DISQUS

Speedmaster · 9 months ago

I remember that movie. Horrible. ;-)

A.T. Nelson · 9 months ago

Thanks for the article Brett and Kate. I especially enjoyed the pic of the soldier and the continuous loop of Stallone. The section on losing gracefully, though, got me thinking -- would you do a whole article on losing gracefully? Not just in sports and games, but in all the implicit and explicit competitions of one's life. Sure, we all want to win, and we should all try to, but how about an article about how to handle defeat in a manly way? I see a lot of men who whine and complain when they lose, or worse, get angry. Getting angry after losing, especially in a fair fight, is one of the most unmanly things I've had the displeasure to witness (and, I'm ashamed to say, to have done myself). But it's so hard not to recover from disappointment gracefully, and I, at least, could use some help from my fellow men.

Stuart · 9 months ago

I agree. You don't need to be strong to win matches. Sometimes the High School students I work with challenge me to matches. There is nothing like using the top-roll and my waifish arms to humiliate a macho Football player!

Dirtybacon · 9 months ago

Mentioning the movie, you forgot the most important move to winning an arm-wrestling match: turn your hat backwards.

RickO · 9 months ago

It would be interesting to include a section here about what *not* to do when you're arm wrestling.

I arm wrestled a guy back in college during an inter-dorm competition. We were the 'heavy weights', so forty or fifty guys were crowded around us yelling. I took an early lead in the match, and my opponent tried to get leverage by extending his shoulder forward and in -- essentially, pushing his should away from where his hand was directed. The sound when his humerus (the upper arm bone) snapped was enough to silence the whole room pretty quickly.

I saw an x-ray of his arm a week or so later; it was a complete and clean break across the bone. I also recall reading somewhere that the move he tried was exactly what experienced arm wrestlers would urge you never to do.

Whatever. I haven't arm wrestled since that day.

Chris · 9 months ago

If you ever see me trying to prove my manliness by arm wrestling, feel free to shoot me.

Algernon · 9 months ago

I feel this article could also be titled "Ways to cheat at armwrestling." These moves are definitely indicators of desperation amoung my friends and wouldn't be tolerated. I think the only good advice is "get stronger." These matches are usually good natured displays of strengh between almost equally matched opponents. If you're worried about losing, just say "no thanks." There's nothing manly about cheating. And "Stallone did it!" is not an excuse.

Jack · 9 months ago

Hahaha, woah, flashback city.

My father abandoned me as a kid and the 80's tough guys were kind of a substitute. Over the Top was one of those movies where I wished the protagonist was my dad. (pathetic, I know)

Anyway, it probably wouldn't hold up now, but that movie was a good father son motion picture I think.

Bruno · 9 months ago

I agree with Algernon: These are ways to cheat at arm wrestling. Get strong or go home.

Billiam Connor · 9 months ago

I only arm wrestle women, so I am almost sure to win every time. One time I arm wrestled my mother, I lost, and I guess I was pretty upset. I went outside to go slash her tires, but she intercepted me. I took hold of her and stabbed her in the right deltoid muscle, ensuring her future arm wrestling impotence.

Conor · 9 months ago

"It's like a switch."