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ACL REHAB MASTERCLASS
A Complete Guide to Criteria-Based Rehabilitation, Testing, and Return to Sport
Learn our proven system for sports PTs who want to master ACL rehab, confidently progress patients, and guide athletes safely back to high-level sport.
Become the clinician athletes trust to get them back to sport safely using a modern, objective, evidence-based ACL rehab system
ACL rehab is one of the most complex challenges in sports physical therapy. And yet most clinicians, especially new grads, are left guessing:
❌ When should I start plyometrics?
❌ What objective criteria truly matter?
❌ How do I build a running progression beyond walk-jog intervals?
❌ How do I know an athlete is actually ready for cutting and agility?
❌ How do I bridge the gap between passing RTS tests and playing again?
This course closes every one of those gaps. You’ll learn the exact system used by Mike Reinold, Dan Pope, and Kevin Coughlin – built from the latest research, hundreds of ACL cases, and the Champion Sports PT model – and know exactly how to progress an ACL patient from post-op to full sport participation with clarity, confidence, and skill.
You’ll learn the exact system used by Mike Reinold, Dan Pope, and Kevin Coughlin — built from the latest research, hundreds of ACL cases, and the Champion Sports PT model — so you know exactly how to progress an ACL patient from post-op to full sport participation with clarity, confidence, and skill.
~ Dan Pope, Mike Reinold, & Kevin Coughlin
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Who's This Course For?
The course is designed for physical therapists, PT assistants, athletic trainers, and other rehab and fitness professionals who want a modern, criteria-based system to confidently progress athletes from the acute phases of ACL rehabilitation all the way into advanced strength training, plyometrics, running, agility, and return to sport progressions.
This course is for you if you want to…
✔ Progress ACL athletes using objective criteria, not guesswork
✔ Know exactly how to introduce and advance strength, plyos, agility & running
✔ Build real return-to-sport testing batteries
✔ Improve confidence working with competitive athletes
✔ Learn a full 9–12+ month roadmap, not just early rehab
✔ Dramatically improve your ACL outcomes & athlete satisfaction
What is in the Program?
Detailed Online Lessons
9 in-depth modules of video lessons covering all aspects of ACL rehabilitation.
- Early stage ACL rehabilitation: Setting the foundation
- Criteria-Based Progressions (The Champion Method)
- Strength Training Principles for ACL Rehab
- Introducing and advancing plyometrics, running, and agility programs
- Advanced stage rehab: Progressing towards return to sport
- Putting it All Together: A Real-Life Overview of the Entire Rehab Process
- And more…
Return to Sport Templates
You’ll get access to all of our handouts and cheat sheets, going over our entire process and exercise library:
- Return to running progression
- Return to agility drill progression
- Return to plyometric progression
- Complete return to sport protocol and advanced strength and conditioning programming template
Full Exercise Library
Not only will you learn the principles behind our programming and see our entire return to sport progression templates, but you’ll also gain access to our full exercise library. This video database will show you examples of all the drills throughout the entire program.
CEU Credit
Need CEUs for your physical therapy or athletic training license? The course is approved for 8.5 CEU hours for physical therapists, PT assistants, and athletic trainers. See the FAQ below for all the details.
Take a Detailed Look at the Course
Module 1 — A Modern Framework for Return to Sport
- Why outcomes haven’t improved — and how to fix the gap.
- Why return-to-sport rates remain only 55–79%, despite “good” early rehab
- Why only 14% of patients pass RTS criteria at 8 months
- Why returning before 9 months increases injury risk 7x for some people and not others
- What goes into the Champion system to objectively quantify progress to ensure success
Module 2 — Early Stage ACL Rehabilitation: Setting the Foundation
- Why the first 1–2 months directly impact long-term strength, movement, and success
- How to manage pain and swelling to reduce quad inhibition
- The exact strategies to restore full knee extension ASAP (and why this is critical)
- How to systematically progress range of motion (week-by-week targets)
- How to identify and treat arthrogenic muscle inhibition (AMI) — the #1 reason quads don’t come back
- When and how to use: Cryotherapy, Compression, NMES, Biofeedback, Blood Flow Restriction (BFR)
- How to restore gait mechanics and confidently progress off crutches using objective criteria
Module 3 — Criteria-Based Progressions (The Champion Method)
- No more guessing. A month-by-month, criteria-driven model.
