Arm wrestling

Last updated
Armwrestling
Two people arm wrestling.jpg
Two people with their arms in a starting position, elbows down with hands locked together
Players2
SkillsStrength, endurance, technique, resistance

Arm wrestling (also spelled "armwrestling") is a combat sport in which two participants, facing each other with their bent elbows placed on a flat surface (usually a table) and hands firmly gripped, each attempt to "pin" their opponent's hand by forcing it to the surface. In popular culture, arm wrestling is commonly interpreted as a display of physical dominance, symbolizing superior strength and toughness between two individuals. [1]

Contents

History

Current knowledge of the history of arm wrestling is based on written and pictorial evidentiary sources, and arm wrestling may have existed in any number of ancient or medieval cultures that did not record it. The most popular claims that it was practiced in ancient Egypt or ancient Greece, while not necessarily implausible, are founded on misinterpretation of sources (confusing references to wrestling with the arms or images of wrestling with the hands or of dancing for arm wrestling). [2]

Modern-day practices and depictions of arm wrestling have been widely practiced during the Edo-period of Japan (Japanese : 腕相撲, romanized: udezumō; formerly known as "wrist wrestling" in this context in English, the literal translation of the Japanese) depicted in art from as early as the 1700s, and recorded in writing as early as the eighth century in the Kojiki . Illustrations unambiguously demonstrate this was the same as modern arm wrestling. It is likely that the modern popularity of arm wrestling comes from the Japanese treatment of the sport. [2]

Arm wrestling was also practiced by Spaniards and Cubans in the nineteenth century, possibly via the influence of Japanese contact; these arm-wrestlers would place a piece of money under each elbow. [3]

Arm wrestling in the United States was formerly also called "Indian arm wrestling"; some sources suggest the practice originated amongst Native American peoples such as the Lenape. A similar sport, "Indian hand wrestling", attested from the early 20th century and commonly ascribed Native American origins, was conducted standing upright. Both "Indian arm wrestling" (or simply "arm wrestling") and "Indian hand wrestling" were popular among Boy Scouts and other American youth in the early to mid 20th century. [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]

The transition from small arm wrestling competitions to professionally-organized events began in the 1950's. In late 1954, a "wristwrestling" challenge issued by Jack Homel at Mike Gilardi’s bar in Petaluma, California, sparked local interest and led to the formation of a committee to organize an event for the March of Dimes. The first contest took place on 27 January, 1955, and was followed by the establishment of an annual event, which grew steadily in scale and popularity. [10] In 1962, the sport was formalized by the creation of the World’s Wristwrestling Championship, Inc., which held the first World’s Wristwrestling Championship on February 2, 1962, marking the transition from informal, local competitions to professional, organized tournaments. [11]

Description

An arm wrestling match in action Arm wrestling game in action.jpg
An arm wrestling match in action

Recreational

Recreational arm wrestling is common between individuals as a game or contest of strength. It is commonly performed seated and on any available surface, such as a table or counter. Injuries due to arm wrestling are more common in recreational settings. [12]

Competitive

In competitive arm wrestling, a match is conducted with both competitors standing up with arms placed on a tournament arm wrestling table. Competitions are usually conducted in either tournament or supermatch form. A tournament usually involves successive rounds of a single match (or "pull") between any two opponents and a large number of total participants. A "supermatch" usually involves anywhere from 3 to 6 matches between two specific athletes, with short rest periods between consecutive matches. The supermatch format is usually reserved for more experienced and high-level pullers, and is analogous to a traditional bout in other combat sports.

Competition tables

Tables used for organized armwrestling competitions include elbow pads, which indicate the area within which a competitor's elbow must remain throughout the match, pin pads, which indicate the height an opponent's hand must reach before being considered pinned, and hand pegs, which must be gripped with the non-wrestling arm and are used for additional leverage. These tables vary slightly in their dimensions based on the governing body of the competition, but are always symmetrical with predefined distances between the elbow pads and pin pads.

Competition divisions

As with other combat sports in which body weight is recognized to play a significant role in victory, arm wrestling tournaments are usually divided along weight classes as well as left and right-handed divisions. Because most pullers are right-handed, right-handed competitions are both more common and more prestigious than equivalent left-handed competitions.

