The arm wrestling match. It’s one of the manly feats of strength that every man will face at least once in his life. You never know when you’ll be challenged to display your manly strength, so you need to be ready to place your elbow on the table at any time. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to have cannon balls for biceps or forearms like Popeye to win at arm wrestling, though they do help immensely. But with a bit of technique, a dash of speed, and little strategery, you can beat an opponent at arm wrestling who’s stronger than you are. In this article, we’re going to show you techniques and training tips passed down by arm wrestling champs of yore, so the next time some dude challenges you to a match, you can smash his hand to the table.
Arm Wrestling Techniques
[amazon asin=B00HNSHIYS&template=*lrc ad (left)]There are two techniques that when coupled with a strong finish will make you virtually unstoppable in the arm wrestling ring: the top-roll and the hook. Now ideally, your implementation of these techniques should be fast and seamless, you know, like an arm wrestling ninja.
The Top-roll
The top-roll is the most effective arm wrestling technique. Top-rolling turns arm wrestling from a showdown of bicep and forearm strength to a contest of hand, finger, and wrist prowess. The key to top-rolling is to work your hand up your opponent’s palm. Your goal is to have your hand wrapped around the top part of his hand with him holding the bottom part of yours. In order to get in this position, you need to start as soon as you hear the word go. Pull your hand towards you in order to force your opponent’s hand away from his body. This will mess up his leverage and increase yours. Hopefully, you’ll notice your opponent’s grip beginning to slip. As soon as you notice this, start moving your grip higher up on his hand. Keep doing this until you’re as high up on his hand as you can get. As soon as you reach this point, you’re ready for the finish.[amazon asin=B00146LUG2&template=*lrc ad (right)]
The Hook
The hook is simple and can be used by itself or with the top-roll. The goal of the hook is to force your opponent’s hand back, thus increasing your power and leverage. As soon as you hear “Go!” force your opponent’s hand back, and expose his wrist by twisting your wrist towards you. When you get him into this position, you’re ready for the finish.
Finish Him!
Sometimes the hardest part of arm wrestling is finishing off your opponent. A man will try to ring every last bit of juice from his meathooks before letting you slam his hand to the table. Oftentimes, arm wrestling matches [amazon asin=B0002U3CNU&template=*lrc ad (left)]devolve into an interminable stalemate with one man’s hand hovering above the table while the other man is mustering all the forearm strength he can to finish the deal. Here’s how to avoid this situation-
When you’re ready to finish your opponent, rotate your body so that your shoulder is in line with the direction you want your arm to go. This will allow you to call on your much stronger shoulder muscles and utilize some of your body weight. Unless your opponent has super human strength, he’s going to have a hard time staving off defeat.
Again, I want to reiterate how important it is to do implement these techniques quickly and seamlessly. The less time your opponent has to respond, the better. This will take a lot of practice and perhaps a whole lot of losing. If your ego can’t take the beatings, arm wrestle your 11 year old nephew to get the technique down. Of course, we’ll make fun of you for having to arm wrestle a prepubescent boy with sticks for arms just because you’re not man enough to lose gracefully. Which brings us to….[amazon asin=B002GHHHH4&template=*lrc ad (right)]
Losing With Grace
You get challenged, you accept the challenge, and you lose. Don’t worry. It happens to the best of us. Realize that your arm wrestling prowess isn’t an indicator of your manliness. When your hand touches the table, give an “aw shucks,” shake your opponent’s steely hand, slap him on the back, and with a charming smile, tell him good job and that you’ll want a rematch after you’ve done the Charles Atlas program. Don’t be that guy who pins his entire masculinity on an arm wrestling match, and after losing seeks to redeem himself by demonstrating cartoonish masculinity. You know, swearing, guzzling beer, demanding rematches, name calling, etc. That guy is a real jagweed.
Also, if you’re in a position where you’re about to lose, don’t be the guy who cocks his hand so it’s almost impossible for the other guy to end the match, leaving you both just sitting there for the next five minutes in that same position. The jig is up, and you’re just delaying the inevitable. If your goose is cooked, look at your opponent, give a nod, and give in gracefully to defeat. You’ll get him next time.
