How to put hands in arm wrestling. How to beat everyone in arm wrestling

I thought for a long time what to write about this time. And I decided to "change the vector" a bit. Perhaps, if not everyone, then very many tried to wrestle on their hands. And due to the fact that arm wrestling as a sport is not as popular as, for example, football, and there is less material about it even than table tennis... then the elementary skills of wrestling are not known to everyone. I will stop on them. Tobish is on the advice of those who have not fought before, but really want to. Newcomers.

Here I note that the article is directed only to the newest ones. To be honest, I thought for a long time before starting to implement this idea. Still, my own level in this sport leaves much to be desired and I have reached an excellent level, in fact, only in football. In armwrestling, I myself, in fact, am still a beginner, but I’m still capable of defeating a rather strong man. Therefore, if your goal is not to become a great armwrestler, but just sometimes fight with friends, acquaintances, etc. (in short, just for myself), without blushing at the same time for a bunch of defeats, then in some ways this article may help you.

1) Correct grip

Oddly enough, but the question is quite acute. It is clear that I had to fight with my classmates since my school days. At that time, we most often solved the problem of choosing a capture incorrectly. We "clutched" with four fingers, after which we simply added large ones from below. And over the correct way, when the opponents first cling to the thumb with their thumb, and then all the other 4 fingers are closed as they please, some even laughed at all. And I met such problems with the choice not only in my class. Maybe the Internet was not so developed then, but... On the other hand, I sometimes see a similar picture even now. Therefore, it will not be superfluous to give an example of the correct capture. He is in the photo below.

So why is that method wrong? Except for the fact that it's against the rules. In my opinion, it is also traumatic for the fingers. In fact, there you are pressing with all the power of four on one. This is not a competition who breaks off the phalanges to whom or whose index finger is stronger. This is a fight. Yes, and removing the fact that it is dangerous for the fingers, the fight turns out to be some kind of the same type, involving much less muscles, and I generally keep quiet about tactics.

Let's go over the rules a bit more. The capture is located, of course, above the surface of the table. Plus, the first phalanges of the thumbs should be visible. I will not give a complete list of rules in this post, since finding them is not particularly difficult.

2) A couple of basics of direct struggle

The fight must be waged with the whole body. How exactly - depends on the specific situation. And again, depending on where you fight. Until I was 20 years old, I never fought at a real table. Even for likeness. But fight with your whole body, anyway. That is, you are not just pressing your hand on the opponent’s hand and trying to press it against the table / pillow / something else. You knock it down with your whole body. Hand and body must act as one.

To make it easier - initially try to keep your hand slightly pressed to the body. It doesn't have to be very dense. And the location of the arm and body depends on the style of wrestling. But initially it will be much easier for you to coordinate the movement of the body with the movement of the body. You can, for example, keep such a disorder between your hand and body. Just an amateur competition.

Well, it is also important that the distance between the shoulder and forearm is as small as possible. But they shouldn't touch each other. And keep in mind that the case should be located perpendicular to the edge of the table. And do not lean forward with your whole body (as in the photo below)

And yet - you do not just crush the opponent’s hand, you drag it and pull it with your whole body. It is important. With the usual "crush" you will end up losing somewhere where you could win. It's not for nothing that this sport is called "arm wrestling".

All these actions are necessary because the classic rule of leverage operates in the arm, which can be recalled from physics. The closer the center of gravity of the body to the support, the better you will be able to use it. Well, if the center of gravity is essentially combined with the area of ​​\u200b\u200bsupport, then the advantage over an opponent who is not dedicated to such subtleties is simply huge. And will give chances to defeat him, even if he is decently stronger.

3) Safety

Are you tired of boring everyday life? Is life monotonous and boring?

Engage in arm wrestling without observing safety rules! A twisted fracture with an offset will brighten up your dull everyday life!

Not willing? Then it is important to insure yourself against such risks. Of course, you can't foresee everything. Even the best of the best have injuries. But frank absurdities must be avoided. So.

First, the forearm should not go beyond the projection of the shoulder. In this regard, I was pleased to find such an illustration

It is clear that you should not fight with someone who is clearly stronger than you in the army and is determined enough. If you had to - it's better to "give a hand." Tobish relax as much as possible. Of course, it's scary when your limbs are slammed against a pillow or table surface with force. But relaxed muscles are more elastic muscles. Therefore, they are more likely to avoid injury than less elastic strained ones.

Further. You and the opponent should be opposite each other across the table, you can say face to face. Any other location poses a health hazard. And not only for muscles and ligaments, but already for bones.

Do you want a horror movie on the subject? Hold. Here is a classic example of complete non-compliance with technology. Lado, the girls are clearly far from armwrestling and in an excellent (so far) mood. But what such a horde of peasants did, which also incited them, is not entirely clear.

One more thing is correct, if the table is too distant - do not tempt fate. And in general, leaving the hand separately from the entire body is fraught with consequences. Therefore, I would not advise doing it the way the girl in the photo below does.

Yes, and too short a table - not good. In general, always avoid bone-to-bone wrestling, because in arm wrestling they compete not in their strength.

4) Movement. Part 2.

Started but not finished. Part two is a little more detailed.

First, this very angle of the lever should be kept. After all, as already mentioned, the body and hand are one.

