Armwrestling Rules and Fouls Explained (WAF and East vs West)
Armwrestling rules are simpler than most people think, but the few rules there are matter a lot, both for winning and for staying safe. This guide covers the rules used in official tournaments (the World Armwrestling Federation, WAF) and in professional supermatches like East vs West (EVW), and where they differ.
The short version
Elbow stays on the pad. Free hand holds the peg. Grip palm to palm with your thumb knuckle visible. Don't start before "Go". Don't cross the centre line with your shoulder. Two warnings make a foul, and two fouls lose the match (or the round, in an EVW supermatch). You win by pinning your opponent's hand to the touch pad.
How a match starts
- The grip: palm to palm, with both thumb knuckles visible and the hands level at the forefingers. Wrists start straight.
- Starting position: shoulders square to the table, with a hand's width between your arm and your shoulder, chest and chin.
- The free hand holds the hand peg for the whole match. Let go and you get a warning; gain an advantage before you grab it again and it's a foul.
- Referee's grip: if you can't agree on a grip in time (30 seconds in EVW), the referee wraps your hands for you. Any movement after that is a foul.
- The command: WAF referees start with "Ready… Go". EVW uses "Don't move… Go", with no fixed rhythm, so you can't time it.
What you're allowed to do
This is where most bar-room arguments start, and most bar-room injuries too.
- Use your body. You can lean, drop your body and move with your arm. Coach Ray: "If you're winning, lean down. If you're losing, also lean in."
- Move your elbow on the pad. The elbow pad is 7 × 7 inches for a reason. You can slide your elbow anywhere on it, as long as it stays in contact.
- Bend your wrist. Wrists start straight, but once the referee says go, cupping your wrist (the hook) or rising over the top (the toproll) is the whole point.
- Use your legs. In EVW you can hook a table leg or brace your feet, as long as you don't touch your opponent.
Fouls
| Foul | What it means |
|---|---|
| Elbow off the pad | Your elbow lifts off the pad, even a little. If your forearm or triceps still touches the pad it is not a foul, but your elbow can't go past the edge of the pad. |
| False start | Moving before "Go", including pulling your opponent's arm across the centre line with back pressure. |
| Shoulder over the centre | Your shoulder crosses the centre line of the table. |
| Touching the hand | Your chin, shoulder or head touches the competing hands. |
| Dangerous position | Dropping your shoulder below your arm on the losing side (the "break-arm position"). Referees will shout "Shoulder!" |
| Intentional slip-out | Opening your hand to escape a losing position. |
| Pushing the elbow off | Deliberately pushing your opponent's elbow off the pad. The foul goes to you, not them. |
| Unsportsmanlike conduct | Abuse, foul language, refusing referee commands. |
How many fouls lose?
- Two warnings = one foul. Warnings are for small things like early movement in a referee's grip or letting go of the peg.
- Two fouls lose. In a WAF tournament you lose that match. In an EVW supermatch you lose that round.
- A foul in a losing position loses immediately. In WAF that's more than two thirds of the way down to the pad. In EVW it's below the top of the hand peg on the losing side.
Slip-outs and the strap
If both hands come apart and the referee can't tell who caused it, nobody gets a foul and the next go starts in the strap. The strap wraps both wrists together so nobody can open their hand. In EVW, after two slip rounds, every round after that starts in the strap. Learning to pull in the strap is its own skill. Coach Ray explains it here:
Match formats
| WAF tournament | EVW supermatch | |
|---|---|---|
| Format | Double elimination: you're out after two losses | Best of 5 (first to 3); title matches best of 7 (first to 4) |
| Rest | No breaks between matches unless officials allow | 60 seconds between rounds; athletes switch sides each round |
| Weigh-in | Before the tournament | At least 24 hours before the event; a title match is cancelled if either athlete misses weight |
| Table | Standing (101.6 cm) or sitting (71.1 cm) | Standing |
Weight classes
WAF senior men: 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 85, 90, 100, 110 and +110 kg. WAF senior women: 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 80, 90 and +90 kg. There are also junior, youth, masters and para categories.
East vs West men: featherweight 70 kg, lightweight 77 kg, welterweight 85 kg, middleweight 95 kg, light heavyweight 105 kg, heavyweight 115 kg and super heavyweight over 115 kg. Each has a separate right-arm and left-arm title.
Armwrestling at home or in a bar
Without a table, use the same ideas: elbows next to each other on padding, free hand holding the table edge, a straight wrist and a thumb-knuckle-visible grip at the start. Most broken arms happen in exactly these situations, when people push instead of pulling and turn away from their arm. Read how not to break your arm before you try it.
Sources: WAF Rules & Regulations (2023 edition) and the official EVW Sports rules. Rules change, so check the event's own rulebook before you compete.