By Harry Miller
Full Tilt Wrestling Academy has been training students since 2012 and has been credited for improving the well-being of their students, especially post-pandemic. Many students signed up for training once the lockdown had ended to reintegrate themselves into social settings.
FTW Academy Student Callum Wilson said: “I started straight after coming out of lockdown. It’s been brilliant, it gives you a real importance to stay on top of your fitness but also it engages you mentally. It’s changed the way I look at things, I’ve stopped drinking, I’m in a better shape than I’ve ever been and I have a focus I’ve never had before.”
Anyone with an interest in becoming a wrestler is welcome to join the academy based near Walkerville, Newcastle with the youngest member being just 8-years-old and the eldest being in their mid-forties. People of all ages, gender identities and experience levels are able to attend the academy with no discrimination.
The school teaches students how to do the fundamentals of basic wrestling and how to do this safely but also focuses on developing characters for the students to perform as in live shows. Creating a character includes a variety of choices including a persona, a name, an outfit style and entrance music.
For example, Callum Wilson’s wrestling persona is named Good Guy Jim Wilson who is one half of the Denim Tiger Syndicate with his friend Harry Bragg. The pair dress in garish denim outfits with tiger print trimming and make their entrance to 80s metal music.
Callum Wilson said: “You’ve got to think a lot about your character. What’s going to look good, what’s going to look bad in a good way. It’s all about building blocks for how you want to present yourself and what you will be comfortable with.”
The students train in a welcoming environment with a group of diverse peers and an experienced coaching staff headed up by head coach, Kristopher Davies. Davies has 15 years of experience as a wrestler and has been training up and coming wrestlers since Full Tilt began in 2012.
FTW Academy student Jess Swinburne said: “Kris is really helpful, really nice. You can always go to him and he’ll help you and correct you but he’s not horrible about it because he just wants to see you do well.”
Over forty students regularly attend the three weekly sessions and will be able to perform at the academy’s monthly shows in front of hundreds of fans. Recently, Full Tilt put on a show named ‘Full Tilt Goes Back to the 80s’ to raise money for the North East Autism Society. The show was attended by more than 200 fans and raised over £500 for the charity.
The academy has a number of autistic students training there, many of whom are part of the junior division, and have benefitted from the social element of the wrestling sessions and live shows.
The head coach of Full Tilt Wrestling, Kristopher Davies said: “Coming here has helped the younger students come out of their shell and help them with everyday life. In wrestling there is a lot of talking to people face-to-face but sometimes people with autism struggle with that but after a few weeks they are just able to do it. I’ve had a lot of parents say since coming here, the kids have actually improved with their behaviour and how they interact with people.”
This is not the first instance of Full Tilt Wrestling supporting those with disabilities. In 2019, FTW welcomed Richard Hunter, a 10-year-old who had their legs and one arm amputated due to meningitis as a child, into the academy for training sessions and was able to wrestle on one of the live shows.
Not only has Full Tilt Wrestling helped improve its students’ mental health and physical health but has also helped strengthen social relationships. Many of the attendees have been able to find friendships within the academy and families have been able to strengthen their bond by training together.
FTW Student Stephen Coulson said: “I love the family atmosphere at Full Tilt, it’s so welcoming and friendly. Both my kids and my wife train here. It’s the only activity that we do that all four of us are together and there’s nothing else we can do like it.”
Full Tilt Wrestling’s most recent show, Jingle Bells Brawl, saw this family element have a strong presence with the company’s first ever mother and son versus mother and son tag team match.
The Full Tilt Wrestling Academy is helping the wrestlers of tomorrow begin their journeys and improve on themselves as they go, no matter who they are. Full Tilt is truly the embodiment of inclusivity and acceptance.
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