Aleksey Voevoda showed the correct movements quite clearly and simply at the master class of the A1 tournament. At the same time, clearly and clearly denoting the name of the wrong style of wrestling and describing in more detail the correct use of the thumb in wrestling.

However, the fight is not carried out by a single corps. Still, it's a hand-to-hand fight. And movement essentially starts with the fingers. Even from the very ends. Yes, some athletes generally lightly squeeze their fingertips, and do not press them tightly against the opponent’s hand, doing this as the first movement after the referee’s signal. It turns out, albeit small, but an increase in their attacking impulse.

5) Legs

If you are fighting at a table, then it is quite important and correct to place your legs, which are located under this very table. Yes, and if not, too. But the conversation will be about the struggle at the table, and in relation to the desk or some other equipment, you can navigate based on them and your own feelings.

The main thing in this case is stability and the formation of that very "correct" center of gravity. Particular variations usually involve the leg corresponding to the wrestling arm. Tobish with the right hand - the right leg, and the left - with the left. She is sometimes put a little forward, to the center of the table, making a little bit like a step. In other cases, they lean against the table stand, next to it (usually, however, already in the course of the struggle). And in some cases, the foot can rest against the opponent's stance, if he does not mind. Heavy category wrestlers usually prefer the first option. Like most people in general. The other leg usually serves as an oprah, so there are not so many variations in the location. Often athletes slightly bend it at the knee.

In short, the foot setting will be explained by the video for the next item from Alexei Voevoda, who not only did not hesitate to participate in master classes, but also recorded educational materials at will.

6) Fighting Styles

This is probably the most difficult point. Because there are many styles of wrestling. And they are also classified differently.

Personally, I would single out: "bottom", "up" and lateral movement. All of them are good in their own way and for a beginner to argue about their applicability is not entirely correct. It is necessary to try everything, and then choose the most favourite. I will not dwell on them, because there is a lot of material on the Internet. However, I will give a couple of useful links and explain something myself.

In the explanation of terms in arm wrestling, the terms pronation and supination of the hand are most often encountered. You can't get away from them. Therefore, I explain. So, pronation is an inward movement, and supination is outward. Tobish, if your palm looks up, then this is supination, down - pronation.

In fact, all these divisions into bottom and top depend on how you place your fingers and how you will try to achieve victory. Here is an excellent video by Alexei Voevoda about "classic" techniques. Here is the promised explanation about the legs

Well, here is a photo of a technician

Which is better for a beginner to fight?

In my opinion, it's better to start from the bottom. The most popular bottom technique is the hook. Another option is to try lateral movement. The hook is probably the most "natural" technique in general. Similar movements a person often has to perform in normal activities. But there is one "BUT". And it's big. It is impossible to abuse with "hook". This is a big load on the elbow joint. And for a beginner in arma from a hook, the elbow can get sick pretty quickly. For example, just starting to try my hand, I noticed that I could fight tightly 5 times, after which my elbow already ached. Yes, and in the fight it is not always possible to straighten the arm, because it is also a traumatic technique. It is better to fight on horseback in this respect, and it doesn’t score hands like that. But here its complexity is higher. For example, I am almost sure that 99 newcomers out of 100 people will not master the “cobra” reception from the first time even in some semblance. Personally, I myself did not succeed even when a friend simply slowly pressed on my hand, and all that remained was to repeat what I saw. Whereas starting to immediately fight in something similar to a hook, albeit with poor technique, is quite realistic.

What I would like to advise is not to grab onto everything at once. It is clear that all techniques must be tried. But at the same time there must be some kind of system. And not just an anarchist struggle in one way or another. So the purity of the execution of movements will appear faster.

7) Top Roll

And yet, about one of the techniques, I will try to give another useful translation. Top Roll is one of most popular species fighting in the arm. I found an article in Polish, where the British athlete Neil Pickup demonstrates the correctness of its implementation. And translated. It's a pity the pictures are small, but I couldn't find a bigger one.

1 In order to perform TOP ROLL properly, a proper grip must be made. Neil starts the installation by turning around thumb enemy

2. Neal then wraps his wrist around the opponent's arm

3. Nile's fingers cover the opponent's hand as far as possible.

4. Then sets the hand to the starting position. The elbow is close to the inner edge of the armrest.

A. After the command "READY GO!" Neal begins to turn his wrist slightly inward.

B. Puts finger pressure on upper part opponent's hands.

C. By moving his elbow slightly forward, Neil directs his hand to wrap around the opponent's arm.

D. While doing a topspin, Neal begins to extend his opponent's fingers inward.

E. The wrist wraps the opponent's arm and directs it towards the side cushion. The elbow moves to the outer edge of the armrest.

F. A defenseless opponent's arm is pinned to the side cushion.

8) What do you need to fight?

It is clear that without power, nowhere. Well, what exactly are the forces?

In general, as in most sports, especially power sports, the general physical training will be a big plus for you. But there are also specific exercises for arma, which develop exactly what is not worked out so intensively in ordinary training. I will not dwell on this in detail - I myself am not strong enough to give out "smart" advice. But I will highlight the most important.

Initially, arm wrestling was called wrestling. From the word brush. That is, it is important that the brush is strong. You can, of course, win and "give" the brush to the opponent... But it's much more difficult. Another important point- fingers. Again, in order to open the hand, the opponent needs to "pierce" your fingers. Well, you will be able to exert the necessary pressure with your own. Because the fingers are also important.

