Best Wrestling Camps in the Country: 6 Camps Worth Considering
If you're looking for the best wrestling camps in the country, you quickly realize there isn't one camp that is automatically best for every wrestler.
Some camps are built for elite high school wrestlers. Some are better for younger athletes. Some focus heavily on drilling and repetition. Others emphasize live wrestling, competition, or learning a particular position.
And then there are camps that are designed around the overall experience—bringing together high-level wrestlers, coaches, competition, and a culture that pushes athletes to improve.
I've spent a lot of time looking at what different wrestling camps around the country offer, and I wanted to put together a useful list for parents and wrestlers who are trying to decide where to spend their time and money.
Important: This isn't a ranking from #1 to #6. These are six wrestling camp programs worth researching based on their coaching, training structure, reputation, and the type of wrestler they are designed to help.
What Makes a Wrestling Camp Worth Attending?
Before choosing a camp, I think there are a few questions every wrestler and parent should ask.
- Who is actually coaching? A famous name doesn't automatically mean a great teacher.
- How much technique is being taught? Wrestlers should leave with things they can actually use.
- How much drilling is there? Learning a move once isn't the same as getting enough repetitions to make it instinctive.
- How much live wrestling is included? Technique has to eventually work against someone who is trying to stop you.
- Who else attends? Good training partners can make a huge difference.
- Is the camp appropriate for your wrestler's level? A camp designed for elite high school wrestlers may not be the right choice for a first-year wrestler.
- Does the camp have a clear purpose? A focused camp can sometimes be more valuable than a camp that tries to teach everything.
The best wrestling camp is ultimately the one that matches what your wrestler needs right now.
1. Young Guns Wrestling Camps
Young Guns Wrestling Camps
Young Guns is one of the names that comes up repeatedly when experienced wrestling families talk about serious wrestling camps.
The program has been running for more than 20 years and has built its reputation around bringing together high-level wrestlers, coaches, and clinicians.
One of the biggest things that stands out about Young Guns is the depth of the camp experience. Their schedule includes everything from shorter focused camps to longer immersive experiences, including elite, takedown, defense and scramble, world-class, youth, girls, and multi-week camps.
Their official camp information emphasizes technique, live wrestling, conditioning, self-reflection, and character development. Their longer overnight camps can involve multiple training sessions throughout the day.
Best for: Serious wrestlers who want an immersive experience, especially experienced youth and high school wrestlers.
Young Guns also has something that is difficult to replicate: an established camp culture. The program describes its philosophy as "Champions Training Champions," with former Young Guns wrestlers, college athletes, and elite coaches helping train the next generation.
Public wrestling discussions also frequently praise Young Guns for its coaching lineup, training partners, and the culture surrounding the camp. One wrestler's parent described the experience as transformational and specifically mentioned the value of the discussions and educational components between wrestling sessions.
That doesn't mean Young Guns is the right fit for everyone. Their own website makes it clear that many of their camps are designed for serious wrestlers, and some of their programs involve extremely demanding schedules.
For a wrestler who wants to fully immerse themselves in wrestling for several days—or even several weeks—Young Guns is certainly a program worth researching.
2. Purler Wrestling Camps
Purler Wrestling
Purler Wrestling is another camp system that has developed a strong reputation among competitive wrestling families.
What makes Purler different is how heavily the program emphasizes structured drilling and repetition.
Rather than simply bringing wrestlers together and having them learn a collection of techniques, Purler builds its camps around a defined system.
Their summer options range from shorter five-day camps to much longer programs. Their website currently describes programs such as the Takedown Machine Camp, 3 Position Camp, Dream Season Camp, and longer challenge camps.
Their longer programs are particularly interesting for wrestlers who want a very high volume of technical repetition.
Best for: Wrestlers who learn well through repetition and want a highly structured, drill-heavy training environment.
Purler also offers youth-specific camps. Their youth program is designed for younger wrestlers and emphasizes skill development in a supervised environment.
