How has the scene changed/advanced since you first championed the sport?
NP: I think that the most significant change within the Sport of Armwrestling has actually been the shift
towards the popularity of the 1 on 1 Supermatch format. There are also more people participating, involved
and generally interested in the sport than ever before and the numbers are increasing daily, largely due to the
internet and improved information sharing across all formats globally. The Sport of Armwrestling is far more
accessible than most, it’s an extremely inclusive Sport.
These days we have Teenagers with extremely well rounded and developed technical prowess as well as
athletes in their 50’s who are still able to compete with athletes in their Prime. John Brzenk is 50 years old
now, in most sports you’d be thinking he’s way past his best but speak to the very best in the Sport and see
who the hell wants THAT Match! The longevity in the Game of Iron Arms is simply unparalleled by any
other Combat or Strength Sport that I’m aware of.
Arm Wars is very successful now-why do How have the professional athletes evolved?
a
you feel it’s had this real surge in popu- NP: There was perhaps astime when it could be argued
that Armwrestling was much about technique as it was
larity?
strength, that the athlete with the superior technical range
NP: Arm-wrestling, like all Combat Sports,
works best from the viewer’s perspective, when
the Matches are contested between Athletes of
a similar level but in the Main Draw knockout
Tournament format events, the very best and
most well rounded guys often never meet fresh
for fresh. If and when they do encounter one
another, they have usually had very different
routes to the final series of matches and one or
other Puller can be far more torn up and fatigued than the other which can detract from
what otherwise would have been a great Match.
In the ARM WARS Super Series the match making is based on the ethos of 1 on 1 competition,
and on throwing each and every competitor on
our athlete Roster into a Multiple Round tear
up against the most evenly matched opponent
that we can possibly find for them, from around
the World. ARM WARS Matches are also contested over 6 Rounds, not the single Pin, Double elimination format traditionally utilized in
World Class Armwrestling competition, which
means that there is a much better chance of a
well rounded Puller adapting his or her style to
combat their opponents, after the first couple of
Rounds.
Plus the 1 on 1, Multiple Round format also
eliminates the element of surprise after the first
Round, as well as vastly reducing the possibility
for bad refereeing calls to become a decisive factor in any match, which can so often be the case
within Main Draw format events. In summary
ARM WARS has developed a tried and tested
recipe, which has continuously served to ensure
that the viewer gets a far greater opportunity to
experience the very best Armwrestling matches
in the World.”
24 BRAWL SPORTS DECEMBER 2014
held an enormous advantage in the Sport, not any more.
The internet and the enormous amount of World Class
instruction and information available online has created
a modern World of Armwrestling in which, outside of the
occ \