Naturally, everything does not end with one brush. Another component is the muscles of the forearm. For most armwrestlers, the forearm is large in comparison not only with the average human, but also with quite successful masters weightlifting. It is on him that a significant part of the load falls and due to him success is often achieved. Plus one more component - ligaments. "Iron" ligaments are another secret to success in arma. Biceps and triceps cause frequent debate as to which is more important. In my opinion, a lot depends on the style of wrestling practiced. But both should not be underestimated.

You can name more and more, but I'll stop there. And the place in the hierarchy of terms depends largely on how you will fight.

9) Workouts

If your goal is not to purposefully engage in arm wrestling, but just fight well (like mine), then you are unlikely to intend to reshape your training schedule specifically for arm wrestling. The question of whether it is better to single out one specific arm workout per week or to add one or two exercises to each is decided differently. If I got the gist of Canadian armer Devon Larratt's point of view, he was more advising to evenly distribute the load. Personally, I am also a supporter of the option with interspersed in the overall schedule of one or two exercises. They won’t force you to cut out an extra day, and they won’t force you to break your program either. Feels and feels so much easier on the body. But here everyone solves the problem himself.

10) To fight well, you need to fight well.

Well in the second case - it means fighting a lot. So the hand will not be clogged too often. And the very role of practice in comparison with strength cannot be reduced in any way. Technique from "pulling iron" will not come. Even if it is directed specifically to arm training. Movements need to be worked out. In this regard, it is good to work in tandem with a partner of approximately equal strength. You don't have to just fight each other. You can, for example, work out movements without resistance to each other or lungs. Work out individual situations of struggle.

    Beginning athletes often ask: what to do to achieve high results in arm wrestling, what muscles to train, what exercises to perform. In this article, I will tell you how to properly compose arm wrestling workouts in order to succeed in this kind of strength sport.

    This is a sport where two athletes arm wrestle against each other on a special arm wrestling table. The athlete who pressed the opponent's hand to a special roller of the table wins the match.

    What muscles does this sport use?

    During the fight, the whole body works, starting with the legs and ending with the fingers, we list muscle groups on which the main load falls:

    • All the muscles of the forearm that control the hand and fingers.
    • The latissimus dorsi and all other muscles of the upper back.
    • Pectoralis major, minor and anterior deltoid muscles.
    • Press.

    Everything above the belt, one way or another, works during sparring.

    The benefits and harms of this sport

    Arm wrestling will strengthen your joints, and the stiffness of your ligaments will decide who wins in a duel. Your hand will have a real iron grip. In this sport, many exercises are aimed at developing grip strength. Grasping fingers will improve your climbing skills. It will be easier for you to carry heavy objects (lifting furniture to the fifth floor).

    Armwrestlers win with proper technique and explosive muscle strength. Those athletes who manage to react in time to the referee's command immediately find themselves in a winning position, so the speed of the reaction of wrestlers on their hands is of decisive importance.

    By doing arm wrestling, you will increase your speed, explosive force and speed of reaction. Armwrestling will temper your character, you will be able to endure and not give up in difficult times.

    During a duel, wrists, elbows and shoulders, ligaments and muscles of the hands experience colossal overloads. The most common injuries in arm wrestling:

    • Tearing and tearing of the muscles of the shoulder.
    • Sprains and ruptures of the elbow and shoulder ligaments and injuries of these joints.
    • Humerus fractures.

    Arm wrestling is a very traumatic sport, so before you start wrestling on your hands, strengthen them for 1-2 months regular workouts and special isometric exercises. To avoid injury most of the classes, especially on initial stage, dedicate strength training and strengthening ligaments, regimen and proper nutrition. And sparring with a partner no more than once a week.

    Contraindications

    Training in arm wrestling is aimed primarily at strengthening the arms and hands, both muscles and the articular-ligamentous apparatus. If you experience pain during a workout, you should immediately stop exercising. Do not engage in arm wrestling in the field of injuries of the shoulder, elbow and wrist joints, and in chronic and inflammatory diseases of the joints of the hands (arthritis, arthrosis, dislocations, torn ligaments).

    Carefully approach training with high blood pressure and heart disease, and it is better to consult with your doctor beforehand.

    Do not exercise if you are poisoned or sick - such training will not lead to anything good. First, you need to be properly treated and fully recover, and only then proceed to classes.

    arm wrestling technique

    Hook wrestling

    Before starting, firmly press your shoulder and elbow to your chest. On command referee, immediately bend the hand with the palm towards you and pull the forearm towards you, reducing the angle in elbow joint. If you managed to do all this, feel free to bring down the opponent, he is at a disadvantage. Throughout the movement, keep your elbow firmly pressed against your body and fight with your whole body, not just your arm. This method is popular among competitors with developed biceps.

    To prevent themselves from being overwhelmed by the technique in the hook, athletes strengthen the wrist in order to effectively resist the bend of the hand. And they pull their hand towards themselves, trying to increase the angle in the elbow joint of the opponent.

    Overhead fighting system

    In this method, you need to bend the opponent's wrist so that your hand is higher. Extend the fingers on the opponent's hand, bring your wrist higher and bring down the opponent. This method is more often used by athletes who have a long forearm.

