Devon Larratt - Pro Armwrestler

[Horsefly]

3 minutes ago, ohio said:

 

Yep, this is it!  That last part is ridiculous when he was cracking the shells by popping his index finger.  

[ohio]

3 hours ago, Horsefly said:

Yep, this is it!  That last part is ridiculous when he was cracking the shells by popping his index finger.  

His fingers are as thick as sausages.

 

[ChimpGrip]

5 hours ago, ohio said:

Load em up

 

[ChimpGrip]

On 11/6/2018 at 2:07 PM, ohio said:

His fingers are as thick as sausages.

 

I have some terrible news Ohio.

Andrey Pushkar was killed in an accident today, Oleg Zhokh is in critical condition.

Both young and among the best in the world. Both were going to compete in Armfight 50.

[ohio]

On 11/14/2018 at 3:26 PM, ChimpGrip said:

I have some terrible news Ohio.

Andrey Pushkar was killed in an accident today, Oleg Zhokh is in critical condition.

Both young and among the best in the world. Both were going to compete in Armfight 50.

Wow.  I didn't believe it at first.  But it's true.  RIP Andrey and Oleg's dad.   Oleg is in a coma, but stable.  Heard he has fractures in his arms including the left forearm and some internal damage including his lungs.  Which can be very painful.  Hope he recovers.  Not sure if he will be able to compete again.

The Vendetta will still take place, and there is talk that Devin will take on Denis in the right arm as well as a tribute to Andrey.  But probably won't happen since neither has trained for a right hand.  It sure would be cool if they hook up in the right hand as well.

[ChimpGrip]

17 hours ago, ohio said:

Wow.  I didn't believe it at first.  But it's true.  RIP Andrey and Oleg's dad.   Oleg is in a coma, but stable.  Heard he has fractures in his arms including the left forearm and some internal damage including his lungs.  Which can be very painful.  Hope he recovers.  Not sure if he will be able to compete again.

The Vendetta will still take place, and there is talk that Devin will take on Denis in the right arm as well as a tribute to Andrey.  But probably won't happen since neither has trained for a right hand.  It sure would be cool if they hook up in the right hand as well.

uh oh! A glimpse of the CLASH tomorrow!!!!!!!!

[ChimpGrip]

17 hours ago, ohio said:

Wow.  I didn't believe it at first.  But it's true.  RIP Andrey and Oleg's dad.   Oleg is in a coma, but stable.  Heard he has fractures in his arms including the left forearm and some internal damage including his lungs.  Which can be very painful.  Hope he recovers.  Not sure if he will be able to compete again.

The Vendetta will still take place, and there is talk that Devin will take on Denis in the right arm as well as a tribute to Andrey.  But probably won't happen since neither has trained for a right hand.  It sure would be cool if they hook up in the right hand as well.

It is a very sad deal. Ukraine lost a great one. He had a child and a beautiful wife. The gripboard has a funding link for the families. 

[ohio]

For you ChimpGrip

 

[ohio]

18 minutes ago, ohio said:

For you ChimpGrip

 

This may be a bootleg video, so save it on your computer or folder.

[ChimpGrip]

30 minutes ago, ohio said:

For you ChimpGrip

 

Welp, not really the result I wanted. I’m a fan of both, so I’m not heart-broken. I was hoping the winner would go 4-2. 

6-0 though. What the heck happened?

I know Denis is insanely strong, but Larratt had no intensity at the table. Larratt is usually vocal and fired up. I never saw that today. It looked like he didn’t care. Some say Denis is too strong, period, and others say Larratt hasn’t been the same since his surgery (for what it’s worth, Matt Mask said Devon was going to lose because of this). Larratt put up little resistance too, which doesn’t seem right. Each round I saw was nearly a clean pin. Shocking. 

All Devon can do is move on and hope to win a big match in 2019.

[ohio]

17 minutes ago, ChimpGrip said:

Welp, not really the result I wanted. I’m a fan of both, so I’m not heart-broken. I was hoping the winner would go 4-2. 

6-0 though. What the heck happened?

I know Denis is insanely strong, but Larratt had no intensity at the table. Larratt is usually vocal and fired up. I never saw that today. It looked like he didn’t care. Some say Denis is too strong, period, and others say Larratt hasn’t been the same since his surgery (for what it’s worth, Matt Mask said Devon was going to lose because of this). Larratt put up little resistance too, which doesn’t seem right. Each round I saw was nearly a clean pin. Shocking. 

All Devon can do is move on and hope to win a big match in 2019.

One more video Trubin vs Levan

 

[ohio]

59 minutes ago, ChimpGrip said:

Welp, not really the result I wanted. I’m a fan of both, so I’m not heart-broken. I was hoping the winner would go 4-2. 

6-0 though. What the heck happened?

