PHUKET, THAILAND. Bangtao Muay Thai & MMA will host internationally renowned wrestling coach Carolyn Wester for a three-hour wrestling workshop on Saturday 21 November 2026, from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Wester is the founder and head coach of Wrestling Prep, and her work is trusted by UFC world champions.
Wester is one of very few women coaching at the top level of both wrestling and mixed martial arts. Over two decades, she has coached young wrestlers, nationally ranked athletes, Olympians and UFC fighters. She has coached inside the elite MMA room at American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) in San Jose and has worked as a chief corner for UFC-level fighters. Her work now takes her between the United States and Las Vegas, and to national federations and gyms in Finland, Estonia, Croatia, Albania and Phuket.
A coach who sees wrestling differently
Wester’s route into the sport was anything but conventional. In 2005 she was a venture capitalist in California, watching her son’s wrestling practice, when she spotted what she believed was a flaw in the way basic techniques were being taught. She started coaching at 42 with no wrestling background of her own. The analytical approach she brought from that first career has since become her edge.
Out of it came Body Leveraging and Sequential Muscle Order (SMO), her two coaching systems. Neither is a new set of moves. Instead, they break down the mechanics underneath technique an athlete already uses: which muscles fire, in what order, and where the leverage really comes from. The result is technique fitted to each athlete’s body rather than copied from someone else’s. One of the athletes who came up under her is Amit Elor, who started training with Wester at age seven and went on to wrestle for Team USA at the Paris Olympics.
What to expect at Bangtao
“The Architect of Movement” is a hands-on workshop built around Wester’s approach. It suits:
- MMA fighters who want takedowns and takedown defence that hold up against the cage
- BJJ and grappling athletes looking for sharper stand-up and better positions on the way down
- Muay Thai fighters and strikers who want to understand the clinch, balance and base from a wrestler’s point of view
- Anyone curious about wrestling who wants to learn from one of the most original minds in the sport
Over three hours, attendees will work through Wester’s principles on the mats at Bangtao, with plenty of time for questions.
“Getting Carolyn out to Bangtao is huge for us. She’s one of the best wrestling minds out there, and you don’t get a shot to train with someone like her very often. The guys are pumped. If you’re into wrestling at all, don’t miss this one.”
Frank Hickman, Head Wrestling Coach, Bangtao Muay Thai & MMA
Event details
- What: Carolyn Wester, “The Architect of Movement” Wrestling Workshop
- When: Saturday 21 November 2026, 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM
- Where: Bangtao Muay Thai & MMA, Phuket, Thailand
- Early bird: ฿1,200 (book before 7 November)
- Standard: ฿1,900
- Booking: online at booking.bangtaomuaythai.com or at the Bangtao front office
Places on the mat are limited, and early-bird pricing ends on 7 November.
Follow Carolyn on Instagram at @wrestlingprep.
About Bangtao Muay Thai & MMA
Bangtao Muay Thai & MMA is a destination training facility in Phuket, Thailand, with Muay Thai, MMA, BJJ, wrestling, boxing, fitness and recovery under one roof. Alongside daily classes and fight camps, Bangtao hosts guest-coach seminars and fight events that bring world-class expertise to its members and visiting athletes.
About Carolyn Wester and Wrestling Prep
Carolyn Wester founded Wrestling Prep in 2005 and developed the Body Leveraging and Sequential Muscle Order coaching systems. She has coached wrestlers from youth level to the Olympics and World Championships, and MMA fighters up to the UFC, including time at American Kickboxing Academy. Wrestling Prep is also supported by a non-profit, Friends of Wrestling Prep. More at wrestlingprep.com.
