Arm Wrestling for Dummies: Everything about the Sport for Strong Men

Although not many people know for sure that arm wrestling is an official kind of sport, it is. For many, it is a common activity for friends to identify who has more powers. Nevertheless, it is a fully-fledged and even official sport that is governed by strict rules and regulations. They are obligatory to know and follow by every athlete; otherwise, final results can deviate or the athletes can get injured.

General Rules

When it comes to official competitions, there are certain rules that should be met. Thus, every sparring should be served and controlled by two referees. One of them should stay from the side of the table and correct the opponents’ wrong positions. With this, he pays attention to what the other referee tells because he does the same from the other side of the table. These were the most common requirements. Nevertheless, more precise regulations also exist:

1. Arm wrestler’s shoulders should be parallel to the table line. In the process of wrestling, an athlete is not allowed to cross this line with his head or shoulders.
2. The free hand must grab the special handles that should be present on every table.
3. Wrists form a lock with their inner parts i.e. palms. The lock is formed by grappling a thumb. It is necessary to the wrestlers to place their hands so that a referee can see the first phalanx of their thumbs. This lock should be perfectly centered on the table. To tell the truth, this condition can be quite difficult to meet because some wrestlers can have forearms of different lengths.
4. It is forbidden to bend the wrists. It is a common thing when the wrestlers try to bend wrists prior to the beginning to have an advantage over opponents.

When the wrestlers take the necessary position, the referee makes the command to start, and they begin to exert all their powers to make his opponents’ arm touch the table.

Moreover, there are also the following regulations:

• it is forbidden to remove the hand from the handle;
• it is forbidden to start wrestling without the referee’s command;
• it is forbidden to take both feet off the ground and touch the lock with either shoulders head;
• it is forbidden to take the elbows off the elbow pad while wrestling;
• the hand that is in the lock should not have any jewelry pieces or other items including watches, wristbands, and circles.

For wrestlers, it is necessary to avoid situations when their hand is behind the shoulder line. In this case, a fracture can occur.

When in wrestling, if your hand creates an angle of over 45 degrees (which is not beneficial for you) and the lock is going to be broken, you will be said to lose in the given round. That is why, it is a common thing when a wrestler intentionally breaks the lock as soon as he sees he is going to lose. To avoid such situations, special belts are used to prevent wrestlers from breaking their locks intentionally.

Equipment

Table

All the tables should meet the official requirements developed by official wrestling governing bodies. Such tables should have corresponding certificates. The table of 104 cm height should have a board of 92 cm long and 66 cm wide. Also, every table should be equipped with the following elements:

• elbow pads;
• touch pads;
• handles.

All the tables at a single event should be placed so that spectators see wrestlers’ sides.

Weighs

Prior to every official event, wrestlers should be weighed. That is why, the weighs should be precise and working. They should show an accurate weigh with an allowed margin of error of 50 g.

Competition Sight

Wrestling tables should be illuminated from above with a few lights.

When a wrestling competition takes place indoors, a minimum allowed temperature is 15°C, humidity – 60%. As for airing, a tripled exchange of air per hour should be present. As for outdoor competitions, in their turn, temperature should be at least 20°C. In addition, tables should be protected from direct Sun rays.

When competitions are held on stages, the distance between the barriers and the stage itself should be at least 2 meters. As for outdoor competitions, a minimum allowed distance between any table and the barriers should be at least 3 meters.

History

Officially, the arm wrestling history as a kind of sport started in an American bar in 1952. Before this, arm wrestling had been considered as a naval entertainment or a way to determine the strongest man. It is clear that those rules were elementary. Wrestlers might place their elbows on a table and create a lock with their arms. A victory was awarded to a wrestler who managed to make his opponent’s back of the hand touch the table.