New York; As the International Fight League (IFL) readies for its next event at Mohegan Sun Arena on May 16, IFL Camp Trainer Martin Rooney has his eyes set on several additional goals, including the top of the sports bestseller list and the top picks in the NFL Draft. The Fair Lawn, N.J., resident, one of the most sought-after fitness professionals in the world, has spent a good part of his non-IFL training work this winter readying many of the potential top picks for the upcoming NFL Draft (including potential top pick Chris Long and Rutgers standout Ray Rice) for selection weekend, as well as promoting his MMA-style workout book Training For Warriors, which has rocketed up the sports best seller list (it was at No. 7 this week on ESPN’s list). Rooney, who was a member of the United States Bobsled Team from 1995-1997 and in 2000, and a four-time All Conference MVP performer in Track and Field at Furman University, is also a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under Ricardo Almeida and a black belt in Kodokan Judo under Sensei Matsumura and Olympian Teimoc Johnston-Ono of the prestigious New York Athletic Club. He has used all that training to perfect hand-eye coordination conditioning tactics that many of the elite MMA athletes in the world (including top IFL athletes and coaches like Renzo Gracie, Jamal Patterson, Delson Heleno, and many UFC and PRIDE MMA stars) and now apply them to the elite athlete, especially those in the NFL and top collegiate programs. “The mental discipline, quickness and flexibility training that makes Mixed Martial Arts the phenomenon that is has become and has helped forge so many recent successes like the athletes from Renzo Gracie’s New York-based Academy are skills that we have seen translate very well to other sports, especially football,” Rooney said. “It has been great to see how the MMA success story, through a book like Training For Warriors, can help make so many elite athletes even better.” In addition to his draft training and his work with the IFL, Rooney has been the martial arts consultant for the New York Giants and New York Jets and is a speed and conditioning consultant to a host of colleges and many athletes from the NFL, MLB, NBA and WNBA. He has also trained numerous Olympians, including one gold and four silver medalists. Currently, Martin is COO and director of training of the Parisi Speed School. The Parisi Speed School is launching its national franchise opportunity under Martin's leadership, and there are already over thirty franchises in twenty states across the country sold in addition to five company-owned stores in New Jersey. Details of the book can also be found at trainingforwarriors.com. About the IFL International Fight League™ (IFL) has its headquarters in New York and offices in Las Vegas. For more information about IFL, please see: www.ifl.tv. ---"No, I never threw a spitball. Except when I had to get someone out really bad."- Whitey Ford *Jerry Milani Manager of Public Relations International Fight
*Catch the IFL on FSN Saturdays at midnight and LIVE on HDNet on May 16
