Stretch to Win Fascial Stretch Therapy Review

Our fascial stretch therapy review focuses on Stetch to Win/Frederick Stretch Therapy’s Level 1 certification workshop. I completed the workshop in 2022.

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Read why I loved the Fascial Stretch Therapy certification below!

What is Stretch to Win?

Stretch to Win is an institute responsible for the teaching of Fascial Stretch Therapy. Ann and Chris Frederick are the founders and directors of Stretch to Win. The institute hosts week-long workshops in Chandler, Arizona (outside Phoenix) and Burlington, Ontario (Canada).

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What are Fascial Stretch Therapy Workshops?

Stretch to Win hosts 5-day Fascial Stretch Therapy (FST) workshops throughout the year. They run from around 8am-5pm with breaks in between.

These workshops are for Level 1, 2, or 3 certification. On the final day of the workshop, you test-out to be certified to practice FST at that level.

Organization of Stretch to Win Workshops

To be clear, I think Stretch to Win designs one of the best workshop and general learning experiences out there. Here’s why:

• Video and print material are of professional quality
• Communication is clear
• Workshops are fun and incredibly informative
• Adequate preparation for practicing FST
• Pay yourself back for training within months

You can read more about these points below.

Pre-workshop

The first thing to say about Stretch to Win’s Level 1 workshop is that it was incredibly well organized. While the preparation is considerable and the days are very full, everything is very clearly laid out for you.

Before you attend the workshops, you need to complete your reading, take a quiz, and are asked to watch videos of all the material. To let some of the pressure off, it is not assumed that you have 100% comprehension of everything you’ve read. But you should be familiar with the philosophy, movements, and vocabulary. This will make your workshop experience better and richer.

During the workshops

The quality and organization of teaching is another reason why the Stretch to Win workshops are so effective and enjoyable. The general teaching strategy is this:

• Demonstrate the technique to the entire group
• Break into small groups of around 6-8 students per teacher
• Teacher demonstrates in a small group, usually on each student
• Student practices on teacher
• Students practice on each other
• Skill check of certain techniques as review

As you see, you get an enormous amount of hands-on experience. There’s also plenty of time for questions and to have a second attempt at learning if you missed something the first time.

You’re encouraged to rest between sessions rather than studying. This is in keeping with studies that have shown the importance of rest in learning new skills.

When you are ready to sit down and study, you can use the fully-illustrated book that’s included in your workshop. This book:

• Clearly outlines all of the exercises (with clear images)
• Gives practice tips
• Identifies contraindications
• Shows variations

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After the workshops

After you finish your 5-day workshop, you’ll be given a number of tools to get started as a Fascial Stretch Therapy practitioner. These include:

• Certificate
• 3 straps for your practice
• Workbook
• Information for advertising and legal protection
• 6 months continued access to all video material
• Membership to relevant online groups to network and share tips
• Other goodies I won’t mention (because I don’t know if they’re always offered)

A big, lasting benefit is that you can also join the network of FST practitioners. This allows you to ask questions, trade tips, and help with job searches.

Why is Fascial Stretch Therapy Good for Pilates Instructors?

Got any of those stiff as a board clients? Fascial Stretch Therapy might be just what they need! Dealing with flexibility challenged Pilates clients is what first attracted me to FST.

There are many obvious benefits for Pilates teachers in terms of improving clients’ range of motion, but here are 3 reasons why FST is great for Pilates instructors:

1. Fewer cancellations. Clients are prone to cancel when they’re not feeling up to a Pilates session, but if you can offer a relaxing stretching session instead, you’ll see those cancellations decrease dramatically.
2. You’ll learn a lot about how to touch and move clients. This is a key component of FST training, and I haven’t come across another certification that does it as well as the Fredricks.
3. Learn about fascia! Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll be aware that the movement industry is fascia-nated with fascia! This is a great time to learn about what fascia is and how it can affect movement.

4 Things I Loved about Fascial Stretch Therapy Certification Workshops

1. No gurus!

Ann and Chris Frederick are the heart-and-soul of FST. Ann developed the technique and takes pride in her ownership of it. One thing I enjoyed about studying under them is the lack of guru-ness about them.

