Arm wrestling is a contest of strength and will power.
The two contestants sit or stand facing each other
across a table or other flat surface. Each places one elbow on the table, holding an arm upright at a V-shaped
angle, and griping the opponent’s hand with knuckles
facing out. When the match begins, each person
presses in an arc toward the table, attempting to force
the opponent’s forearm, wrist, and hand onto the surface beneath. The arm wrestler who succeeds is the victor. In the mid-1990s, an estimated 100,000 men and
women competed seriously in organized arm
wrestling.
Wrist wrestling is a specific form of arm wrestling,
which uses a particular technique in which the opponents grip each other’s unused arm across the table. In
contrast, arm wrestlers grip a peg or other object with
the free hand or keep it loose.
History
It is generally believed that ancient peoples practiced
arm wrestling as a specialized form of wrestling. The
arm wrestling common today is usually traced to the
indigenous people of North America, where European
settlers later adopted it. One traditional name for the
sport, Indian wrestling, refers to these origins.
In addition to spontaneous individual matches,
arm-wrestling tournaments have long been conducted
at fairs, taverns, and other social settings. Organized
arm wrestling gained momentum in the 1960s with a
movement to coordinate and publicize it as a serious
competitive sport. This modern arm-wrestling movement was originally most active in California, Connecticut, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. It subsequently
spread to other regions of North America and other nations. In India, where it is called punjah, it is among the
most popular of sports, and national championships
there attract thousands of spectators. Arm wrestling has also become increasingly recognized in Russia and
other states of the former Soviet Union, and in Brazil
and England. In 1988, organized arm wrestling gained
major corporate backing when Heublein, a liquor company, began to sponsor a large annual circuit of tournaments called the Yukon Jack World Arm-Wrestling
Championships.
Rules and Play
Each arm wrestling match is called a pull. Contestants
press their arms and hands in a downward arc toward
the table. In right-hand matches, they press counterclockwise and in left-hand matches clockwise. Each
opponent presses in the same direction, but because
they are facing each other their arms and hands strain
in opposite directions. A match ends in a pin, when
one opponent forces and keeps the other’s forearm,
wrist, and hand down. Matches are not timed, so their
length depends on the time it takes for a pin to occur.
A pull may last less than a minute or may be several
minutes long. Flashing is a term used to describe a
contest in which one opponent pins the other especially quickly.
Organized, sanctioned events have specific rules
and guidelines for conducting and judging matches.
Tournaments are generally organized by weight classes
and gender. Typical basic weight classes include divisions for less than 75 kilograms (165 pounds), between
75 and 90 kilograms (166 and 198 pounds), and over
90 kilograms (199 pounds). Official matches often take
place on special tables equipped with elbow pads, a
pinning mat, and gripping pegs.
Arm wrestlers use specific strategies in the way
they hold themselves and use their muscles and energy.
In standard arm wrestling, contestants have more mobility, and they emphasize techniques that use their
shoulders, arms, and hands. Basic movements (which
have many variations) include the shoulder-roll, in
which the wrestler exerts pressure from the shoulder
and triceps; the hook and drag, which emphasizes the
use of wrist and triceps to press the opponent’s arm
down; and the top roll, which focuses on bending the
opponent’s wrist.
While arm wrestlers are often large and obviously
muscular, many successful competitors are small and
wiry or of average size. Although strong, well-developed upper arms and shoulders give a wrestler an obvious advantage, well-developed tendons and ligaments in the forearm and hand are particularly
important. In addition to physical strength, psychological attributes and technical strategies are vital to success.A contestant must have the will power to maintain
determination and sometimes endure intense physical
pain during the strenuous match. They develop techniques to focus their mental energy and to gain a psychological advantage over their opponents.
Contemporary arm wrestling reflects its varied history. Some aspects of the sport are very colorful, and
emphasize belligerence and machismo. Others treat it
as serious athletic activity that focuses on technique
and discipline. The sport’s top athletes are similarly diverse. Some contestants are flamboyant, with extravagant tattoos and costumes. They have outrageous nicknames and growl, pound the table, or engage in other
antics before a match, reflecting both a sense of showmanship and intent to intimidate opponents. Other
arm wrestlers are more subdued and approach the
sport with quiet discipline and concentration.
The sport’s largest sanctioning body is the nonprofit World Armsport Federation (WAF), based in
Scranton, Pennsylvania. The WAF coordinates regional
and national affiliated organizations in over 50 countries, including the American Arm-Wrestling Association (AAA) in the United States. Smaller independent
arm-wrestling associations also sponsor tournaments.
Some private entrepreneurs organize tournaments as
profitable business ventures.
The number of organized tournaments with cash
prizes has increased since the 1980s, but arm wrestling
remains primarily an amateur sport, and most arm
wrestlers wrestle for fun.Many tournaments do not have
cash prizes, and even for the top wrestlers, prize money
usually only covers travel costs and other expenses.
Although likely to remain a popular amateur pastime, arm wrestling is at the same time edging toward a
more professional image. The major goals of many contemporary proponents of arm wrestling are to change
the sport’s rough-and-tumble image and increase appreciation of it as a serious athletic competition.
—JOHN TOWNES
Bibliography: Berkow, Ira. (1995) “Wrist Wars on the Waterfront.”New York Times (26 August). Jordan, Pat. (1987) “In
Florida: ‘Lock Up!’ And the Pulse Pounds.” Time (2 November). Junod, Tom. (1993) “Arms and the Man.” Sports
Illustrated (14 June).