Over the past 13 months, I have dedicated a significant portion of my life to the sport of arm wrestling. I have managed to fulfill the promise I made one year ago — that is, when I first started, I told myself that I’d train seriously for one year, and then win a small prize in a competition. And I did just that — after one year of sweat and tears, I am now the left-handed champion of the 75kg weight class in the North.
Looking back at this journey, this seemingly simple game has taught me so many important lessons. For many people arm wrestling is nothing more than a children’s game, but I believe if we look deep enough, it can reveal a lot of truths about life and about ourselves.
1. Hard Work Beats Talent
Hard work will always beat talent. This is something I’ve come to realise over the years, and it has only been proven again with my experience with arm wrestling.
Occasionally, we meet a guy who is a freak of nature. Unbelievably thick hand, fingers the size of bananas, tendons harder than steel. These guys are made for arm wrestling. If they dedicate their time to training seriously, they will become champions — without a doubt.
It is a big if though. Usually they dabble in, have a couple of matches, get beaten, then lose interest and never return.
On the contrary, the strongest guys I’ve seen are not especially… well-endowed, but they make up for it with a burning desire to win. They train hard, day in day out, and eventually they beat the talented guys. All champions share one thing in common: hard work.
Of course if talent also works hard then well, we are fucked. But until then, hard work and dedication will always trump lazy talent.
Quick reminder to watch this legendary TED Talk about Grit if you have not.
2. You Are Only As Strong As You Are On Any Given Day
This is an important reminder to never be too hard on yourself, and always be ready to accept the randomness of life.
What this means is that you will never be at your 100% all the time. Some day, you will be weaker. There might be a million factors: unfavourable weather, food poisoning, dehydration, lack of sleep, you get unusually nervous, and so on.
I’ve had this happen so many times. One day I’m feeling especially strong and I plough through my opponents. Another day, somehow I feel like I can only access 70% of my power and I get flattened.
What you can do is try to do everything right, and hope for the best. And remember: you are only as strong as you are on that given day. If that given day only allows you to be 80% of your best, then so be it. Accept it and come back another day when you are 100%.
3. Every Loss Is A Gift
I have lost way, way more than I have won. Some losses are particularly demoralising. It’s just part of the game. But it is always important to remember that any defeat and failure are a gift, from which you can reflect on and grow.
I try not to be a bitter loser. If I lose, I will lose with a smile, and think back to see what I could have done differently. Is it because of a lack of strength? Technique? Wrong strategy? Slow start? Either way, I think of the loss as a lesson my opponent has gifted me, and I will gladly take that lesson and move forward.
This mindset can be applied to so many parts of life. Failure is inevitable; what’s important is how you look at it, what you can learn from it, and how you keep moving forward.
4. Don’t Judge. You Will Be Wrong.
A common misconception is that you need massive arms to be a good arm wrestler. It’s understandable; we equate big muscles with strength. I thought the same when I first started. I’d see a guy with skinny arms and thought he’d be an easy target.
I couldn’t have been more wrong. It’s never just about size — arm wrestling power comes from speed, technique, tendon, joint, stamina, and a host of other factors. Some really skinny guys have inhumanly strong, immovable arms, while some 100kg+ guy with 50cm arms turn out to be just mediocre. It’s impossible to predict how strong someone is as an arm wrestler just by looking from the outside, so I’ve stopped judging altogether.
Same thing with how it usually is in life: most of the time, your automatic judgement about someone turns out to be wrong. That bum-looking dude could be a millionaire; that well-groomed guy in the sleek suit could be a scammer; that angelic looking girl could be a cold-blooded psychopath, and so on. Just don’t ever judge, and let people’s action speaks for itself.
5. It’s Up To You Only
The one thing every arm wrestler quickly comes to understand is that winning or losing, it’s up to you. There is no excuse. If you train hard and train smart, you will win. If you only dabble in and only pull for fun, you won’t go very far. If you don’t prepare right or pick the wrong strategy in the fight, you will lose. Simple as that.
I am a prime example — I started out being a doormat, and with a year of consistent hard work and learning, I have managed to rise to where I am today. It’s all a result of my actions and mine only. Of course I have to thank many people for having been my mentor, but at the end of the day — it all boils down to myself.
Needless to say, this is a critical lesson to keep in mind for the real world. You are solely responsible for the losses or victories of your life. Blame nobody but yourself.
6. Fair Or Not, Accept It With A Smile
Life is not fair, and we will come across this in so many aspects of it. Take arm wrestling for example: the referee might make a mistake, and you lose unfairly. The opponent might do a jump start (early start), you immediately get into a disadvantaged position, but the referee lets the match continue. A million unfair things can happen that result in your loss, none of which is your fault.
Well, however you are treated by the system, accept it with a smile. File a complaint and push for change when you can, but don’t make a scene. Don’t whine. Accept your bad luck, lose gracefully, and give your opponent a firm handshake. That’s what I always do.
It’s the same with life really. Life will never be fair. I remember a friend from elementary school whining about how he was caught running a red light while there were dozens of others around also doing it. He argued with the cop as to why he was singled out from the crowd. Well tough shit. Why are you letting it out on the police guy? If you truly want to bring about justice, go campaign lawmakers to install traffic cameras or something so that every violator gets caught.
7. Never Stop Learning
This is a critical mindset to have. Everybody can teach you a lesson. I have met arm wrestlers of all ages; some are 50, some 40, and some as young as 17. Whoever they are, I will ask questions about their training, their technique, their life — respect everyone and learn as much as you can. Nobody is “below” you.
Even when I am officially a champion now, I still have so, so, so much to learn. I don’t necessarily have to limit my learning to from masters or experts. Even if someone is just starting out, they might know something valuable that I don’t. Learn.
Some of my favourite arm wrestlers are absolutely world-class; they have been in the game for 30 years, and yet they are still constantly learning and discovering new aspects of the sport. Stay humble and never stop learning.
Stay On Your Path, And Don’t Forget To Smell The Roses Every Once in a While
This is not exactly a lesson, but more of my final thought for this next chapter in my life.
I learned this from Devon Larratt. Essentially, stay on your path — always move forward no matter what. Coming out of a humiliating loss, a major victory, whatever it is — just keep marching forward.
And also, don’t forget to stop and smell the roses every once in a while! Or rather, remember to enjoy the little things when you can. The fun is in the journey, not the destination.
A couple of days ago, I had a student come over and asked me to teach him arm wrestling. He was going to attend an arm wrestling tournament at his high school (also my alma mater). It was super fun. I spent over an hour going over the basic techniques and teaching him everything I can. Always enjoy teaching others about arm wrestling when I can.
I also occasionally have my employees do little arm wrestling matches against each other, always in good spirit. And then there are those days I travel to a tournament and discover a new place. The fun of the journey is in these little moments, never in the fleeting glory of victory.
