“A GAME OF CHESS”
At the national competition, many were already internationally recognised champions. Singapore Armwrestling president Valen Low had the most impressive CV, having won competitions in Australia, China and Malaysia.
Low and some of the other seasoned pullers played multiple roles in the championships, rotating between organiser, competitor and then referee.
According to the arm wrestlers, their sport is not purely a show of strength.
“This sport is like a game of chess – most of the time, the real battle begins before the match even starts,” said puller Joshua Park, who competes in the 70kg category.
“Analysis of the opponent needs to be done in order to exploit their weakness and gain ultimate victory!”
Tay Jia Jun, a puller in the 78kg category, also compared the sport to chess.
“It brings out the nature of us as human beings. To be able to unleash your primal side yet keep your rational side at the same time,” he said.
“It is one of the most technical yet power-driven sports. It is akin to a chess game but using your hands through your body.”
Techniques can differ quite significantly between pullers, with some almost ending up under the table by the time their matches are over.
“In arm wrestling, there are generally three main moves, with that being the top roll, hook and press,” said Park.
“I mainly utilise the top roll as an offensive move. Top roll means to attack the opponent’s fingers and to also open up his wrist – this will (cause) him to lose his strength as he is not able to utilise the hand and wrist efficiently.”
The hook and the press are considered “inside moves”, Park adds. “(These moves) target the opponent’s wrist and biceps, however, it requires a lot of elbow joint, tendon and shoulder strength,” he said.
For the lighter weight classes, the combat can be over in a flash, often lasting less than one second. The heavyweight contests tend to last a bit longer, with pullers getting locked in wars of attrition.
It’s a bit like sumo wrestling, where size and strength are in balance with speed.
Five weight categories were contested at the championships – 63kg, 70kg, 78kg, 86kg and 105kg+ – each split into left- and right-handed events. There were also open categories where the top pullers faced off regardless of weight.
“There are certain techniques that are more useful for those with a greater upper-body mass. Case in point: A dead wrist press. Such techniques are more popular among heavyweights than among lightweights,” said Lau.
“Also, like many combat sports, mass comes at the expense of speed, so we expect lightweights to be quicker and more explosive in executing their moves.”
In this sport, bigger is not always better.
“It is not uncommon to see sub-60kg guys that are able to match against 100kg guys,” said Chan.