Sometimes those who originate techniques surround themselves with disciples and can be a bit unapproachable. This was the opposite of my experience with Ann and Chris. They work alongside the other teachers, require you to work on them, and are happy to field any questions (even critical ones).

2. Knowledge of Assistant Teachers

FST has been around long enough that it has produced some great practitioners (in addition to the founders). As a learner, I’m always appreciative of diverse approaches to a method and the insight that comes from that.

The assistant teachers are all advanced practitioners who have also put in their hours. Most of them work in several other modalities as well, so you that gives students more opportunities to find someone working close to their own practice.

Every teacher there gave 100% over the entire 5 days, and would even come early and stay later to practice, answer questions, or talk.

3. Good food and drinks

The Fascial Stretch Therapy workshops are amazingly well-stocked with great, healthy food. Cliff and Kind bars, meat sticks, chocolate galore, plus quality coffee and tea…all you need to recharge after your sessions.

4. Ethos

An ethos is the ethical atmosphere. It’s the heart of a studio, organization, or company. It’s infectious, from the owners, staff, and down to the students.

While it’s best experienced for yourself, I can only say that the general atmosphere of Stretch to Win’s workshops is overwhelmingly supportive and positive.

They take care to create groups mixed with physiotherapists, Pilates and yoga teachers, personal trainers, and those without much experience teaching physical modalities. This makes an environment where all can be teachers and learners.

Is Fascial Stretch Therapy Certification Worth the Cost?

Body Geeks know that certifications can be both addictive and expensive. You need to do not only the math (Can this pay for itself?) but also the heart (Will this help my clients?). I that the Fascial Stretch Therapy certification is worth it in both ways.

Getting Level 1 certified in FST costs $2,195 if you register 2 months before the workshop. You also need to budget for transportation, housing, and food, which can easily run you another $1,000.

That’s about 4x as much as becoming a personal trainer through an online program. But it’s a much better option financially.

Here’s why: your startup cost for being a Fascial Stretch Therapy practitioner is a massage table. And here are a few to consider:

After that, you can offer services anywhere you like. FST sessions regularly run for $80 per hour (of course that depends on your area), even for Level 1 practitioners.

So, to do the math, if you spend $3,500 in total to go to Chandler, get certified, and buy a table, you’d need to give 44 sessions at $80 to pay for the course.

You might not be able to charge that rate, but paying for the course within 50 sessions is not bad.

And you can be sure that you’re offering a quality modality which can bring a lot of happiness and pain-relief. Not bad bang for the buck!

Fascial Stretch Therapy Review Conclusion

Going into these workshops, I thought it was impossible that I could learn 1.5 hours of Fascial Stretch Therapy exercises and feel confident using them safely. But the classes well so well organized and the resources are so good that I felt ready to begin offering FST after giving only 2 practice sessions to friends.

If you’re looking for a new modality for your practice, or even if you don’t have much experience with body work and training, Stretch to Win’s workshops give you the opportunity to safely practice Fascial Stretch Therapy.

These workshops are also useful for other workshop organizers as a model of excellence in:

• organization
• communication
• expertise
• love of one’s method

I left feeling inspired and challenged in ways I had not expected.

Want to book a Fascial Stretch Therapy session with me?

I’m currently offering Fascial Stretch Therapy sessions in Birmingham, Alabama. Head on over to VersusBodies to find out how to book a session.

Read More about Fascial Stretch Therapy

Ann and Chris Frederick, Fascial Stretch Therapy

Ann and Chris Frederick, Stretch to Win

Thomas W. Myers, Anatomy Trains: Myofascial Meridians for Manual Therapists and Movement Professionals

Robert Schleip, Fascia in Sport and Movement

Robert Schleip, Fascial Fitness, Second Edition: Practical Exercises to Stay Flexible, Active and Pain Free in Just 20 Minutes a Week

Jean-Claude Guimberteau and Colin Armstrong, Architecture of Human Living Fascia: Cells and Extracellular Matrix as Revealed by Endoscopy (Book and DVD)

David Lesondak, Fascia: What It Is and Why it Matters

Notes:

Fascial Stretch Therapy is trademarked with the Stretch to Win institution. Although the author is a FST practitioner, he is not otherwise affiliated with StW. There was no compensation for this review.

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