I know Denis is insanely strong, but Larratt had no intensity at the table. Larratt is usually vocal and fired up. I never saw that today. It looked like he didn’t care. Some say Denis is too strong, period, and others say Larratt hasn’t been the same since his surgery (for what it’s worth, Matt Mask said Devon was going to lose because of this). Larratt put up little resistance too, which doesn’t seem right. Each round I saw was nearly a clean pin. Shocking. 

All Devon can do is move on and hope to win a big match in 2019.

Devon had surgery on his right arm, didn't know if he had it on his left as well.  But there was an injury.   He is a natural righty, and this was left handed and don't know if his left was 100 percent.  Devon's right was unbeatable before the surgery.

Denis looked like he was well coached, and had an unusually quick start.  A fast start is Devon's Kryptonite.  .  Never seen Denis hit so fast  In addition, Denis looked like he had much more back pressure strength as he was able to pull Larratt to his side of the table in the hook. Plus Devon does not have the pronation strenght of a younger Brzenk, and without great pronator strength you are not beating Denis. Good pronation lets you to roll your hand on top of your opponents.   And forget about beating the Hulk with a hook, never seen anyone do it.  Though I could be wrong.

Devon might have to go to a Kings move if they ever square up again.  JMO.

Would like to see Denis vs Dave Chaffee in the right, but probably won't happen.

Who knows what would have happened between Denis and Andrey, if not for the unfortunate event.  Andrey was much stronger and even more explosive than when they last met.  Sadly, we'll never know.

[ChimpGrip]

On 11/17/2018 at 6:39 PM, ohio said:

Devon had surgery on his right arm, didn't know if he had it on his left as well.  But there was an injury.   He is a natural righty, and this was left handed and don't know if his left was 100 percent.  Devon's right was unbeatable before the surgery.

Denis looked like he was well coached, and had an unusually quick start.  A fast start is Devon's Kryptonite.  .  Never seen Denis hit so fast  In addition, Denis looked like he had much more back pressure strength as he was able to pull Larratt to his side of the table in the hook. Plus Devon does not have the pronation strenght of a younger Brzenk, and without great pronator strength you are not beating Denis. Good pronation lets you to roll your hand on top of your opponents.   And forget about beating the Hulk with a hook, never seen anyone do it.  Though I could be wrong.

Devon might have to go to a Kings move if they ever square up again.  JMO.

Would like to see Denis vs Dave Chaffee in the right, but probably won't happen.

Who knows what would have happened between Denis and Andrey, if not for the unfortunate event.  Andrey was much stronger and even more explosive than when they last met.  Sadly, we'll never know.

I did notice that quick start. I wanted to see them lock up on the right, but what they did to honor Pushkar was very classy. Some say Denis is as good as he's ever been

I hope Devon bounces back from this. Do you think we'll ever see a rematch? I do think he'll get Michael Todd again and settle the score there. 

If I wanted to arm wrestle some of these top guys one day, all I need to do is join a league like the WAL and win almost all matches? I've never even competed (I am an absolute beginner) so it's only me day-dreaming, but I think this is something I could compete in one day.

[ChimpGrip]

Some good post-match stuff...

I'm telling ya, that hair cost Devon the match. 

 

[ohio]

5 hours ago, ChimpGrip said:

I did notice that quick start. I wanted to see them lock up on the right, but what they did to honor Pushkar was very classy. Some say Denis is as good as he's ever been

I hope Devon bounces back from this. Do you think we'll ever see a rematch? I do think he'll get Michael Todd again and settle the score there. 

If I wanted to arm wrestle some of these top guys one day, all I need to do is join a league like the WAL and win almost all matches? I've never even competed (I am an absolute beginner) so it's only me day-dreaming, but I think this is something I could compete in one day.

Not only was Denis as good as ever, he looked as big as ever, and it was nice to them to honor Pushkar.

Devon will be OK, but he has to work on back pressure, pronation, strength, and put on some muscle if he wants to beat guys like Denis or Levan in the future.  With Todd, he just needs to tweak his technique.

When it comes to beating the top guys, the odds may be against you at first.  Joining a league like the WAL is not enough.  You may have to join a local wrestling club first, and work on tendon strength in practice, especially the rotator.  Then go to local and regional armwrestling tournaments, and enter in the amateur division.  But most tournaments let you enter the both the amateur and professional divisions.  So find out what their rules and regulations are before you enter.  Oh, and most have an entry fee to enter and may not have any money just trophies.

However, a word of caution.  Most of the top money is in the heavy weight division, and a large hand size is helpful.  The other thing that you have to worry about is not over exerting yourself at first, so armwrestling practice should be limited to once a week, or maybe two with one being light.  Tendons don't recover as easily as muscles.

Also, broken arms are common in this sport.  So here is a good video about armwrestling safety by Allen Fisher.

