Not The Same As Open Vs. Closed Gripping Techniques—While Related, It Is Important To Know The Difference And How It All Hooks Together!
While open and closed techniques are related to inside and outside armwrestling, there are key differences that need to be highlighted. If you can understand what stances, grips, positioning and techniques are being used by an opponent, you can deploy them yourself or defend against them in a match.
Today, we will cover the ins and outs of inside vs. outside armwrestling!
What Is Outside Armwrestling?
The easiest way to think of outside armwrestling is movements that require giving a bear hug. Your arm is stretched wider across the table, your pronation is more heavily accented, and you are about to perform the craziest toproll of your life on your opponent. If you are a 100% outside armwrestling, you will utilize all your pronation strength.
Visualized further, an outside armwrestler is doing a one-handed, lat-engaged pullup from across the table. It is a wide movement with a ton of pulling involved—and funnily enough, your hand positioning will *usually* be more open grip for outside armwrestling! A little O & O action!
Elite Outside Armwrestler: Michael Todd, King’s Move Connaisseur
How Do You Counter Outside Armwrestlers?
Typically, you will want to run with the opposite of your opponent. If they lead with an outside, open toproll, you will want to counter with a high, tight, closed, inside hook to tire out their pronation.
This is a game of physics. Your opponent uses outside armwrestling, so their arm is stretched across the table. If you match it, the bout is solely up to strength and conditioning—good luck. If you counter it, your high hook fulcrum is set up to use less force to pull, whereas their arm is stretched out, requiring significantly more force to pull you.
If you can force a slip or two, lock in with straps. Straps also help to negate the rotational pronation of the toproll from an outside/open armwrestler. Once you are strapped in, your opponent is hooked into you whether they like it or not! The straps are an outside armwrestler’s greatest enemy.
If your opponent drops the King’s Move on you, high hook them into oblivion. This is how Devon Larrtt dominates Michael Todd. Every. Single. Time. He just waits for Michael Todd to tire himself out.
What Is Inside Armwrestling?
Captain Hook, we meet again! Inside armwrestling stands opposite to outside armwrestling: your body is closed in, like you are tucked into the table. You are poised to use a massive amount of supination strength, pull your opponent’s hand into your chest, and press him into the pad. Inside armwrestling, at 100%, is the epitome of the hook and pressing technique.
Visualized further, an inside armwrestler will use a closed grip, utilize the hook, and try rotation and/or a pressing movement to finish the match. This is a one-armed, chin-up from across the armwrestling table! Inside armwrestlers will use a closed grip—think: they keep themselves closed, inside.
Elite Inside Armwrestler: Todd Hutchings, The Craziest Hook I’ve Ever Seen
How Do You Counter Inside Armwrestlers?
Again, you are going to want to use the opposite technique: open grip and an outside toproll from Zeus himself. Big caveat: If you don’t rip that toproll like an Olympic sprinter leaves the blocks and get hooked in, you are in for a game of endurance. In that case, quickly adjust to a high hook to match your opponent. Then pray your high hook is stronger. But, hopefully, your toproll wins immediately with a lightning-fast pin!
Endurance is a huge deciding factor for the top armwrestlers. Devon Larratt waits like a python suffocating their prey with his high hook. If they struggle for longer than 10 seconds, they’re cooked, and he’s winning that match.
Inside Vs. Outside Armwrestling: Which Is Right For You?
Armwrestling, whether inside or outside, exists on a spectrum that goes from the King’s Move (fullest outside and open) to the high hook (extremely tight, inside, closed, hook). As a beginner, play to your strengths. Ask yourself, which technique you are better at using? When starting out, make it enjoyable by training and playing to your strengths.
However, like Devon Larratt, who has one of the nastiest and fastest toprolls and a hook that could catch a Mako Shark, the pros can use both to adapt to the strengths of each. If you want to get better, once you have mastered what you are naturally good at using, use more outside if you are an inside armwrestler or more inside if you are an outside armwrestler. Train your weaknesses and pull hard!