Ben Askren - Reinventing Wrestling :: Ep 11 The Full Tilt Podcast

The Full Tilt Podcast · Apr 30, 2026 · 52m

Ben Askren sits down in his Wisconsin home to unpack how he reinvented wrestling, from basement mats and reluctant partners to NCAA dominance and world‑level technique. He breaks down scrambling’s evolution, the balance between family and coaching, why passion beats early results in recruiting, and how to keep kids hungry for the sport without burning them out.

Chapters

2:00 – The birth of the PNL league during COVID and its purpose

3:40 – No year‑round clubs, basement mats, and inventing “funk” out of necessity

6:30 – Letting partners almost score and teaching himself to scramble

8:40 –…