    Often, when fighting over the top for a competition, a grip break occurs, in order to prevent this situation from happening again, the judges tie the hands of opponents with a belt.

    Fight to the side

    The athlete strives, without changing the angle, to lay down the opponent with a lateral force, while the role of the fingers is almost completely absent. When fighting sideways, the strength and speed of the athlete plays a decisive role. This method is used with tied hands. It is important at the start not to let the opponent twist your brush.

    Professional athletes must master all these techniques and be able to effectively counter them, for this you need to strengthen:

    • Fingers and wrist.
    • Forearm.
    • Biceps.
    • Upper back.
    • It is imperative to improve the antagonist muscles - triceps, pectorals and deltas.

    Particular attention should be paid to strengthening the ligaments, for this you need to use exercises using isometric tension (holding the load with your fingers, hanging on the bar with bent arms, holding a heavy dumbbell for biceps).

    Exercises that armwrestlers use to prepare

    • Lifting the bar for biceps while standing - effective exercise which develops the biceps, back and forearms. Do not perform the lift in full amplitude - try not to extend your arm more than 1200. To strengthen your forearm, do this movement with a thick bar, or put elastic bands on the bar to increase its diameter.
    • Lifting the barbell on the hand - we take the barbell, put our forearms on the bench, palms pointing up, bend the hands towards ourselves, lifting the barbell. The exercise can be performed with one hand and use a long barbell, this will additionally load the pronator muscle and arch support.
    • - put the forearms on the bench and take the weight, the palms are directed to each other, thumb looks up, raise the weight, bending and unbending the wrist.
    • Thrust on top block in a hook or on top - can be performed both on an arm wrestling table and standing. The movement repeats that performed during the fight. We take the handle and pull it to the chest. The arm remains in tension throughout the exercise, keeping the elbow pressed to the body. It is advisable to use the handle of the simulator with a large diameter to strengthen the grip strength (handle of an armwrestler).
    • Lifting the dumbbell on the brachioradialis muscle on the Scott bench. We take a dumbbell with a hammer grip and perform lifts, in an incomplete amplitude, extending the arm no more than 1000 - 1200 in lowest point. For this exercise, you can use the lower block.
    • Wrist and bicep workouts rubber band or with an expander, using different angles and simulating a fight.
    • Training pronation (twisting the hand with the thumb towards you) and supination on the block using a strap.
    • Holding large weights with your fingers, and lifting with your fingers.
    • Holding a dumbbell for biceps with a right angle in the elbow joint.
    • Pull-ups -. For arm wrestling, it is useful to perform explosive pull-ups not in full amplitude, when at the top point the palms come off the crossbar, and at the bottom point the elbows do not straighten completely.
    • Hanging on the bar with bent arms with a right angle at the elbow joint.

    Shoulder exercises:

    • Mahi dumbbells through the sides.
    • Mahi dumbbells on the back delta.

    Barbell press, lying and dips are needed to strengthen the triceps, chest and deltoid muscles, these movements are basic and contribute to the production of testosterone, which is needed to increase muscle mass. For these purposes, squats with a barbell are well suited and deadlift. Performing these exercises once a week will allow you to quickly build arm muscles and increase strength.

    Once a week you need to spar with a partner to work out correct technique. Beginners should spar once every two weeks. See the video below for an example of a workout.

    An example of a workout at home

    Kettlebell, dumbbell, expander, or any load and an old towel.

    We perform pull-ups for three sets for the maximum number of repetitions.

    We carry out lifting of cargo with a towel:

    • Lifting a kettlebell from the floor onto a 4x10 hook.
    • Lifting the kettlebell from the floor to the top 4 × 10.
    • Practicing bending the hand on yourself 4 × 10-12.
    • Practicing pronation and supination 4×10-12.

    Exercises on the horizontal bar:

    • Pull-ups reverse grip 3 sets max.
    • Hanging on the bar with an angle at the elbow joint of 900 - 3 sets for each hand.

    Kettlebell hold with fingers 3 sets.

    Push-ups 3 sets for the maximum number of repetitions.

    An example of a top workout in the gym

    • Bench press 4×12.
    • Lifting the bar for biceps while standing 4 × 10.
    • Bending of the hand with a barbell 4 × 10-12.
    • Pull-ups with incomplete amplitude and a jerk at the top point, 4 sets to the maximum.
    • Imitation of fighting in a hook on a block while standing 4 × 10-12.
    • Performing pronation on the block using a 4×10-12 strap.
    • Practicing supination on a block with a strap 4 × 10-12.
    • Lifting a load with an armlifting handle or holding a load with your fingers 3 sets to the maximum.
    • Triceps on the upper block 4 × 12.

    Sets and Reps

    I gave an example of a training scheme for beginners, in the process of training, you can use a different number of repetitions in the approach from 15 to 2. Most of the time you need to perform movements in the range of 8-12 repetitions. Choose the weight of the weights so that you do an average of 10 repetitions to failure.

    If you do 3 workouts a week - do one of them according to the scheme of 15 - 12 - 8 - 6 - 4 repetitions, adding weight in each approach. Exercises should not be done to failure in order to reach the maximum in the last approach. Do this workout no more than once a week.