 

[ohio]

Here is another video with Devon where he gets technical about what happened.  He biggest problem seems to be that Denis had more back pressure strength and that Devon was not able to pronate and his hand got turned. Another thing that Denis did was forcing the referees grip, thus not allowing Devon to get a grip advantage.   Here's the video.   

Here is another video of a young man with good technique, especially with good pronation.  It will take some time for the rotator to become strong enough to compete with pros.

 

[ChimpGrip]

On 11/23/2018 at 4:03 PM, ohio said:

Not only was Denis as good as ever, he looked as big as ever, and it was nice to them to honor Pushkar.

Devon will be OK, but he has to work on back pressure, pronation, strength, and put on some muscle if he wants to beat guys like Denis or Levan in the future.  With Todd, he just needs to tweak his technique.

When it comes to beating the top guys, the odds may be against you at first.  Joining a league like the WAL is not enough.  You may have to join a local wrestling club first, and work on tendon strength in practice, especially the rotator.  Then go to local and regional armwrestling tournaments, and enter in the amateur division.  But most tournaments let you enter the both the amateur and professional divisions.  So find out what their rules and regulations are before you enter.  Oh, and most have an entry fee to enter and may not have any money just trophies.

However, a word of caution.  Most of the top money is in the heavy weight division, and a large hand size is helpful.  The other thing that you have to worry about is not over exerting yourself at first, so armwrestling practice should be limited to once a week, or maybe two with one being light.  Tendons don't recover as easily as muscles.

Also, broken arms are common in this sport.  So here is a good video about armwrestling safety by Allen Fisher.

 

I’ll have more to add later, but...

1. can I still be successful with smaller hands, even against the HW class guys? 

2. Can I go against the heavyweights if I want to, even if I only weigh 185-190? 

 

 

 

[ohio]

On 12/8/2018 at 5:34 PM, ChimpGrip said:

I’ll have more to add later, but...

1. can I still be successful with smaller hands, even against the HW class guys? 

2. Can I go against the heavyweights if I want to, even if I only weigh 185-190? 

 

 

 

Yes, you can.  Rustam Babayev and Arson Liliev have small hands.   But you need incredible finger strength.  But a larger hand gives you more leverage, torque, and is harder to get a good grip against.

 

2. Yes you can enter a heavier weight class, but you will probably get your butt handed to you.  There is a reason for weight classes.

Let me know if you have any other questions.  If you want to try your hand in this sport look for a wrestling club in your area.  

PS.  If you do decide to go to a wrestling club, check under the table to see if Michael Todd is hiding there.  Lol

[ChimpGrip]

On 12/9/2018 at 6:24 PM, ohio said:

Yes, you can.  Rustam Babayev and Arson Liliev have small hands.   But you need incredible finger strength.  But a larger hand gives you more leverage, torque, and is harder to get a good grip against.

 

2. Yes you can enter a heavier weight class, but you will probably get your butt handed to you.  There is a reason for weight classes.

Let me know if you have any other questions.  If you want to try your hand in this sport look for a wrestling club in your area.  

PS.  If you do decide to go to a wrestling club, check under the table to see if Michael Todd is hiding there.  Lol

Here's one thing I have going for me, and I don't know how much it's contributed to finger strength, but I have a fairly strong grip. I plan on closing the captains of crush #3 soon, (and I hope to get the #3.5 in 2019) and I have done a lot of rolling thunder lat pull-downs. Ever since I watched Denis put down Devon, all of my bicep curls have been done with strict form now - upper back and butt against the wall. Hopefully this helps too. 

Regarding weight classes, can the difference in weight  not matter as much if I am stronger than my opponent? And do you think five years is enough time to build up table strength and experience to challenge Dave Chaffee to a six round super match? 

And yes LOL I will keep a watchful eye out under those tables, Todd could be anywhere!

 

[ohio]

1 hour ago, ChimpGrip said:

Here's one thing I have going for me, and I don't know how much it's contributed to finger strength, but I have a fairly strong grip. I plan on closing the captains of crush #3 soon, (and I hope to get the #3.5 in 2019) and I have done a lot of rolling thunder lat pull-downs. Ever since I watched Denis put down Devon, all of my bicep curls have been done with strict form now - upper back and butt against the wall. Hopefully this helps too. It's better to do both cheat and straight curls.  Also negative curls and some isometrics will help holding strength.  Pretty sure Denis does all types of curls, arm and forearm exercises.   The the best way to become a good armwrestler is get table time against opponents.  All you need is one good table session a week to get better.  Twice a week practices are too much for many, as tendons don't recover as quickly as muscles.  If you want to practice with others twice a week, then have one hard practice and one light, but if your tendons hurt then give them a rest.

