Arm wrestling facts for kids

Two arm wrestlers competing.

Arm wrestling is a fun sport where two people test their strength. Each player puts one arm on a table, with their elbow touching the surface. They grip each other's hand tightly. The main goal is to push the other person's arm down onto the surface. The person who pins their opponent's arm wins the match!

What is Arm Wrestling?

Many things can help a player win an arm wrestling match. The two most important things are skill and overall arm strength. Other things that can give a player an advantage include:

• The length of their arm.
• How big and strong their muscles are.
• The size of their hand grip.
• How strong and flexible their wrist is.
• How fast they react.

Sometimes, people arm wrestle just for fun to see who is stronger.

Arm wrestling is also a serious sport with contests. In the United States, the United States Armwrestling Federation (USAF) holds many events. Around the world, the World Armwrestling Federation (WAF) has over 85 countries as members. This shows how popular arm wrestling is globally!

Staying Safe: Avoiding Injuries

The player on the right is in a dangerous "break arm" position. Their shoulder should be in line with or behind their arm, like the player on the left. A referee would stop the match here to prevent injury.

Typical arm fracture from arm wrestling.

Arm wrestling puts a lot of twisting pressure on the upper arm bone, called the humerus. Most people's bones are not used to this kind of stress. Because of this, injuries can happen surprisingly easily. The arm often breaks diagonally, usually between the shoulder and the elbow.

When new arm wrestlers compete, they often try to push their hand, wrist, and shoulder all in the same direction. This is how you might throw a baseball or hit a tennis ball. However, turning your shoulder this way adds even more pressure to your humerus bone from your opponent.

Experts suggest a safer way: always keep your shoulder in line with or behind your hand. It's better to pivot your shoulders so you are always looking at your hand. This helps protect your arm.

Your body has strong cords called tendons and ligaments that connect muscles to bones. If these are not strong enough, the pressure can cause a tendon to snap or "pop." You can make your tendons stronger over time. When tendons are sore, they need blood to heal faster. Doctors and experienced arm wrestlers recommend special exercises. These involve using light weights with many repetitions for 30-45 minutes. This helps pump blood into the arms, helping tendons heal and grow stronger. Over time, experienced arm wrestlers can have tendons much bigger than average people.

Images for kids

• 

  An arm wrestling match in action.

• 

  Toproll (left) against press (right).

• 

  A "hook" style match.

• 

  A typical spiral fracture from arm wrestling.

See also

In Spanish: Pulsear para niños