Arm wrestling
Arm wrestling is a sport in which two participants, facing each other with their bent elbows placed on a flat surface 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.
History
Early 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.Modern-day practices and depictions of arm wrestling have been widely practiced during the Edo-period of Japan 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.
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.
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" and "Indian hand wrestling" were popular among Boy Scouts and other American youth in the early to mid 20th century.
Contemporary era
The transition from informal arm wrestling matches to professionally organized competitions began in the 1950s. 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 a fundraising event for the March of Dimes. The first contest was held on 27 January 1955, and its success led to the establishment of an annual event that steadily grew in scale and popularity.In 1962, the sport was formalized with the creation of the World's Wristwrestling Championship, Inc., which hosted the first official World's Wristwrestling Championship on 2 February 1962. This marked a pivotal shift from informal local contests to structured, professional tournaments.
By the late 1960s, arm wrestling had gained national attention, with televised broadcasts and references in popular culture, including a Peanuts comic strip by Charles Schulz. Petaluma's contests helped transform arm wrestling into a legitimate competitive sport, complete with weight classes and formal refereeing—laying the foundation for its professional identity.
The 1970s and 1980s are often considered the "golden age" of professional arm wrestling, characterized by increased media coverage and corporate sponsorships. The sport reached mainstream audiences with the release of Sylvester Stallone's 1987 film "Over the Top", which was inspired by real-life arm wrestling events. As the only major motion picture centered on the sport, it played a significant role in popularizing arm wrestling worldwide.
Global expansion continued through the efforts of governing bodies such as the World Armwrestling Federation, the International Federation of Armwrestling, and the World Armwrestling League, and while arm wrestling's popularity did see modest growth, it remained a niche sport. The 2009 documentary "Pulling John", chronicling the career of legendary arm wrestler John Brzenk, grew some interest, but fell short of pushing arm wrestling into the forefront to the extent that Over The Top had.
In the early 2020s, arm wrestling experienced a resurgence in popularity, partly due to widespread lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic. The rise of digital platforms played a major role, with athletes like Devon Larratt and Levan Saginashvili attracting millions of viewers through YouTube and social media. Social media continues to be a driving force behind the sport's growth, and there is now a growing movement to have arm wrestling included in the Olympic Games.
In popular culture, arm wrestling remains a symbolic contest of physical dominance, often representing strength, toughness, and personal resolve between two individuals.
Organization
Most competitive arm wrestling governing bodies align on general principles within their rule sets, although there may be slight variations. Since there is no central governing body, rule sets must be agreed to prior to a tournament or match. Organized arm wrestling competitions are typically arranged in either tournament or supermatch format.A tournament usually involves successive rounds of a single match between any two opponents and a large number of total participants. Most tournaments are double-elimination, meaning two losses will eliminate a competitor from the tournament. 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.
A "supermatch" usually involves a best three out of five matches, or best of four out of either six or seven 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. Supermatch format varies depending on the rule set utilized by the organizing body.
Governing organizations include the International Federation of Armwrestling, the World Armwrestling Federation, the World Armwrestling League, East vs West, and the Pro Panja League.
Rules and equipment
Competitive arm wrestling matches take place between two competitors and involve one or more referees. Matches utilize specialized tables which include elbow pads, pin pads, and hand pegs. The elbow pads indicate the area within which a competitor's elbow must remain throughout the match; the pin pads indicate the height below which an opponent's hand must be in order to be pinned; and the hand pegs 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. A strap typically composed of a 1" wide strip of nylon or cloth, with a plastic or metal buckle on one end, may be used to bind the competitors' hands and wrists in order to prevent a slip during an arm wrestling match.Match setup
- Competitors approach the table, set the elbows of their competing arms onto the elbow pads, and attempt to grip their competing hands palm-to-palm, with their non-competing hands touching the hand pegs. In the grip of competing hands, the thumbs must be visible, and hands must be centered on the table. No part of the competing hand may touch any part of the competitor's own body.
- The referee ensures the competitors' hands are properly aligned, with wrists and forearms straight, and that shoulders are approximately square. If the match is a "strap match" due to a slip during engagement, or to mutual agreement of the competitors, then the referee applies the strap to their competing hands. If the competitors cannot settle on a legal grip after a certain period of time, the referee will set their grip.
- The referee signals the start with "Ready...Go!" or other agreed-upon signal.
- Competitors may receive a warning and/or a foul for early movements, delays, or shifting their shoulders or arms before the official signal. Any movement while a referee is attempting a ref's grip may result in a foul.
Engagement
- After the "Ready... Go!", each competitor tries to "pin" the other by forcing any part of their opponent's hand parallel to or below the line of the pin pad. The referee will use a verbal command and/or hand signal to indicate a pin. The competitors may use any combination of legal techniques and movements while keeping their non-competing hand on the hand peg and at least one foot touching the ground.
- Competitors may receive a warning and/or a foul for reasons including removing their hand from the hand peg, removing their elbow from the elbow pad, forcing an opponent off of their own elbow pad, slipping while in a losing position, lifting both feet off the floor, or touching their own body with their competing hand. If the competitors "slip" and lose their grip during engagement, a referee applies a "strap" to the competitors' wrists during a new setup, and the competitors will engage in a strap match.
- After a foul, the referee allows a predetermined period of time for a rest before the match resumes. Two consecutive warnings typically result in a foul, and two consecutive fouls typically result in a loss for the fouling competitor.
- Referees may penalize competitors who intentionally foul, use foul language, or engage in misconduct, which may lead to disqualification.