- The Champion criteria for each progression
- Strength thresholds to start running, agility, and plyometrics
- Why manual muscle testing fails and what valid testing actually looks like
- When and how to use isometric dynamometry
- How to schedule CMJ testing, strength testing, and run tests to monitor progress and ensure sucess
Module 4 — Strength Training Principles for ACL Rehab
- Build the strength foundation that drives safe plyos, agility & running
- Why strength is the foundation of all ACL progressions
- The exact bilateral → unilateral → frontal/transverse → isolation sequence
- How to build quad & hamstring symmetry, especially for graft-related deficits
- How to use periodization principles in PT
- Specific exercise progressions (squats, deadlifts, SL squats, step-ups, RDLs, and more)
- Strength Principles for return to sport
Module 5 — Introducing & Advancing Plyometrics
- A complete plyometric progression system built on the stretch-shortening cycle
- The physiological basis of plyometrics, the stretch-shortening cycle, and the amortization phase
- Criteria for starting and progressing plyometrics
- How to implement short vs. long ground contact time plyometrics
- How to choose sagittal, frontal & transverse plane jumps
- How to correct valgus, stiff landings, hip drop & other common compensations
Module 6 — Designing Return to Running Programs
- A detailed framework beyond walk-jog intervals
- Know exactly what athletes MUST demonstrate prior to starting a run program
- When running should begin (based on evidence + objective criteria)
- The four types of runs athletes need:
continuous, acceleration, top-end speed, tempo - How to reverse engineer demands based on sport
- Why technique cues matter (cadence, pelvic control)
- A complete 4-step system for designing run progressions
Module 7 — Introducing & Advancing Agility
- From low-intent ladder drills → reactive neurocognitive drills → full change of direction progressions
- How agility blends strength, plyometrics, & neurocognitive demand
- Learn the exact sequence of agility progressions: pogo jumps → ladder drills → low box cuts → shuttle drills → COD → reactive drills → sport-specific agility
- How to adjust for sport demands (soccer vs basketball vs tennis)
- How to correct common compensations (valgus, stiff landings, sway)
Module 8 — Final Stages of Rehab: Progressing Towards Return to Sport
- How to transition an athlete from clinic → practice → competition without fear or reinjury
- The 4-phase model for return to full sport:
Phase 1: Sport-Specific Prep in Clinic
Phase 2: Introduction to Practice
Phase 3: Full Practice Exposure
Phase 4: Return to Competition - How to build confidence & psychological readiness
- How to progress minutes safely in games
- How to tailor progressions to field, court, and contact athletes
Module 9 — Putting it All Together: Simplifying the Complex
- How to put all of the pieces together in a simple and comprehensive way
- How to progress from phase to phase
- What a strength and conditioning template looks like
- When to start plyos, running & agility drills
- How to progress everything together
What Makes this Course Different?
SPANS THE ENTIRE REHAB PROCESS
Not just the early rehab. Most ACL courses cover the first 4-6 weeks, or completely skip the critical early phase and jump straight to return to sport. This course covers it all.
CRITERIA BASED AND SUPPORTED BY EVIDENCE
Our system doesn't just progress patients based on time; we use objective testing and criteria to progress to the next phase.
ALL OUR DRILLS, PROTOCOLS, AND PROGRAMMING
We'll show you everything we use throughout the entire rehabilitation process, from the acute phase, to return to running, all the way to the more advanced strength training.
BLENDS PHYSICAL & PSYCHOLOGICAL READINESS
ACL re-injury risk isn't just physical. Our system is designed not just to improve the physical qualities of our athletes, but also their psychological readiness.
Don’t Take Our Word For It
See What Past Students Are Saying…
“This course covers not only the foundational aspects of ACL rehab but also the progressions you need for Return to Sport. There’s no guesswork on when to integrate things; they go over a step-by-step framework that you can use immediately with your patients. Overall an excellent course!!”
Nancy Kuhn, DPT, OCS
“Before this course, I constantly felt like I was guessing with my ACL patients, especially when it came to return to sport. I knew the basics, but felt like I was just adding new things I saw on social media. I didn’t have a clear system to follow. This completely changed that. The criteria-based progressions gave me objective benchmarks at every stage, and for the first time, I feel confident knowing exactly when a patient is ready to move forward."
Jacob Kissman, DPT, CSCS
“I’ve taken a lot of continuing education courses, but this is the first one that actually changed how I practice. I now have a complete system from early ACL rehab all the way through return to sport. The advanced rehab and performance sections were a game-changer. I finally understand how to bridge the gap between rehab and training."
Sean Reilly, DPT, CSCS
Ready to Join Us?
Master ACL Rehabilitation & Become the Clinician Athletes Trust
Give yourself the confidence and skillset to manage ACL patients from start to finish. This course will change how you practice — and dramatically elevate your outcomes with athletes.
The program normally costs $399.99, but enroll now through Sunday, May 17th to save $100
Frequently Asked Questions
You can access the course from any internet-connected device. This includes all computers, tablets, and phones. You have 24/7 access to the material from anywhere in the world with internet.
Yes, the course has been approved for physical therapists, PT assistants, and athletic trainers for 8.5 CEU contact hours.
Click here to see detailed CEU information here.
If you would like to submit for approval for other boards or organizations, we provide all the necessary information.
You’ll have lifetime access to all the lessons so you can review in the future.
I would never want you to be unhappy! If you are unsatisfied with your purchase, contact us in the first 30 days and we will give you a full refund.
Yes! All of the course videos have subtitles in English as well as these other languages:
Spanish, Portuguese, German, French, Italian, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Hindi, and Arabic