There are also rules governing fouls and imposition of penalties, such as when a competitor's elbow leaves the pad where the elbow is meant to remain at all times, when a false start occurs, and attempting to escape arm pinning by breaking the grip ("slipping") with the opponent which may result in a loss. Paraphrasing USAF rules, arm wrestlers must straighten their wrists with less than a one-minute time lapse during set up. [13]

Technique

Moves and Styles

There are many styles and moves in arm wrestling, each with their own relative balance of hand and arm pressures. All main techniques involve one or a combination of three movements: the "hook", the "toproll", and the "press". [14]

Hook

Hook match Hook-vaantoa..jpg
Hook match

The hook (or "hooking") is an "inside" arm wrestling technique [15] where the wrist is curled downward in combination with supination of the hand and forearm. The competitor will combine hand and arm positioning to reduce the opponent's leverage and shift toward the pin pad to gain control. The hook relies primarily on wrist pressure and arm strength, particularly the biceps, rather than hand control or technique, in contrast to the toproll. [16]

Toproll

Toproll (left) against press (right) Ylakautta vaantaminen (toproll) ja prassi (press)..jpg
Toproll (left) against press (right)

The toproll (or "toprolling") is an "outside" arm wrestling style [15] characterized by pronating the hand and forearm to apply wrist pressure, while pulling back and sideways to control the opponent's hand. The competitor's arm remains at a tight angle, with body movement toward the winning side and the non-competing leg bending to generate momentum. Success depends on body alignment, pushing off a peg with the opposite hand, and driving the hip into the table for leverage. The goal is to open the opponent's wrist, forcing them into a vulnerable position before securing the pin. [17]

Press

The press (or "flop wrist press"; "triceps press") involves aligning the hand with the chest's center and rotating the shoulder and torso to block the opponent's move. The competitor then uses triceps pressure to push down on their opponent's hand, keeping the wrist bent back. Effective pressing requires proper alignment, with the hips and non-competing leg positioned to avoid blocking the pin. This technique is often reserved for neutral or advantageous positions in order to finish an opponent. A press can be accessed from either a hook or toproll. [15] [18]

Pressures

Many force vectors, or "pressures", contribute to the overall success of an armwrestler. Generally speaking, these pressures can be classified into hand pressures and arm pressures.

Hand pressures

The primary hand pressure is "cupping", or wrist flexion. The flexing of the wrist by the forearm muscles bends back the opponent's wrist, and dramatically decreases their accessible leverage during the match.

Secondary hand pressures include supination (as in a hook), pronation (as in a toproll) and "rising", or wrist abduction. Each of these can be used to get an opponent into an uncomfortable or disadvantageous position, from which the initiator can more easily pin.

Arm pressures

The three major arm pressures in arm wrestling include side pressure, back pressure, and "posting" or upward pressure.

Side pressure involves isometric contraction of the pectoral muscles, internal shoulder rotators, and whole body movement expressed through the elbow joint in order to generate force against the opponent perpendicular to the plane of the palm. This pressure is most directly associated with movement of the hands toward the pin pad, and as such is often the main or only pressure instinctively utilized by novices trying to pin their opponent.

Back pressure involves contraction of the muscles of the back (primarily the lats), and the biceps, in order to adduct the upper arm and generate force toward the self and away from the opponent. If successful, the application of back pressure increases the elbow angle of the opponent and therefore limits their leverage.

"Posting", or upward pressure, involves contraction of the biceps in order to flex the elbow. If successful, the application of upward pressure decreases the elbow angle of the initiator, therefore increasing their leverage against their opponent.

Factors

Various factors can play a part in one's success in arm wrestling, technique and overall arm strength being the two greatest contributing factors. Other considerations such as the length of an arm wrestler's arm, muscle and arm mass/density, hand grip size, wrist endurance and flexibility, reaction time, and other traits can lend advantages of one arm wrestler over another.

Governing organizations

Prominent active governing organizations include:

The World Armwrestling Federation (WAF) has been the universally recognized global governing body for professional arm wrestling [ citation needed ] and comprises 82 member countries. [22] [ better source needed ]

The World Arm Wrestling Championship is the largest international arm wrestling competition. Held annually under the auspices of the World Armwrestling Federation. The first official world championship took place in 1979 in Canada. In 1997, there was a division into two WAF federations - the World Armsport Federation and the World Armwrestling Federation.[ citation needed ]

Since 1998, arm wrestlers have participated in two world championships. In 2006, the federations decided to end the division and work together as the World Armwrestling Federation.[ citation needed ]

Common rules

The rules and regulations for arm wrestling are designed to create an even playing field and to prevent broken bones. Below are some of the general arm wrestling regulations:

Training

Improvement at armwrestling is most driven by two factors: strength development/conditioning, and experience.

