A style of his own: Moser fueling Elco's success with fusion of wrestling, MMA
The ability to both lead and follow is rare. But the most impressive thing about Ben Moser is his propensity for doing and showing, his talent for processing information and passing it along.
Moser is a local mixed martial arts fighter. He also owns and operates Moser’s Mat Club in Newmanstown, where he instructs students on the finer points of wrestling, Ju-Jitsu, and mixed martial arts.
But that’s not all. Moser is also the head wrestling coach at Elco, and recently he was named the Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 3 Coach of the Year.
“I would credit that to my coach, Vlad Koulikov,” said Moser of his unique coaching style. “He just has such a great way of teaching. He uses analysis to help teach you things. His style of teaching is the way I teach. I want to make it fun, but I have a great work ethic as well.”
Under Moser’s guidance, Elco went 16-2 overall this season, and captured the Section 3 championship with a 6-0 mark. The Raiders broke Northern Lebanon’s decade-long stranglehold on the section title and sent freshman Ashton Kriss to the state tournament in Hershey.
At least part of that success can be attributed to Moser’s influence and his experience in other mat disciplines.
“I call it ‘Wrestling/Ju-Jitsu fusion,’” Moser said. “Wrestling is a big part of mixed martial arts and Ju-Jitsu. It’s basically taking someone down, keeping them down and controlling how the fight goes. The rule sets are different, but you’re going to dictate how it goes. We bring the funk.”
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“He teaches a different style than most people,” Kriss said of Moser. “He teaches a different movement. It’s helped me a lot. I used to go somewhere else (to train), and my fundamentals have gotten better. The new perspective helped my situation.”
Moser began his mixed martial arts fighting as an amateur in 2009, and since turning professional in 2018, he’s gone 2-1 in the cage. He has his next professional fight planned for this fall.
“I’ve always been a smaller guy. I’ve always been a scrambler,” Moser said. “All of those things make you more versatile. I would say my wrestlers definitely work harder than my Ji-Jitsu guys. We want to make sure their gas tanks are really, really good. You’ve got to build that grit. I’d say wrestling is a good foundation for Ju-Jitsu and mixed martial arts.”
After coaching youth wrestling in Elco’s lower levels, Moser opened Moser’s Mat Club nearly four years ago. When the Raiders’ head varsity position was vacated two years ago, he followed the urging of some of the program’s parents.
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“I had no idea that kind of thing even existed,” said Moser of the Coach of the Year award. “I didn’t even know I was up for it. When I found out it was like, ‘Wow, I’m coach of the year.’ I was shocked and honored. I had to learn how to be a head coach, but it’s exciting to see the whole culture grow.”
As success has bred success, the word has gotten out and the influence of Moser’s Mat Club has grown. Currently, the club trains wrestlers in the Tulpehocken, Conrad Weiser, Cocalico and Elco school districts.
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“I’m out to show everyone we’re different wrestlers,” Moser said. “We work hard. We have fun. We’re looking to show everyone what we’re made of. We want to show these kids how to be good people and good wrestlers.”
“I’ve learned a lot from Coach,” Kriss said. “I feel like from last year to this year I’ve made a lot of progress. I reached my limits and set new limits. He’s a great person to know. He’s always there to help me. If I need someone to talk to, he’s there.”
This article originally appeared on Lebanon Daily News: Elco coach Ben Moser fuels wrestling success with MMA fusion
