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Coaches: If you would like to host a Funk Legend Clinic at your school or facility to assist the Askren Family & your athletes, contact Coach Mesenbrink at 262.993.6211 or email johnmesenbrink@gmail.com
Funk Legend Wrestling Clinics & Camps Await You
100% of the proceeds from these clinics & camps go DIRECTLY to Ben Askren & his family!!!
Mission
Provide economic assistance to the Ben Askren family for medical expenses and life challenges. ALL proceeds from Funk Legend Wrestling Clinics & Camps will go directly to the Ben Askren Family.
Plan of Action
You are not simply being asked to donate to the cause! Coach & athlete Ben Askren attacks his goals and challenges knowing that great rewards are not just given and that greatness never comes easy. This same philosophy applies to the Funk Legend Clinic & Camp Tour. When you attend a Funk Legend wrestling event, you will not only be assiting Ben and his family, you will be receiving elite technical and tactical instruction that will help you reach your full potential as a combat sport athlete! Your participation in these events will be an investment leading to significant, transformative improvements in performance and overall success!
Every Funk Legend Clinic or Camp will be run by Ben Askren's high school coach and Askren Wrestling Academy Co-Founder John Mesenbrink.
Upcoming Funk Legend Tour Events
July 24 & 25 - The Funk Legend Clinic Tour's Nationwide Kick-Off Starts in Missouri!
The Funk Legend Clinic Tour's Nationwide Kick-off is going down in the "Show Me State" of Missouri where Ben Askren evolved into one of the greatest folkstyle wrestlers in NCAA history! Ben was a 4 x NCAA Finalist and All-American, a 2x National Champion and a 2x Hodge Trophy winner for the Univerity of Missouri Tigers!!!
When Marcus Hoehn, one of Ben's closet friends, Mizzou wrestling teammate and Founder & Head Coach of the Thoroughbred Wrestling Academy in Hillsboro, Missouri heard about the Funk Legend Clinic Tour providing 100% of the funds generated directly to Ben Askren and his family, he said we want to host a clinic and we are going to win! I want our clinic to be the best one and raise the most money to help Ben!” Well Coach Hoehn is not messing around. He is actually hosting 2 clinics on back to back days in the St. Louis Metroploitan area and is doing it on only 2.5 weeks notice! The first clinic hosted by Thorougbred Wrestling Academy will take place in Wentzville, MO. and the second in Lindbergh, MO .
LET THE FUNK LEGEND TOUR BEGIN.....
Day 1
July 24 - Funk Legend Clinic: Finishing Secrets of the Samurai!
Team Japan led the medal count with 6 gold medals in freestyle wrestling at the 2024 Olympic Games (men & women combined). Instruction for this Funk Legend clinic will focus on some of the very unique leg attack finishes that helped Team Japan take the world by storm! Come and learn the Finishing Secrets of the Samurai as we support Coach Ben & his family!
Athletes entering grade 5 through 8: 10:00 - 11:30 AM
Athletes entering grade 9 through 12: 1:00 - 2:30 PM
Clinic Location: North Point High School Wrestling Room 2255 W. Meyer Rd, Wentzville, MO 63385
Click to Learn about TWA
July 25 - Funk Legend Clinic: Counter Attacks of Conquerors!
Day 2
Elevate your performance by adding a barrage of counter attacks to your wrestling arsenal! No matter the leg attack fired your way, you will be able to ambush opponents with these skills and turn the tide of a match in an instant.
Athletes entering grade 5 through 8: 10:00 - 11:30 AM
Athletes entering grade 9 through 12: 1:00 - 2:30 PM
Clinic Location: Lindbergh High School Wrestling Room - 5000 Lindbergh Blvd St. Louis, MO 63126
Click to Learn about Coach Hoehn
August 9 - Funk Legend Wisconsin Kick-off Clinic: Hammerlocks
The FIRST Funk Legend Wrestling Clinic (in Wisconsin) will be held in Ben's hometown of Hartland, WI right at his Askren Wrestling Academy - Lake Country location. Instruction for this Tour Kick-off clinic will focus on one of Coach Ben's most lethal top wrestling weapons - HAMMERLOCKS! Come and learn how coach Ben wreaked havoc on his competition using hammerlocks.
