The Iron bracket blog
Practical guides for organizing arm wrestling tournaments, running clean matches, and helping athletes navigate the competition season.
How to organize an arm wrestling tournament: a complete guide
From venue scouting and weigh-ins to brackets, referees and prize tables — everything you need to run a smooth arm wrestling event from scratch.
June 1, 20267 min readReadArm wrestling competition rules: the basics every athlete should know
Grip, start position, fouls, slips and disqualifications — a clear primer on the rules that govern modern arm wrestling matches.
May 20, 20266 min readReadSingle vs double elimination brackets: which format should your event use?
The trade-offs between single and double elimination, with practical guidance on which format fits your venue, time budget and prize pool.
May 5, 20265 min readReadArm wrestling weight classes explained: how divisions, weigh-ins and same-day cuts really work
A practical breakdown of standard men's and women's weight classes, why divisions exist, how modern federations run weigh-ins, and what athletes should know about safe same-day cuts.
June 18, 20268 min readReadGrip strength training for arm wrestling: a beginner-to-intermediate program
Wrist curls, hammer levers, thick-bar holds and hook grip work — a structured 8-week grip and forearm program built for arm wrestling, with volume, frequency and recovery guidance.
June 25, 20269 min readReadFouls, slips and referee calls in arm wrestling: a plain-English guide
False starts, elbow lifts, shoulder drops, dangerous positions and slip-outs — a full walkthrough of the calls a referee can make and what they mean for the match.
July 2, 20267 min readReadSeasonal rankings and how points work in Iron bracket
How Iron bracket awards points for wins, placements and supermatch victories, how the season resets, and how organizers can weight their events for a fair national or regional ladder.
July 10, 20266 min readRead