While there is no consensus among top athletes as to whether table training or weight training is most effective for developing armwrestling strength, it is generally accepted that both are important. Common lifts for armwrestling include bicep curls, wrist curls, and rows, all of which develop overall pulling strength and greater pressures against the opponent. In addition to standard dumbbells and barbells, serious pullers often make use of bands and cable systems with specialized handles in order to more closely replicate the angles and tensions of real armwrestling during weight training.

Table training often involves pulling many casual or semi-serious matches from various starting positions, and developing one's strategy and techniques against a large variety of opponents and styles.

Associated injury

Typical fracture Armbreak - Spiral Fracture.jpg
Typical fracture

Arm wrestling puts substantial torque/torsion stress on the upper arm's humerus bone, to a degree seen in few other physical activities. [23] Generally speaking, the bones and connective tissue involved in arm wrestling are not prepared to accommodate the stresses imposed by the sport, and severe injuries can occur without proper training and conditioning. An arm bone may fail in a diagonal break at or below the shoulder and elbow midpoint. This is significantly more likely when one of the pullers rotates their shoulder inward (as in a press) without first getting behind their hand, a position known as the 'break arm' position. It is for this reason that a common safety cue for beginners is to maintain eye contact with their own hand. This helps prevent rotation of the shoulders away from the arm, and therefore limits the likelihood that the puller will reach the 'break arm' position.

Common injuries include humeral shaft fractures, shoulder trauma, muscle strain, golfers' elbow, and less commonly pectoralis major/biceps rupture.

The contestant on the right is in an injury-prone or "break arm" position. His shoulder must be in line with or behind the arm, as seen with the contestant on the left. This is cause for a referee to stop the match. Arm wrestling - break arm position.jpg
The contestant on the right is in an injury-prone or "break arm" position. His shoulder must be in line with or behind the arm, as seen with the contestant on the left. This is cause for a referee to stop the match.

Injuries associated with armwrestling occur most commonly between novices or athletes of significant strength difference, when competitors are forced into unsafe positions out of inexperience or inability to maintain advantage. Matches or practices involving experienced pullers with the conditioning and knowledge to stay safe very rarely produce injuries.

Examples of matches that have caused injury

On 11 June 2015, Australian former rugby league player Ben Ross participated in an arm wrestling match against another Australian former rugby league and rugby union player, Wendell Sailor, on The Footy Show . However, Ross' arm gave way and was immediately rushed to hospital. [24]