Regarding weight classes, can the difference in weight  not matter as much if I am stronger than my opponent? And do you think five years is enough time to build up table strength and experience to challenge Dave Chaffee to a six round super match? Probably not. Sorry to be so blunt.  Genetics and weight is a factor.  You may however become the world champ in your weight class or even the weight class above.  Look at Oleg.  Genetics helped him be a world champ in his left, but not in his right.  He pulled right but always seemed to finish close to last, even in his weight class at the Worlds and the Europeans.  

And yes LOL I will keep a watchful eye out under those tables, Todd could be anywhere!  LOL

 

I armwrestled competitively when I was 19 and 20, but quit due to tendinitis and lack of prize money in the sport.  Sure the trophies and medals were nice, but making a living in armwrestling would have been better plus after some tournaments I would have elbow pain that would last about 2 to 3 days.  Even talked to guys like Johnny Walker and Dave Patton and they had the same issues with elbow pain and would soak their elbows in water and use Icy Hot for pain relief.

But if you want to give it a try, find a local wrestling club and see how it goes.  If you are a naturally good at armwrestling then see how far you can go.  Who knows maybe you will beat Big Dave in the future.

Either way.  Good luck

 

[ohio]

OK, ChimpGrip.  Quick question.

Think you can do better against Sarah than these guys?

 

[ChimpGrip]

On 12/22/2018 at 3:42 PM, ohio said:

OK, ChimpGrip.  Quick question.

Think you can do better against Sarah than these guys?

 

Hmmmm this is a good question lol. She has technique down to near perfection (technique that fits her) and 12 years of arm wrestling experience. I do have about 25 pounds weight advantage over her, a stronger grip and upper body, and I would bet I could dumbbell/barbell curl a lot more. BUT.......... as Brzenk has said, it’s table time that counts, and that’s where arm wrestlers place the most emphasis. So, probably not. What do you think?

[ohio]

On 12/25/2018 at 12:31 PM, ChimpGrip said:

Hmmmm this is a good question lol. She has technique down to near perfection (technique that fits her) and 12 years of arm wrestling experience. I do have about 25 pounds weight advantage over her, a stronger grip and upper body, and I would bet I could dumbbell/barbell curl a lot more. BUT.......... as Brzenk has said, it’s table time that counts, and that’s where arm wrestlers place the most emphasis. So, probably not. What do you think?

Sure, you have a shot...

 

If she lets you use two hands.

Just kidding.  But in all seriousness, it you get some table time and perfect your technique then you should be able to beat her due to your weight and strength advantage. 

 

[ChimpGrip]

On 12/25/2018 at 1:32 PM, ohio said:

Sure, you have a shot...

 

If she lets you use two hands.

Just kidding.  But in all seriousness, it you get some table time and perfect your technique then you should be able to beat her due to your weight and strength advantage. 

 

I really need my own table. Did you hear about Bagent calling out Cyplenkov? I think he's in over his head; Denis would have his way with him. I guess that's why he's asking for $100 grand. 

I don't think I have asked this before, but if Jeff Dabe went all out with his training (using weights, becoming a strategic master like Devon, and other accessory work) would he be unstoppable because of his wrist and hand size? I feel like he has supreme potential but just doesn't care enough to tap into it. 

[ohio]

3 hours ago, ChimpGrip said:

I really need my own table. Did you hear about Bagent calling out Cyplenkov? I think he's in over his head; Denis would have his way with him. I guess that's why he's asking for $100 grand. 

I don't think I have asked this before, but if Jeff Dabe went all out with his training (using weights, becoming a strategic master like Devon, and other accessory work) would he be unstoppable because of his wrist and hand size? I feel like he has supreme potential but just doesn't care enough to tap into it. 

Yes, you need a table and a  knowledgeable training partner.

Bagent is explosive so he might have a chance, but he is vulnerable to a hook.  So, if Denis stops him, it's over.

Dabe is only a lefty and is over 40.  Plus he doesn't take advantage of his hand size.  If I were him, I would work on getting an advantage on the grip, use a posting toproll, and work on back pressure.  Nobody, except maybe Levan or Denis can match his hand size, so if he did that, he would force others to play by his rules.

Video of a high posting toproll (esp. after 4 minute mark) 

 

And video of a back pressure training machine set up.  But only do it one or twice a week.  Jeff should be doing this, but may not be.  Plus only move an inch or two.  The goal in this training is not to pin, but to pull the opponent to your side of the table.  Let know if you have questions. 

 

Trubins problem is that he has small hands for a super-heavy weigh.  The main reason he lost to Levan. Notice he hand size difference between him and Levan.  Genetics is not fair.

 

Plus, Trubin's technique is wrong as he tries to start under the table, leaving his angle too large.  Denis, in this video does a better job with back pressure. You and Jeff would be better off training like Denis does in this video.

Also, watch from 18:12 on.