Athletes entering grade 9 through 12: 10:00 - 11:30 AM
Athletes entering grade 5 through 8: 1:00 - 2:30 PM
Clinic Location: AWA - Lake Country 596 North Shore Drive Hartland, WI 53029
Photo: ESPN
August 12 - Funk Legend Clinic: Set-ups and Takedowns of Olympic and World Champion Zaurbek Sidakov!
Attend this clinic at Lomira High School in Wisconsin to learn techniques and tactics used by a true technical wizard! (like coach Ben :) These set-ups and takedowns have made Sidakov one of the most clutch wrestlers on the planet! His opponents are literally never safe. You will get to explore the skills he uses to put points on the board and to continually snatch victories and gold medals from opponents with fractions of a second remaining on the clock!
Athletes entering grade 9 through 12: 10:00 - 11:30 AM
Athletes entering grade 5 through 8: 1:00 - 2:30 PM
Clinic Location: Lomira High School 1030 Fourth Street Lomira, WI 53048
Photo: United World Wrestling
August 13 - Funk Legend Clinic: Misdirection Offense
The Funk Legend Clinic Tour takes us to Ellsworth High School in northwest WI, about 50 miles from Minneapolis, MN. At this Clinic you will explore elite level, misdirection tactics that divert your opponent's attention away from your true intentions. They will allow you to create confusion and opportunities to gain an advantage in the neutral position. The two quotes below, from Sun Tzu's: The Art of War, point to the mindset we need to employ a misdirection offense that keeps opponents off balance and unable to effectively counter your actions!
"Attack him where he is unprepared; appear where you are not expected."
"Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt"
Athletes entering grade 9 through 12: 11:00 - 12:30 AM
Athletes entering grade 5 through 8: 1:30 - 3:00 PM
Clinic Location: St. Francis - 244 W Woodworth St, Ellsworth, WI 54011
August 14 - Funk Legend Clinic: Quadpods
Join the Funk Legend Clinic Tour at the Crass Trained Wrestling Facility in Altoona, WI! This clinic will focus on the most dominant escape series in folksytle wrestling - the Quadpod series! Coach Ben was an expert in this position and has developed an exceptional system that will help you escape the clutches of even the most lethal top wrestlers! Attend this clinic to dive into the system and help the Askren Family while you are at it!
Athletes entering grade 9 through 12: 10:00 - 11:30 AM
Athletes entering grade 5 through 8: 1:00 - 2:30 PM
Clinic Location: Crass Trained 1323 Bob Brown Blvd Altoona, WI 54720
August 27 - Funk Legend Clinic: Counter Attacks of Conquerors!
Elevate your performance by adding a barrage of counter attacks to your wrestling arsenal! No matter the leg attack fired your way, you will be able to ambush opponents with these skills and turn the tide of a match in an instant.
Athletes entering grade 9 through 12: 10:00 - 11:30 AM
Athletes entering grade 5 through 8: 1:00 - 2:30 PM
Clinic Location: Milton High School - 114 West High Street Milton, WI 53563
This Funk Legend Wrestling Clinic will be held at the Askren Wrestling Academy - Lake Country location. Team Japan led the medal count with 6 gold medals in freestyle wrestling at the 2024 Olympic Games (men & women combined). Instruction for this Funk Legend clinic will focus on some of the very unique leg attack finishes that helped Team Japan take the world by storm! Come and learn the Finishing Secrets of the Samurai as we support Coach Ben & his family!
Athletes entering grade 9 through 12: 10:00 - 11:30 AM
Athletes entering grade 5 through 8: 1:00 - 2:30 PM
Clinic Location: AWA - Lake Country 596 North Shore Drive Hartland, WI 53029
August 30 - Funk Legend Clinic: Finishing Secrets of the Samurai!
September 13 - Funk Legend Clinic: Arm Drag Techniques & Tactics
This Funk Legend Clinic will get you on the road to successfully breaking down and breaching the most powerful defenses you might face using arm drag techniques and tactics. You will learn to not only identify the strengths and weaknesses of your oppoents defense, but to coordinate attacks and use deception to expolit them!
Athletes entering grade 9 through 12: 10:00 - 11:30 AM
Athletes entering grade 5 through 8: 1:00 - 2:30 PM
Clinic Location: Grant High School - 285 Grand Ave, Fox Lake, IL 60020
September 14 - Funk Legend Clinic: Cradles
This Funk Legend Clinic Tour will take you on a deep dive into the techniques, skills and tactics that allowed Coach Ben to obliterate competition from his high school years all the way through the Olympic Games in Beijing China - CRADLES!!!! This clinic can set you on the path towards being a cradle monster!