    If you just want to be good at arm wrestling, just include a few arm wrestling exercises in your bodybuilding workout once a week.

    Common mistakes

    It is dangerous to fight on a long or too short table, use only special tables for arm wrestling. Athletes must stand opposite each other different sides table, only in this position you can fight.

    A common mistake that causes injuries, and even fractures, is to turn the head and body away from the struggling hand. It is necessary to look at the struggle, and the body must be turned to the hand.

    Keep the body near the table, and press the elbow closer to the body, observing sharp corners, so it will be easier to fight. The elbow must not be allowed to move far away from the body; full extension of the arm can lead to shoulder injury. Try to keep your forearm and shoulder in line.

    Leaving your arm off the armrest can cause elbow injury, try to keep your elbow in place.

    Correct positioning of the legs during the fight is very important, the front leg in front rests on the crossbar, which runs from the bottom in the middle of the table. The back leg is set back.

    Conclusion

    Arm wrestling is a very tough sport compared to bodybuilding. Brutal exhausting workouts will temper your character and teach you not to give up halfway through. It's not enough to have big muscles, you need to make iron ligaments. If you are determined to have steel hands and fight strong opponents, this sport is for you.

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    In contact with

    At least once in your life you will measure strength with someone. You never know when that moment will happen, so you always have to be ready to roll up your sleeves and sit down at the table to find out who is stronger. Contrary to popular belief, you don't have to have super biceps to beat any opponent. If you apply the right technique, speed and strategy, you will become almost invincible for the enemy, even if he is stronger than you. In this text, we will tell you how to defeat anyone in arm wrestling, and the next time you are offered to measure strength, you will not lose face.

    arm wrestling techniques

    There are two techniques that, when combined with a strong finish, can make you almost unstoppable: the top roll and the hook. You must apply these techniques quickly and smoothly, without revealing your intentions in any way - such an arm wrestling ninja.

    Top roll

    The most efficient technique arm wrestling. It is necessary to apply the strength of the forearm and biceps, directing them to the arm and fingers. The main thing here is to strongly squeeze the enemy’s hand. Your goal is to get your hand over your opponent's. To make this happen, you need to start at lightning speed as soon as you hear the signal to start. Pull your hand towards you so that the opponent's hand is further away from his body. This will unbalance him and increase your balance. We hope that you will notice how the grip of your opponent begins to weaken. Once that happens, start pushing him. Keep going until you reach the maximum. Then get ready for the finish line.

    Hook

    A simple technique that can be used on its own or in combination with a top roll. The goal is to force the opponent to bend his arm back, this will help you deal with him and have a more comfortable leverage. As soon as you hear the signal to start the match, tilt his wrist back, turning his hand towards you. When you bring him into this position, you will be ready for the finish line.

    Finish him!

    Sometimes the hardest part of a match is getting your opponent's hand on the table. You can squeeze all the last juice out of your biceps, trying to press the opponent’s hand to the table, but you won’t achieve anything. It often looks like this in arm wrestling: one almost pressed the other to the table, but he resists with all his might - and this goes on endlessly. How to avoid this annoying complexity?

    When you're ready to take the final push, twist your body so that your shoulders turn in the direction your arm is pushing. This will allow you to use force shoulder muscles and extra weight. If your opponent is not a superhuman, he will have a hard time.

    And again I want to draw your attention to the fact that this must be done quickly and smoothly. The less time the enemy has to react, the better. This skill requires practice, and sometimes study turns out to be a loss. If it hurts you, try practicing on your 11 year old nephew. Of course, this is not the most courageous thing, but why does such a thought come to mind? Because…

    You have to know how to lose

    You were challenged, you accepted it and lost. Don't worry. It happens even to the best of us. Realize that your arm wrestling skills don't define you as a man yet. When your hand touches the table, shake your opponent's hand, pat on the shoulder, smile, praise him and tell him that somehow you will get revenge. Do not be one of those who believe that the title of a man is earned exclusively in such competitions, do not need to show everyone that you still have not lost your penis when you lose - everyone is somehow aware of this anyway. No need to swear, fiercely sip beer, demand revenge, call names, etc. Such behavior is no good.

    And also, if you understand that you are about to lose, you don’t have to resist to the last and prevent the potential winner from making a winning move - this way you, like idiots, will sit at the table for an extra five minutes in one position. It's all settled, you're just trying to delay the inevitable. If your song is sung, look at the enemy, nod to him and surrender with dignity. You'll be fine next time.

    Workout Exercises

    If you really want this very revenge, pay attention to the exercises that you can perform at home or in the gym. An arm wrestler needs to develop the forearms, biceps and triceps first of all. Expanders will develop your grip very well. At your service are all kinds of simulators for these muscles, dumbbells, expanders and push-ups. And fantasy, my friend!

    Devices for training

    This is more for entertainment. Just look at what a cult arm wrestling has turned Western assholes into!

    Slot machines - arm wrestlers

    There's some kind of hydraulics inside, so this robot is no joke. In general, I would feel like an idiot trying to overcome the car, but I would gladly look at another idiot.

    Neil Lewis car

    It looks vintage, we should dig up more information about this device. It seems to be just set up. Weight is added to one end of the lever, and then you start working out the movements, like in arm wrestling. Quite cool. Too bad they don't make them anymore.