In September 2018, in an office arm wrestling match between two New South Wales parliamentarians, then-Attorney General Mark Speakman and then-Finance Minister Victor Dominello, Speakman reportedly broke Dominello's arm. [25] [26]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ Diffrient, David (2017). "(Arm) Wrestling with Masculinity: Television, Toughness, and the Touch of Another Man's Hand". Sage Journals. 22 (5): 821–849. doi:10.1177/1097184X17730385 . Retrieved 22 November 2024.
  2. 1 2 Stepanov, Oleg (trans. Eric Roussin) (2015). "Early Origins of Armwrestling". The Armwrestling Archives. Archived from the original on November 9, 2022. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
  3. ↑ Culin, Stewart (1899). "Hawaiian Games". American Anthropologist. 1 (2): 210. Archived from the original on November 9, 2022. Retrieved November 8, 2022. Prof. Edward S. Morse informs me that wrist-wrestling is practiced also by Spaniards and Cubans, each contestant putting his elbow on a piece of money from which he may not remove it.
  4. ↑ Pritchard, Evan T. (2002). Native New Yorkers: The Legacy of the Algonquin People of New York. San Francisco: Council Oak Books. p. 81. ISBN   1-57178-107-2.
  5. ↑ Hillcourt, William (1957). "Indian Camping". Boys' Life . Boy Scouts of America. In Indian hand wrestling, the wrestlers place the outside edge of their feet together, grasp hands, attempt to throw each other off balance. […] In arm wrestling, the wrestlers kneel, place elbows of right arms on ground, grasp hands. Idea is to force opponent's forearm flat to the ground.
  6. ↑ Roussin, Eric (2019). "Indian Arm Wrestling". The Armwrestling Archives. Facebook. Archived from the original on November 9, 2022. Retrieved November 8, 2022. 'Indian Arm Wrestling' was a popular term for the sport up until around the 1960s. Here's a comic strip from 1965 that uses it. […] 'You can come in Mrs. Byrd, if there'll be no Indian-Arm Wrestling with my waiters!'
  7. ↑ "'Held in the Balance': Indian Hand Wrestling". Annual Report of the Boy Scouts of America. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1914. p. 4. Archived from the original on 2022-11-09. Retrieved 2022-11-09.
  8. ↑ Hillcourt, William (1936). "Hiking with Green Bar Bill". Boys' Life . Boy Scouts of America. p. 20. Retrieved November 8, 2022. Indian Hand Wrestling—One contestant places the outside of his right foot against the outside of the other's. Both brace themselves by placing their left feet a long step to the rear. They grasp right hands and attempt to throw each other. The one who first succeeds in making the other move his feet or lose his balance is the winner.
  9. ↑ Forbush, William Byron (1925). The New Round Table: The Order of the Knights of King Arthur and Its Affiliated Societies. Boston, Massachusetts: The Knight of King Arthur. p. 158. Archived from the original on 2022-11-09. Retrieved 2022-11-09. Talk on Indian life, followed by Indian games, Indian foot wrestling, Indian hand wrestling, Indian club wrestling.
  10. ↑ Roussin, Eric. "The History of the World's Wristwrestling Championship - Part One". The Armwrestling Archives. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
  11. ↑ Roussin, Eric. "The History of the World's Wristwrestling Championship - Part Two". The Armwrestling Archives. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
  12. ↑ Ogawa, Kiyohisa (22 June 2022). "Fractures of the humeral shaft caused by arm wrestling: a systematic review". Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery. 2 (4): 505–512. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  13. ↑ "WAF/USAF Armwrestling Rules". Archived from the original on 2011-07-07. Retrieved 2008-03-19.
  14. ↑ Retarides, James (2013). Strong Arm Tactics: Training And Technique In Competitive Armwrestling. Yorktown, VA: John Henry Printing. p. 8.
  15. 1 2 3 "Basic armwrestling moves". Archived from the original on 2021-08-08. Retrieved 2021-08-08.
  16. ↑ Retarides, James (2013). Strong Arm Tactics: Training And Technique In Competitive Armwrestling. Yorktown, VA: John Henry Printing. p. 22.
  17. ↑ Retarides, James (2013). Strong Arm Tactics: Training And Technique In Competitive Armwrestling. Yorktown, VA: John Henry Printing. p. 9-18.
  18. ↑ Retarides, James (2013). Strong Arm Tactics: Training And Technique In Competitive Armwrestling. Yorktown, VA: John Henry Printing. p. 50-56.
  19. ↑ "International Federation of Armwrestling (IFA)". 2024-11-24. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
  20. ↑ "WORLD ARMWRESTLING FEDERATION (WAF) |". 2024-10-01. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
  21. ↑ "World Armwrestling League". www.walunderground.com. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
  22. ↑ WAF MEMBERS Archived 2015-11-21 at the Wayback Machine . World Armwrestling Federation
  23. ↑ Khashaba, A. (2000). "Broken arm wrestler". British Journal of Sports Medicine. 34 (6): 461–462. doi:10.1136/bjsm.34.6.461. PMC   1724269 . PMID   11131237. Archived from the original on 2021-08-08. Retrieved 2021-08-08.
  24. ↑ The Footy Show: Former NRL player Ben Ross taken to hospital after arm wrestle with Wendell Sailor
  25. ↑ McGowan, Michael (5 July 2019). "Australian politician broke bone in arm wrestle with state attorney general". The Guardian . United Kingdom. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
  26. ↑ Clennell, Andrew (4 July 2019). "Victor Dominello's arm broken during arm-wrestle with Attorney-General". The Australian . Retrieved 10 July 2019.
  27. ↑ "Guile's Theme Goes with Everything (world's most epic handshake)". YouTube . 5 November 2012. Archived from the original on 2021-12-12.
  28. ↑ "Pulling John". IMDb . Archived from the original on 2020-11-12. Retrieved 2020-02-26.
  29. ↑ "Game of Arms". IMDb . 25 February 2014. Archived from the original on 2022-01-20. Retrieved 2020-02-26.
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