniques based on Thai massage, an intro to concepts of clinical work, trigger point concepts, and much more.
A basic introduction to clinically oriented mat-based bodywork and the Coaching The Body® system, this intensive 2.5 day training is suitable for new students, or practitioners seeking an alternative modality. You will learn a valuable 1.5-hour professional sequence that you can immediately put to use with clients, friends and family. The focus of this training is to instill principles of full-body movement through carefully refined teaching methods that have helped thousands of students learn this fantastic art. Even students who have studied at other schools give us rave reviews about this training and our teaching methods.
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Functional Anatomy for Bodywork, Movement & Yoga
HOURS: 24
CE HOURS: 21
TUITION: $650
TYPE: HOME STUDY
This popular online course teaches anatomy and physiology in a way that is interesting, practical and relevant to the practice of Coaching the Body and trigger point therapy. Instead of the usual dry, memorization-oriented Anatomy/Physiology, this class strives to be as interactive and hands-on as possible to increase retention and make learning anatomy fun. This series provides direct experience of bones and muscles at rest as well as in movement. We focus on how to accurately palpate, learning to recognize the location of the muscle as well as its state of health. We cover muscle function, isolated stretching, osteopathic techniques for regulation of muscle function, interaction with energetic anatomy, trigger point pain referral and other topics of critical importance to yogis and bodyworkers. This course provides 10 NCBTMB CE hours for massage.
HandsFree Thai Bodywork - Level 1
HOURS: 20
CE HOURS: 17
TUITION: $650
TYPE: IN PERSON + ONLINE
This weekend course provides an introduction to the powerful HandsFree techniques of Chuck Duff's Coaching The Body method. Students are taught to work from a place of meditative ease using leverage and body weight, a practice that cultivates maximum sensitivity to your client's body cues and avoids injury from overuse of forearm, shoulder and hand muscles. Variations using feet, legs and knees allow you as therapist to provide broad, deep pressure without endangering yourself. This is an excellent way for the practitioner to safely work with athletes and other clients who require deeper pressure without putting stress on themselves.
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Coaching The Body Fundamentals
HOURS: 20
CE HOURS: 10
TUITION: $650
TYPE: HOME STUDY with IN PERSON OPTION
This course covers the theory, principles and practice underlying the Coaching The Body™ system, a modality developed by Chuck Duff that integrates techniques of Thai bodywork with an updated understanding of the revolutionary concepts of trigger point therapy.
Trigger point therapy, as initially formulated by Drs. Travell and Simons, included at the time only a partial understanding of some concepts that we have found to be critical to successful practice. We present in our "Trigger Point 2.0" model an updated framework for satellite referral, functional networks of muscles, and how the ideas of trigger point therapy relate to the understanding of pain in modern neuroscience.
Clinical Core for Upper Body 1
HOURS: 20
CE HOURS: 17
TUITION: $650
TYPE: IN PERSON + HOME STUDY
This course covers the analysis, assessments and treatment for addressing the most common upper body complaints seen in clinical practice.
Coaching the Body™ provides a unique and powerful framework for understanding and addressing the true origins of pain. Over the last 15 years, CTBI founder Chuck Duff has integrated an updated understanding of trigger point therapy (Trigger Point 2.0) with techniques from Thai and other bodywork styles and current neuroscience into this revolutionary approach to pain.
You will learn to address the most common types of shoulder, upper back and neck pain by understanding the role of proper scapular positioning, the various muscular sources that can feed the upper body with satellite referral, key functional relationships, perpetuating factors for upper body pain, and key treatment modules for the most important muscles in this area.
This course is valuable for massage therapists, yoga teachers, physical therapists, trainers and anyone looking for deep insight about the true origins of upper body pain. The concepts are continued and refined in our Clinical Core for Upper Body 2 course.
| 01 - 02April | Clinical Core for Upper Body 1 - April 1-2, 2023This course provides a full protocol for addressing the most common upper body complaints seen in clinical practice. Student will learn to address shoulder, upper... | View Details |
| 03 - 04June | Clinical Core for Upper Body 2 - June 3-4, 2023This course provides a full protocol for addressing the most common upper body complaints seen in clinical practice. Student will learn to address shoulder, upper... | View Details |
Clinical Core for Upper Body 2
HOURS: 20
CE HOURS: 17
TUITION: $650
TYPE: IN PERSON + HOME STUDY
This course goes into further detail around the clinical topics, assessments and treatment for addressing the most common upper body complaints seen in clinical practice.
You will become intimately immersed in the primary muscles affecting shoulder mobility and will gain additional hands-on experience and feedback for being successful in addressing the most common types of shoulder, upper back and neck pain. By using what you learned in Clinical Core for the Upper Body I, you will be prepared to go deeper into glenohumeral movement and analysis of referral, satellite referral and key functional relationships within this incredibly significant area of the body.
This class cannot be taken without its prerequisite, Clinical Core for the Upper Body I.
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Clinical Core for Lower Body 1
HOURS: 20
CE HOURS: 17
TUITION: $650
TYPE: IN PERSON + HOME STUDYn
This course establishes the foundation of the CTB Lower Body Protocol, focusing on the key techniques that are used to work with muscles of the lower body. We emphasize the use of Handsfree-style techniques in this area of the body, because they are very efficient for the practitioner and also very effective therapeutic techniques for the client. The lower body is much more technique-intensive than the upper body, so we will focus on refining the techniques as we present the lower body protocol. In Lower Core 2, we will focus on mastery of the protocol and analysis of lower body complaints, including hip and knee pain, sciatica, ankle and foot pain, and more.
Along with the in-person course, you will receive an online course that will take you through the techniques you learned in class and will serve as a permanent resource. Upon successful completion, the student receives a 17-hour certificate. This course provides 17 NCBTMB CE hours.
| 06 - 07May | Clinical Core for the Lower Body I - May 6-7, 2023This class builds the student's repertoire of techniques from traditional Thai bodywork and other modalities with the goal of working with specific issues of pain... | View Details |
Clinical Core for Lower Body 2
HOURS: 20
CE HOURS: 17
TUITION: $650
TYPE: IN PERSON + HOME STUDY
This course provides a full protocol for addressing the most common lower body complaints seen in clinical practice. Student will learn to address hip, sciatic, knee, foot/ankle pain by understanding the role of posture, foot and ankle issues that cause gait disturbance, the various muscular sources that can feed the hips and lower extremities with satellite referral, perpetuating factors for lower body pain, and key treatment modules for the most important muscles in this area. There is a relatively small set of muscles and relationships that set up a high percentage of complaints. This course prepares you to design and execute effective treatments for most of the lower body cases that you will see.
| 08 - 09July | Clinical Core for Lower Body 2 - July 8-9, 2023This course provides a full protocol for addressing the most common lower body complaints seen in clinical practice. Student will learn to address hip, sciatic,... | View Details |
CTB Self Treatment, Rehab and Assessments
HOURS: 20
CE HOURS: 17
TUITION: $650
TYPE: HOME STUDY
This course covers tools and techniques to support the client in achieving and maintaining full recovery from their pain condition. CTB analyzes not only the muscular relationships that cause pain, but also the functional patterns and perpetuating factors that will make the pain come back unless corrected.
Anatomical differences such as leg length discrepancy, hemi pelvis discrepancy, hyperpronation, muscle weakness and imbalance, nutritional factors and postural variations all can play a role in perpetuating pain. Unless corrected, these factors will eventually cause the pain to return.
We review the asymmetry assessments and provide an opportunity for students to complete checkout. We discuss in detail how to design corrections in a way that is appropriate for each client.