    Bullshit from the movie "With all my might"

    If you are interested in the topic of arm wrestling, check out this movie. Quite good for its genre. Stallone plays an arm wrestler who needs money. His wife has died, and he is trying to somehow make friends with his son, whom he hardly knew. All in all, a touching story. One of the coolest things about this movie is this weight lifting machine that Stallone's character has set up inside his car. Cool thing, I would use it myself.

    Arm wrestling can be seen in almost every third American movie. The stamp, rooted in our minds, is simple: two powerful men, sitting at the table, are trying to bend the opponent's hand to the candle. But in fact, armwrestling is much more complicated: there are tactics, strategy, and ornate rules. Athletes fight standing, not sitting, and there are no candles - there is only a desire to win.

    Actually, cinematic clichés are not entirely wrong. After the Second World War, at the dawn of arm wrestling, everything looked like this. Truckers gathered in bars, drank, and then tested who was stronger. Arm wrestling is the perfect battle for a small enclosed space, it does not require sophisticated equipment and ample space. In 1952, Bill Soberens, an American journalist, organized the first US armwrestling championship in the California city of Petaluma - the Gilardi bar, where the competitions were held, exists to this day and is proud of its role as the cradle of armwrestling.

    Ten years later, the competition in Petaluma moved from a bar to sports complex and received the status of the world championship (its official name was the World's Wristwrestling Championship, that is, the "battle on the wrists" championship). Since 1969, television broadcasts of the championship began - armwrestling has become a full-fledged type of power competition, has found its own audience of fans; today the question is raised even about its inclusion in the Olympic program.


    True, from the point of view of American wrestlers, Olympic arm wrestling has political flaws. The fact is that thanks to the system of weight categories (we will talk about them later), 18 (!) sets of medals are played at one championship. And almost all the gold "leaks" to Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan - the strongest armwrestlers in the world live in the CIS. And this is a fact. In particular, Roman Filippov, European champion and two-time champion peace.

    Law is law

    The rules of arm wrestling are quite simple - it takes a few minutes to learn them. Another thing is that it is sometimes quite difficult not to break them in the heat of the struggle. On a special arm wrestling table, only three elements are fixed for each of the wrestlers: an armrest, a pillow (the winner inclines the hand of the vanquished on it) and a handle, which you need to hold on to with your free hand.

    Actually, there are two main rules. First, never take your elbow off the armrest. Second: with a free hand from the fight, you should always touch the handle. And it is not necessary to grab it with all your fingers and squeeze it until it crunches in the joints. To whom it is more convenient: some armwrestlers, in order to provide greater freedom of movement, gently touch the handle with one finger.

    There are also a few basic rules that describe the capture and the process of fighting. For example, you can’t help yourself with your shoulder ( deltoid muscles armwrestlers are developed, large, and some bend down during the battle so that they push the hand with their shoulder). But in principle, the fight itself is quite free: you can even tear off both legs from the floor and hang on the table if it helps to win. The battle itself does not look as neat and beautiful as in the movies: opponents sometimes crawl completely under the table, bend over it, lie down on their stomachs, wrap their legs around the supports. All this is allowed if the elbow touches the armrest, and the free hand touches the handles. Thanks to this freedom, battles look extremely “asymmetrical”: when one slides down, the other, on the contrary, bends forward.

    Actually, the tactics of some unscrupulous athletes is based on forcing the opponent to a foul, and two fouls is already a technical defeat. For example, they begin not to bend the arm, but to push it away from themselves, thus pushing the opponent off the armrest. Or in front of the referee’s command “Go!” they slightly jerk their hand in the "foreign" direction - it looks as if the enemy made a false start. In such cases, everything depends solely on the professionalism of the judge. There are two referees in one match - from each side of the table.

    Interestingly, sometimes the most difficult thing in a match is not the fight itself, but setting the starting position. It, unlike the battle itself, is regulated by the rules very strictly. When grabbing the hands, the phalanxes of the thumbs must be visible, the torsos of the opponents must be in a symmetrical position, and the center line of the table must not be crossed by anything other than the "wrestling" hand. Since a lot depends on the starting position, arm wrestlers sometimes look for a convenient option for both for a very long time.


    Someone is trying to “steal the brush”, that is, bending it slightly in the direction of the opponent’s inclination in order to win a couple of millimeters. Someone can not cling to the hand of the enemy. If they dig for more than a minute, the referee announces a "judicial hold" and exposes the opponents himself. In this case, he no longer commands "Ready!" (“Ready!”), and immediately orders: “Go!” (“Forward!”) And the battle begins.

    Sometimes the hold is broken in the process of struggle - by accident or tactically, intentionally. According to the old rules, if during the break the hand of one of the opponents was tilted to the pillow at an angle of more than 45 °, he was considered defeated. Today, it is possible to break the capture without loss at any stage. After the break, the judge sets a new grip and ties it with a special tape - now the armwrestlers will not be able to change the position of their hands, even with their fingers unclenched. Some wrestlers find it easier to fight in a pin and deliberately break the hold to force the referee to tie his hands.


    Tactics and strategy

    In general, all sports, no matter how simple they may look, can be called smart. Everywhere you need to think, calculate, work not only with your hands, but also with your head. So arm wrestling is not just pushing for strength. Of course, with a significant difference between rivals, the strongest can defeat the weakest with one movement. But at the same time, an armwrestler-techie will easily “put down” any “rolling” non-professional, even if he is twice as strong. How does it happen?

