TOLEDO, Ohio — You've probably seen it in high school cafeterias and on the countertops of local bars, but arm wrestling is a sport with a far reach; people around the world participate in clubs and groups that seek to perfect their skills, including in northwest Ohio, where you can find the Filthy Animals Arm Wrestling Club.
The prospect of joining an arm wrestling club might be daunting to some. According to club leaders, however, it's a sport anyone can enjoy, regardless of physique, age, gender or ability.
Filthy Animals Arm Wrestling Club organizer Juan-Carlos Ortega and 2015 world champion Bob Sutton talked about the sport on Good Day on WTOL 11. They said participating is as easy as showing up to a tournament and registering yourself--no experience needed.
"A lot of people, when they hear 'arm wrestling,' think bar room brawl. That's what they picture," Sutton said. "Arm wrestling is an organized sport. [It has] referees, a lot of rules, weight classes, children's classes, handicapped classes, women's classes, men's classes, age classes."
Sutton wasn't always a champion--or even a natural. He said he started attending arm wrestling tournaments as a 17-year-old. In a three-year period, he went to 21 tournaments and never won a single match.
"When I went to that [first] tournament, I lost so fast that if you blinked you would have missed it," Sutton said.
But as he attended more events, he honed his skills leading him to become the champion he is today. Sutton says this can happen to anyone because the community is supportive of new learners.
What's the secret to successful arm wrestling? Sutton says it's all in the technique.
While a novice arm wrestler might be tempted to push down and directly to the right, using what Sutton calls "side pressure," it's much more effective to exert pressure in your arm up and towards your mouth.
"When you do that, you stretch my arm out," Sutton said to WTOL 11 anchor and reporter Steven Jackson during a demonstration on Good Day. "You have leverage; I've lost leverage."
Sutton also explained why it's important to have a high grip.
"When you grip me low, you're arm wrestling mostly my bicep, and I think it's gonna beat you," he said. "If you slide up my hand, you're no longer arm wrestling my bicep, you're arm wrestling my hand."
Arm wrestling can be intense. Sutton said a match can last anywhere between one second and several minutes. His longest match was seven minutes and two seconds.
Filthy Animals Arm Wrestling Club also visited WTOL 11 on Jan. 25, during which anchor Caylee Kirby and meteorologist Diane Phillips duked it out in an arm wrestling match. You can find out who won in the segment attached below.
Arm wrestling as a sport has many followers, but members and organizers say they want to develop it further.
"We're trying to make it grow as big as we can here in Ohio," Ortega said.
Think you have what it takes to become northwest Ohio's next champion arm wrestler, or do you just want to check out the scene? Sutton and Ortega said all you need to do is contact the club on social media. You can find their Facebook group, which you will need to request to join, here.
The image below is a list of dates for the 2023 Ohio, Michigan and Kentucky arm wrestling season. You can find the Buckeye Brawl at Jed's Barbeque & Brew on S. Holland-Sylvania Road in Toledo on Saturday. Click here for more info.
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