Athletes entering grade 9 through 12: 10:00 - 11:30 AM
Athletes entering grade 5 through 8: 1:00 - 2:30 PM
Clinic Location: Lakeland University (Wehr Athletic Building) W3711 North Dr. Plymouth WI 53073
September 20 - Funk Legend Clinic: NITTANY LIONS FOR THE FUNK LEGEND!
On Saturday, September 20, the Funk Legend Clinic Tour is making its way to Exton, Pennsylvania and it is rolling in with THREE NITTANY LION wrestlers!!! Ben Askren is a powerful mentor and influence on these three champions and now they are teaming up with Coach Mesenbrink, and the Turks Head and Frog Ninja Wrestling Clubs of Southeast PA to give back to Coach Ben! 100% of the proceeds from this event will go to the Ben Askren Family to assist with his life saving medical expenses and other challenges the family faces! At the same time, the clinic will provide YOU with the opportunity to learn from Penn State University & World Class wrestlers Cole and Connor Mirasola and Mitchell Mesenbrink!
The clinic is for all wrestling athletes from grades 3-12 with sessions running from 10:00 - 11:30 AM & 1-2:30PM. All athletes participate in BOTH sessions! After a lunch break from 11:30 - 12:15, there will be bonus, friendly games of dodgeball going down from 12:15 -1PM! The clinic will end with a Q&A segment and an opportunity for photos.
Click the registration button below to find out more details on the clinic, clinicians and to register:
Clinic Location: Exton Square Mall - 260 Exton Square Pkwy, Exton, PA 19341 (Use the South Mall Entrance next to the Main Line Health Center - go to the end of the hall, make a left, the facility is the first door on the left.)
September 25 - Funk Legend Clinic: Seal Out Series
The Funk Legend Clinic Tour is back in Missouri and this time, is heading to Helias Catholic High School in Jefferson City! This clinic will present our highly successful seal out escape series. The series will be presented in an easy to understand sequence based on an opponents position and reactions. It will get athletes moving, creating space, improving their position and escaping from the most relentless top wrestlers. ALL proceeds from the clinic will go straight to Ben Askren and his family.
This clinic is for all wrestling athletes from grades 3-12 with the session running from 6:00 - 7:30 PM
Clinic Location: Helias Catholic High School - 1305 Swifts Hwy, Jefferson City, MO 65109
September 28 - Funk Legend Clinic: Fronthead Offense
Support the Ben Askren family at Muskego High School and learn how to put more points on the board from one of the most important, must win positions in our sport. At this Funk Legend Clinic, you will be introduced to a high powered system of fronthead offense and learn new, unique techniques and tactics being used by some of the most dominant wrestlers in the world.
Athletes entering grade 9 through 12: 10:00 - 11:30 AM
Athletes entering grade 5 through 8: 1:00 - 2:30 PM
Clinic Location: Muskego High School - W185S8750 Racine Ave, Muskego, WI 53150
October 16 - Funk Legend Clinic: Quadpods
This Funk Legend Clinic is taking place at Neenah High School and will focus on the most dominant escape series in folksytle wrestling - Quadpods! The quadpod series is an exceptional system that will help you escape the clutches of even the most lethal top wrestlers! Attend this clinic to dive into the system and help the Ben Askren Family as well!
This clinic is for all wrestling athletes from grades 5-12 with the session running from 6:00 - 7:30 PM
Clinic Location: 500 Rocket Way, Neenah, WI 54956
November 4 - Funk Legend Clinic: Iranian Underhook System
The country of Iran is a dominant force in freestyle wrestling, regularly placing among the top teams in the world at both the World Championships and Olympic Games. A key factor contributing to the success of their wrestlers is their masterful use of underhooks and the over-under position. Attend this clinic to see how their underhook system allows them to overwhelm, control the pace of matches and stymie the offense of opponents. As usual, all proceeds of the clinic go to the Ben Askren family!
This clinic is for all wrestling athletes from grades 5-12. The session runs from 6:00 - 7:30 PM
Clinic Location: N5650 Broad Street, Shiocton, WI 54170
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