    Armwrestling technique involves three types of wrestling - riding, hook and triceps. The first variety is most effective when fighting a physically stronger opponent. With this option, the wrestler does not put pressure on the whole arm, but, as it were, twists the opponent’s hand from top to bottom, the opponent’s grip is weakened, it becomes more difficult for him to resist - and all that remains is to “squeeze”.

    Our consultants

    The development and popularization of armwrestling in Russia is carried out by the Russian Association of Armwrestling and other types of hand wrestling founded in 1990. It trains specialists in the field of armwrestling RSUPESY&T, more precisely, the Department of Theory and Methods of Weightlifting Sports. A.S. Medvedev - the specialization "armsport" appeared in 2006. Our consultant Roman Filippov (in blue) heads one of the leading schools in Russia in armwrestling - ANO Youth Sports School "Olympic"; he is a master of sports international class, two-time world champion (2004, category up to 85 kg, left and right hands) and European champion (2011, category up to 90 kg, left hand), multiple winner of the world and European championships, multiple champion of Moscow. Roman Filippov's partner was his friend and sparring partner Roman Penkin (in red).

    Hook wrestling is effective when fighting a weaker opponent - in this case, the wrestler secures the grip by pulling the opponent's hand to himself, and then works with his forearm and shoulder - for strength. Triceps wrestling is rarely used, since it is quite traumatic: with this technique, the wrestler presses on the opponent’s hand with an almost motionless, “clamped” hand, using mainly triceps.

    By the way, a few words about injury risk - it is quite high in arm wrestling. Most often, ligaments are stretched and torn, there are dislocations. But there are also fractures, and in the case of humerus they are complex, twisted.

    Armwrestling in the USSR

    Until the end of the 80s, armwrestling did not have an official status in the USSR - they fought only for training or entertainment. But in 1989 the Federation kettlebell lifting and power show programs of the USSR together with the NPO "Insport" organized International Tournament in arm wrestling USSR - USA - Canada. Opposed professional overseas armwrestlers the best representatives Soviet weightlifting - and lost demonstration fights one after another, because the equipment was sorely lacking. the only Soviet athlete, who won his duel, was the heavyweight Sultan Rakhmanov - with his own weight of 150 kilograms, he had no competitors in strength.
    The failed performance of our athletes was an incentive. From that moment in the Union, and then in Russia, arm wrestling clubs began to form, coaches appeared, professional athletes, and in a matter of years the country has taken a leading position in this sport.

    Armwrestlers rarely fight using a single technique. The result is usually a sharp change in strategy - for example, first work on horseback, and then abruptly, when the opponent does not expect, go to the hook, or vice versa. It's a skillful combination. various tactics, not blunt force decides the outcome of a duel at high-level championships.

    It is interesting that tactical elements are thought out even before the start of the battle, and the preparation of the duel sometimes plays no less a role in victory than the fight itself. One of the tactical elements is a lubricant with magnesia, magnesium salt, for drying hands. Some armwrestlers intentionally lubricate only the fingertips, leaving the back of the hand sweaty - due to this, the opponent's grip will "slide", which plays into the wrestler when fighting on horseback.


    There are three main fighting techniques in arm wrestling. 1) Top wrestling: the blue athlete tries to bend the red wrist from above, while almost lying on the table.

    Finally, the legs are very important. It would seem that only the upper half of the body works in arm wrestling - but everything is not so simple. For example, with your foot you can rest against the counter of the table from the side of the opponent (however, if he asks, the wrestler is obliged to remove his foot), thereby strengthening the lever - in this case, the entire torso serves as it. And you can wrap your legs around the racks on your side, firmly fixed on the table. In general, the variety of solutions is quite large - each has its own tactics.

    In Russia and the world

    As in boxing, there has been competition between federations in arm wrestling for a long time. Once there were as many as three of them, until recently two functioned: the historical WWC Inc., founded back in Petaluma. (World Wristwrestling Championships Incorporated), and WAF (World Armwrestling Federation).


    2) Hook wrestling: the grip is strengthened by both opponents, a symmetrical power struggle is carried out.

    The second was previously considered amateur, but the prestige of its championships grew, and two years ago the WAF finally “dragged the blanket” over itself, remaining the only world federation and organizer of the armwrestling world championships. On last championship, which took place in Brazil, 120 (!) sets of medals were played. This figure should not be surprising: there are a lot of categories of armwrestlers participating in the championship.

    The two main groups are women and men of the Senior category (18 years and above), among them a well-founded 36 sets are played. 11 weight categories for men, 7 for women, and in each category medals are played separately in the fight on the right and on the left hand.


    3) Triceps wrestling: the blue athlete turned in relation to the red one, pressing on the latter’s arm with the whole arm from the shoulder.

    The remaining 84 sets are played between juniors, disabled (among the latter there are also juniors and adults), Masters categories (from 40 years old and above) and Grand Masters (from 50 years old and above), and participants in the last two groups can fight in the main group Senior . If you multiply all this by two (left and right hand), then by two more (women's and men's arm wrestling), and also take into account that there are several weight categories in each group, it may seem that there are not even enough medal sets.


