Armwrestling Technique: Foot Position at the Table

Dear Armwrestlers,

When you walk up to the table, always remember to stagger your feet, with one foot more forward than the other. The foot that should be more forward should ALWAYS be the one on the same side as the arm you are wrestling with. For instance, if you are arm wrestling right-handed, you should position your right foot more forward than your left. Equivalently, if you are arm wrestling left-handed, you should position your left foot more forward than your right.

So how far forward should you put your front foot? This question has many answers. Some people prefer to put it only a few inches under the table, while others put their foot as far under the table on their opponent's side as they can. Still others choose to wrap their entire leg around the table support, and others do things even more unorthodox! A good rule of thumb for a beginner is to position your forward foot under the table so that the middle of your foot is against the support post on your right (assuming you are right-handed). Please see the picture below to understand more fully.

Here, both pullers have their right foot forward and braced against the leg of the table. This allows them to use their body to the max.

Notice here that the puller on the right (Rob), though he is arm wrestling right-handed, has his LEFT foot forward. This will definitely limit your power at the table! DO NOT DO THIS!!!

ARMWRESTLING TIPS FOR BEGINNERS

The days of the armwrestler winning by strength alone are long gone. Today's successful armwrestlers are individuals who train on arm wrestling tables for technique and also with exercise equipment for strength.

I've never seen a powerlifter with little armwrestling experience beat an experieced puller who may be half the size. Actually I saw it once, but the guy was a monster!

Paul Levesque, who has trained many Canadian and World Champions, says that everyone has the potential to become a World Class competitor. All it takes is the practice and dedication, and determination.

The worst thing to do is get discouraged if you enter your first tournament, and don't do well. You can ask every great armwrestler, they have lost a lot of matches to become great! I hear from a lot of people who say,"I'm a horrible arm wrestler." But I've also seen these same people with a couple of months of training take 1st places at tournaments.

HERE'S A FEW TIPS:

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  Always put your index finger over your thumbnail when you take your grip. Load up on your hand by keeping your index finger as high up as you can. Apply some back pressure (pull your hand toward yourself). An easy way to train this is to do a lot of hammer curls.


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  If the start is "ready go" try to make sure your hit is on the "y" of "ready". You are allowed 3 fast starts, and the fastest competitor wins a large percentage of the time.


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  Keep your arm as close to your body as possible without touching your hand to your shoulder. Once you open up your arm, you lose your leverage and position.