How to run an arm wrestling tournament

1. Pick a format

Almost every arm wrestling event is double elimination: you are out after two losses, so a bad draw or one slip does not end your day. Left arm and right arm are separate brackets, and each is split by weight class, and usually by age group and by women and men.

Decide early how you will build classes. Fixed classes follow a federation table and never merge, which is what you want for a sanctioned event. Dynamic classes are built from who actually turns up, merging any class that is too small, which suits a club or community event where fields are thin. Our guide to weight classes has the numbers.

2. Set up the tables

You need one table per bracket you want running at the same time, and a table is simple to make. The World Armwrestling Federation (WAF) rules give the standard measurements:

• Table height: 71.1 cm (28 in) to the top for sit down. 101.6 cm (40 in) for stand up.
• Tabletop: 91.4 cm (36 in) across and 66 cm (26 in) deep.
• Elbow pads: 17.8 cm (7 in) square and 5.1 cm (2 in) thick, set 5.1 cm (2 in) in from their edge.
• Hand pegs: midway along each side, 15.2 cm (6 in) high.
• Seats: 45.7 cm (18 in) square, 45.7 cm (18 in) off the floor, secured so they do not move.

Add a chalk or rosin stand a little away from the table, and keep spectators back from the table and the draw sheet.

3. Line up referees

Each table needs a head referee and a down referee. Rotate them so nobody referees their own class, and so nobody is on the table all day. Brief them on the start (referee's grip, the words you will use), what counts as a foul, and when to stop a match for safety. A match stops the moment someone is hurt or out of position.

4. Take entries and waivers

Online entry saves a queue on the day. Collect each puller's name, date of birth, gender and an emergency contact, and have every entrant sign a waiver that spells out the risk of injury. Under 18s need a parent or guardian to agree. Put your entry fee, how to pay and the closing date on the event page, and say clearly what happens on the day for walk ins.

Armstrong takes entries, the waiver and the emergency contact in one short flow, and walk ins scan a QR code at the door. See how it works for organisers.

5. Run the weigh in

Open the scales before the first match and close them on a set time. Record each puller's weight and which arm or arms they are pulling. Under WAF rules a puller may weigh in at their own class or one class higher, and age is counted by calendar year, so decide both rules before you open and put them on the event page.

Keep children in their own classes and never move a child up to pull adults.

6. Build the brackets and run the day

Seed each bracket, then run it table by table. In double elimination every match has a winner and a loser, and the loser drops to a second chance bracket. The matches multiply fast: a field of 16 is 30 or more matches for one class and one hand, so a draw sheet on paper falls behind quickly. For one class, the free bracket generator draws a seeded double elimination bracket you can print or share. Call the next pullers to the table before the current match ends so the day keeps moving.

Armstrong builds the brackets the moment weigh in closes, fixes them in a tap when someone withdraws, and shows pullers when they are up. Compare tournament software.

7. Publish results

Post the podium for every class as soon as it is decided, with the full standings in your event page. Pullers share their result, and it becomes the proof of what they have done. On Armstrong, results from approved events also move each puller's rating, kept separately for each hand.

8. Stream it

Families and fans who cannot attend will watch if you put the tables on a stream. You do not need a crew: phones on the tables and one laptop is enough. Read how to livestream an arm wrestling tournament.