# Proper Arm Wrestling? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [January 18, 2018, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proper-arm-wrestling/806876 "2018-01-18T03:24:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2018, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proper-arm-wrestling/806876/1 "2018-01-18T03:24:46Z")
Once somewhere in high school, I heard the “proper” way to arm wrestle is for the two opponents to grip dominant hands, as well known AND hold hands (like a permanent hand shake) with the weaker hands. Also, the winner does not have to get their opponent’s hand all the way down (until it touches the table surface); instead, the opponent’s hand has to touch (or rest) upon the unused arm resting on the table surface. Does anyone know of such rules? Is this official? I’ve never seen this done (whether on a TV sitcom, or such, or in person) except for maybe this one time. Is this European, perhaps? ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2018, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proper-arm-wrestling/806876/2 "2018-01-18T05:21:32Z")
> **[Rules - The Ultimate Armwrestling League](http://theual.com/rules)** > > The largest professional armwrestling league in the US. See the latest armwrestling events, watch videos, read about your favorite pullers, and much more! ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2018, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proper-arm-wrestling/806876/3 "2018-01-18T07:55:04Z")
You can also check out the documentary about the subject, “Over the Top.” > **[Over the Top (1987) - IMDb](https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0093692/?ref=m_nv_sr_4)** > > Over the Top: Directed by Menahem Golan. With Sylvester Stallone, Robert Loggia, Susan Blakely, Rick Zumwalt. Tough trucker Lincoln Hawk is determined to win back his son and triumph at the world arm wrestling championships. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2018, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proper-arm-wrestling/806876/4 "2018-01-18T08:07:53Z")
> [@Jinx](#): > > Once somewhere in high school, I heard the “proper” way to arm wrestle is for the two opponents to grip dominant hands, as well known AND hold hands (like a permanent hand shake) with the weaker hands. Also, the winner does not have to get their opponent’s hand all the way down (until it touches the table surface); instead, the opponent’s hand has to touch (or rest) upon the unused arm resting on the table surface. This describes a generally fair set of rules for arm wrestling. I’ve seen formal arm wrestling competitions where the opponent don’t grip free hands, they grip identical hand grips on a table, but if you don’t have a special table you grasp hands. Either way you those arms will be in the way pushing the opponent’s arm all the way down to the table. Without the free hand grasp the opponents can grab some part of the table and use their free arm and chest to get an advantage, it’s no longer just a matter of arm strength. Totally isolating the contest to just arm strength is difficult though. But like all sports, the ‘proper’ is either according to some specific written rule, or it means ‘this is the way we do it in my neighborhood’. ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2018, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proper-arm-wrestling/806876/5 "2018-01-18T16:00:46Z")
A former friend of mine competes in the World Armwrestling League. Here are their instructional technique videos. [http://www.walunderground.com/train](http://www.walunderground.com/train) They typically hold a grip fixed on the table with their non-wrestling hand. ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2018, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proper-arm-wrestling/806876/6 "2018-01-18T20:48:59Z")
> [@Jinx](#): > > Once somewhere in high school, I heard the “proper” way to arm wrestle is for the two opponents to grip dominant hands, as well known AND hold hands (like a permanent hand shake) with the weaker hands. Also, the winner does not have to get their opponent’s hand all the way down (until it touches the table surface); instead, the opponent’s hand has to touch (or rest) upon the unused arm resting on the table surface. > > Does anyone know of such rules? Is this official? I’ve never seen this done (whether on a TV sitcom, or such, or in person) except for maybe this one time. Is this European, perhaps? What you are describing is “Wrist Wrestling,” made famous in two places: (a) _ABC’s Wide World of Sports_ covered its World Championships every year, from Petaluma, CA , and (b) the _Peanuts_ comic strip (Charles Schulz is from that area), where Snoopy traveled to one year - one of the few times he tried to go to an event and actually made it (he tried to go to the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France, but, “Well, there was this ocean, see…”). Apparently, Petaluma is the only place where organized “wrist wrestling” (as opposed to “arm wrestling”) takes place. And for those of you wondering how Snoopy did in the event - he was disqualified as the rules say that the competitors grasp each other’s hands around their opponent’s thumb, and Snoopy, like all other dogs, doesn’t have thumbs.