Another thing worth mentioning is the facility itself. Purler's campus in Missouri includes multiple wrestling rooms, strength training space, athlete housing, and other amenities designed specifically around wrestling.
Public wrestling discussions also frequently mention Purler when parents are looking for an intensive summer experience. One parent discussing summer camps said they had a very positive experience and planned to return for another extended camp.
Purler is probably one of the better choices to research if your wrestler responds well to high repetition, structured systems, and a very organized training environment.
3. Askren Wrestling Academy
Askren Camps and Clinics
Askren Wrestling Academy is another name that has been associated with some of the more unique wrestling camps in the country.
The Askren system became particularly well known for specialized camps such as Funky Fresh, which focuses heavily on scrambling and offensive creativity.
That specialization is what makes Askren interesting.
Instead of simply looking for a camp that teaches every part of wrestling, a wrestler may choose a specialized camp because they want to become significantly better in one particular area.
Best for: Experienced wrestlers who want specialized instruction, particularly in scrambling, takedowns, escapes, or position-specific wrestling.
The Askren approach is also known for encouraging wrestlers to think creatively rather than simply memorizing techniques.
Public reviews of Askren Wrestling Academy frequently mention knowledgeable coaches, challenging training, personalized attention, and noticeable improvement. One parent review specifically praised the academy for helping their son make significant progress while also building friendships and connections.
Wrestling community discussions have also repeatedly singled out Askren camps—particularly the Funky Fresh Scrambling Camp—as a favorite for wrestlers who want something different from a traditional technique camp.
If your wrestler already has a strong foundation and wants to develop a specific part of their wrestling, specialized camps like Askren can be extremely valuable.
4. Penn State Wrestling Camps
Penn State Wrestling Camps
College wrestling camps are another category worth considering, particularly for wrestlers who want to experience a high-level college wrestling environment.
Penn State is one of the most recognizable wrestling programs in the country, and its camp opportunities can give athletes exposure to the training environment surrounding one of the sport's most successful college programs.
The biggest advantage of a college camp is often the environment. Wrestlers get to train around athletes and coaches connected to a major college program while seeing what that level of wrestling looks like.
Best for: Wrestlers interested in high-level college wrestling environments and athletes who want to experience a major collegiate program.
There is an important distinction, however.
A college camp isn't necessarily automatically better than a private wrestling academy camp.
If the goal is learning a very specific system or getting extremely high numbers of repetitions on a particular position, a specialized wrestling academy may actually be a better fit.
When comparing camps, I would look at what your wrestler will actually be doing for the majority of the camp rather than choosing a camp simply because of the name on the building.
5. Iowa Wrestling Camps
University of Iowa Wrestling
Iowa is another college wrestling program that deserves consideration when looking at high-level wrestling experiences.
The Iowa wrestling program has one of the most recognizable traditions in American college wrestling, and training around that environment can be valuable for wrestlers who aspire to compete at the college level.
But once again, the important question isn't simply whether Iowa is a famous wrestling program.
The better question is:
What does the specific camp you're attending actually offer?
Camp dates, age groups, coaching staffs, formats, and programming can change from year to year, so parents should always check the current camp information directly before registering.
Best for: Wrestlers who want exposure to a historic college wrestling environment and are interested in high-level competitive wrestling.
Iowa can be especially appealing to wrestlers who are already serious about wrestling and want to experience the culture surrounding one of the sport's most established programs.
6. Iron Faith Wrestling Camps
Iron Faith Wrestling Camps
Iron Faith is a different type of camp than some of the large college or multi-week wrestling programs above.
Our camps are built around focused three-day intensive training.
Instead of trying to cover every technique in wrestling during one camp, each Iron Faith camp has a specific purpose.
For example, the current schedule includes a Complete Wrestler Camp, Defense & Scramble Camp, Summer Intensive Camp, and Hand Fighting Camp.
The idea is simple: pick an area, teach it deeply, drill it repeatedly, and then put it into live wrestling.
Best for: Youth and high school wrestlers who want focused technical development in a shorter intensive format.