    In the photo - an arm wrestling table. The sportsman puts his "working" hand on the armrest (2), holds the handle (3) with the other hand, and tries to bend the opponent's hand to the pillow (1). Cushions and armrests can be rearranged for battle on the left or on the right.

    By the way, about the fight on different hands. In principle, athletes try to harmoniously develop both hands, but the left-hander still has a slight advantage in the fight on the left, and the right-hander - on the right. Therefore, in Russian championship fight according to the double-event system - first on one hand, then on the other. If the score for victories is equal, then the winner is determined by weight: a lighter wrestler - naturally, within his weight category- declared the winner of the battle. In the world championships, medals for wrestling on the left and on right hands are awarded separately, and this automatically doubles the number of sets.


    As already mentioned, Russia today is one of the leading countries in world armwrestling, both in women's and men's. However, women perform more consistently and are more likely to succeed. At the last championship in the main group (senior), Russia took 6 gold medals out of 36 possible. Irina Makeeva was especially noted, who won in the category up to 80 kg both on the left and on the right hand.

    Only Ukraine took more - seven medals; six went to Kazakhstan. If we talk about the overall standings, then Russia is out of competition here - our athletes won 42 gold out of 120 possible, that is, more than a third of all awards! The closest competitor is Kazakhstan with 13 gold medals. The founders of arm wrestling, the Americans, won only in three categories - apparently, that’s why they don’t really want arm wrestling to become olympic view sports...

    Arm wrestling- this is, first of all, a type of martial arts, and, as a result, training here should consist not only of working with weights, but also of practicing techniques.

    And here the task is not just to master the technique of fighting “on horseback” or in the “hook”, but to learn how to correctly apply these techniques in various situations. It is necessary to be able to attack "on horseback" not only from the "correct" start, but also from the "deep" "hook".

    The more you train in arm wrestling, the better

    In any kind of martial arts, the speed and correctness of your technical actions rests into quantitative work them during training process. In order for your movement to be worked out to automatism, you need to do it more than one hundred times. And this applies not only to the development of the movement itself, but also to technical actions, such as attack, defense, counterattack.

    Therefore, training sparring should stop being a “battle for Moscow” for you, when the only setting for a fight is “not a step back”. Learn to set yourself microtasks for practicing some of the technical actions for each workout.

    Let's say your opponent attacks "on horseback", and you have to drag him into a "hook" or vice versa. In this mode, you have to work out for yourself all possible options for fighting: an attack with a lateral movement, an attack or defense in a "hook", an attack through the "top", etc.

    If possible, you should do this with different sparring partners, because the individual geometry of the wrestler's hand also affects the technique of performing attacking and defensive actions.

    No need to reinvent the wheel here, just use richest experience our fighter brothers. You must set yourself a task: for example, today you only fight in the "hook", or work as "second number", and clearly follow this setting. Here your goal is not the final place, but the improvement of skills.

    On video:
    Tsyplenkov - Pushkar 2012

    Arm wrestling and competitions

    During "real combat" even the most developed processes interfere with the emotional aspect.

    It happens like this: you come to the table, realizing that you need to fight with this opponent in a “hook”, you take a hold, but then you feel the opponent’s power - and that’s it, you are already all in your “crown” “top”. And why? Because there is no confidence, no tournament practice.

    In addition to global starts (champions of the region, countries, etc.), an armwrestler should also have small competitions, where the level of opponents will not be so high, and most importantly, you will not be pressured by the burden of responsibility for the final result.

    These competitions should become a training ground for working out in "combat conditions" the skills acquired in training. You must set yourself a task: for example, today you only fight in the "hook", or work as "second number", and clearly follow this setting.

    Here your goal is not the final place, but the improvement of skills. And the referee, who prevents you from taking a comfortable grip, and competitive jitters act as " additional burden”, which will allow you to become even stronger and more experienced. Experience should play into your hands in the truest sense of the word.

    The principle of microtasks is the basis of success in armwrestling

    Usage the principle of microtasks will allow you to achieve another important goal: you must, like a good chess player, learn to correctly and quickly analyze what is happening at the table in order to be able to bring correct adjustments during the fight.

    And in order for these processes to take place at lightning speed in the “combat operations” mode, all possible combinations must be sorted out and analyzed in training.

    A case from one's life: championship in Las Vegas, the first fight between Farid Usmanov and John Brzenk. John is torn”, the wrestlers are tied with a belt, and the American confidently, “on horseback”, puts Farid's hand on the table. It seems to be, here - the opponent's weak spot has been found! But John is not that person, it is important for him to know that his victory is not an accident, that he is truly the strongest.

    In the second fight, John is already adopting Farid's style, and fights in a "hook". The initiative passes from one to another, but in the end luck is on the side of Usmanov.

    Between them there must be decisive, third, duel. Logically, in this situation, John should go “on top”, because in this movement he was clearly stronger than his opponent at that time, but John approaches Farid and offers him to fight in the “hooks” again! As we know, John won that duel.

    “The difference in prize money was not very big, and I wanted to understand if I could beat Farid in the“ hooks ”- this is how the American armwrestler explained his behavior.

    John used the fight with one of the best heavyweights on the planet as a training ground, having analyzed his loss, he made changes to the fight pattern and as a result became not only richer, but also a little wiser...

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