From pub challenge to growing sport, arm wrestling catches families in its grip

It’s an activity that many associate with pub contests or playground challenges – two competitors locking hands across a table in a simple test of strength.

Arm wrestling has been linked historically to stereotypes of masculinity or amateur displays of brute strength.

However, its transformation into a competitive sport and surging popularity means it is taking a diverse range of newcomers, including children, in its grip.

Young families are driving its growth and helping break perceptions. The number of clubs is also on the up, with one coach saying it has jumped from just one when he started out in 2021 to about 10 today.

Arm wrestling has existed in various forms for centuries in different cultures around the world.

Modern competitive arm wrestling developed in the United States during the 20th Century, where organised tournaments, weight classes and governing bodies helped turn it into an internationally recognised sport.

The UK’s first professional championships took place in 2021.

Away from the professional arena, and driven in part by social media, it is being enjoyed by families as an amateur activity.

The family that arm wrestles together stays together

For Elizabeth McGuiness from Armagh, the family that arm wrestles together stays together.

She said the sport has become a shared focus for the entire household and a clear example of how it has developed at grassroots level.

“In the family there is five of us that arm wrestle, myself, my husband and our three kids – a 14-year-old, an 11-year-old and a 6-year-old,” she said.

“Our kids really enjoy competing and going to arm wrestling training and learning new techniques. It’s something that they talk about to their friends and are able to gain confidence from.”

McGuiness said the sport is often misunderstood.

“The biggest misconception is that it is a male-dominated pub sport. It’s really not. There’s so much technique and training needed.”

She added that the perception is slowly changing as more people join clubs and discover the sport’s technical side.

“There is more and more women coming into it each year,” she added.

From niche activity to network of clubs

It’s not just the McGuiness family in Armagh.

The sport’s growing popularity means clubs are now popping up from Ballymoney and Coleraine to Lurgan and Portadown, helping it expand from a niche activity into a growing network of clubs and competitors.

Daryl Greer recently opened a club in Bangor after first discovering the sport through social media.

“A lot of it was popping up on my social media and I fell in love with it,” he said.

He added that creating a local club was important to reduce travel barriers and bring more people into the sport.

“There was nothing down that way for arm wrestling so everyone was having to travel quite far,” he said.

“By bringing arm wrestling local, it’s opened up to so many more people.”

Greer also said the sport has had a wider personal benefit.

“My mental health has improved tenfold.

“It allows me to release my inner anger in a positive way.”

‘Although we try and break each other’s arms, we love each other’

Ivan Minev runs an arm wrestling club in Lurgan and is preparing to compete in the European championships this month.

He said the sport has grown quickly across Northern Ireland in recent years, with more clubs opening and participation rising at grassroots level.

“When I started back in 2021 there was only really one place where arm wrestling was done, now there’s near enough 10 clubs around,” he said.

Minev added that the sport’s growth has been driven by more people discovering it through local clubs and competitions, with interest continuing to increase year on year.

He said this is also reflected in the strong sense of community within the sport.

“You get to meet great people and make friends for life, it’s a very friendly environment – although we try and break each other’s arms, we love each other and were a good community.”