Iron Faith welcomes wrestlers at different experience levels rather than limiting every camp to elite competitors.
The current camp program also emphasizes a combination of technique and live wrestling. The goal isn't for wrestlers to leave camp knowing a bunch of moves they can't actually use. The goal is for them to understand the position, get repetitions, and then learn how to apply those skills against resistance.
Iron Faith's current program reports 59+ state champions, 7 New England champions, and 7 All-Americans since 2025.
But results aren't the only thing that matters when choosing a camp.
One of the things we care about most is whether a wrestler leaves camp with a better understanding of how they wrestle—not just more techniques in their notebook.
That's why our camps are structured around specific themes rather than trying to cram an entire wrestling system into three days.
Which Wrestling Camp Is Best for Your Wrestler?
After looking at all of these programs, I think this is the more important question.
Instead of asking, "What is the #1 wrestling camp in the country?", ask:
"What does my wrestler need right now?"
Should Your Wrestler Attend More Than One Wrestling Camp?
Sometimes, yes.
Different camps can serve different purposes.
A wrestler might attend a specialized technique camp to develop a particular position, then attend a longer camp where they get a large amount of live wrestling.
Another wrestler may benefit more from attending one camp and then spending the rest of the summer practicing what they learned.
More camps don't automatically equal more improvement.
The value comes from what the wrestler does with the information after the camp.
If a wrestler learns 20 new techniques but doesn't drill them again after camp, they may forget most of them.
If they learn three or four important skills and spend the next several months building those skills into their wrestling system, the camp can have a much bigger impact.
What Should Parents Look for When Choosing a Wrestling Camp?
Before paying for a camp, I'd recommend checking these things:
- Age and experience requirements
- Camp length
- Number of wrestling sessions per day
- Amount of live wrestling
- Coach-to-wrestler ratio
- Who the actual clinicians are
- Whether meals and housing are included
- Whether the camp is beginner-friendly or designed for advanced wrestlers
- What happens outside of wrestling sessions
- What previous campers say about the experience
And don't be afraid to ask the camp questions before registering.
A good camp should be able to tell you exactly what your wrestler will be doing, who will be coaching them, and what type of athlete the camp is designed for.
One More Thing: Don't Choose a Camp Just Because It Has a Famous Name
This is probably the biggest takeaway from researching all of these programs.
A famous wrestling program can provide an incredible experience.
But the best camp for your wrestler is the camp that fits their current needs.
A first-year wrestler may get more out of a well-coached youth camp than an extremely demanding elite camp.
A high school state placer may need something completely different.
A wrestler struggling with defense might benefit more from a defense-focused camp than a general wrestling camp.
And a wrestler who already has strong technique may need more live wrestling and better competition rather than another introduction to basic moves.
The right camp should challenge the wrestler without putting them in an environment that is completely inappropriate for their current level.
Final Thoughts
There are a lot of excellent wrestling camps across the country.
Young Guns, Purler, Askren, major college programs, and smaller wrestling academies can all provide valuable experiences for the right athlete.
The important thing is to look beyond the name.
Look at the coaching. Look at the training structure. Look at the amount of drilling and live wrestling. Look at the level of the campers. And most importantly, think about what your wrestler actually needs to improve.
A great wrestling camp shouldn't just leave a wrestler tired.
It should leave them better.
Looking for a Wrestling Camp?
Iron Faith Wrestling offers focused three-day intensive camps for youth and high school wrestlers.
Our camps are built around specific areas of wrestling, including complete wrestling development, defense and scrambling, summer training, and hand fighting.
Wrestlers of different experience levels are welcome, and each camp combines focused technique instruction with drilling and live wrestling.
If you're looking for a wrestling camp in the Northeast—or you're willing to travel for the right training—we'd love to have you train with us.
Research & Sources
This article was researched using current information published by the wrestling organizations themselves, along with publicly available wrestler and parent discussions. Camp schedules, coaches, prices, and availability can change, so always confirm current details directly with the camp before registering.
Best,
Coach Ebed
