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Your only weak part is your wrist,
Your angle holding is good
Look how u must press your fingers to my wrist - firstly curve your wrist,
then try and wrap my wrist with your fingers as much as you can,
and after then turn your wrist back to normal position. Fight now.
Isn't that super? Now you're fighting much more efficiently.
Pull this bone up... Watch your fingers!.. Now it is really better.
Ok, now try and hook me.
Oh, develop your biceps. Definetely, you must do it,
because if you're forced to hook, you will lose at once. Who's next, guys?
Guy: So, I was on your master class yesterday...
Voevoda: Ok, go ahead, what's your question about?
Guy: Well, about which exercises I should do...
Voevoda: Alright, lets start.
Voevoda: Look... Lets do it this way: I will be sensing your arm.
Bend your wrist, and I'll then be unbending it...
Ok, I see. Lets check your biceps... That's strong.
Now try and top roll...
Your top roll is so-so. And now show your side pressure [something between hook and top roll].
Ok, it is hook what you must use, that's definite, because your arm is anatomically not supposed for top rolling.
The only thing left to do is, you must train these fingers [pinky and fourth one].
Voevoda: Yes, for bending. I suppose you're fast and explosive...
Voevoda: Ok, let it roll!
No... You know why you aren't explosive? It's because you're striking wrong.
A stroke consists of... Have you ever tried boxing or any martial arts?
- Ye, a bit.
- Well, a stroke is initiated by your forearm, then your shoulder, and then your torso and legs. Get it?
And the similar thing works in arm wrestling. So, you start with fingers, then wrist, arm, and finally body. Get it?
Have a try now.
No, you again used only your wrist, this is your problem - you are using only your wrist.
Well, let me start, relax your pressure. The first time I will do it only with my wrist, and the second time I will use the whole body.
There is a difference, isn't it? Do you feel it?
Firstly, the power of my motion - I'm unstoppable with it, because i use my entire body,
and secondly, the more muscles you include, the faster your stroke is, ye? That's just physics.
So, once again, pay attention to your wrist and that move...
Release your fingers a little, just a little bit...
and on "Go!" you must quickly strike my hand with them. With this trick, you are even faster.
- So, it should be done if I'm going to hook?
- Hook, top roll, whatever... Just remember: release your fingers a little bit... "Ready"... and then perform a stroke.
So, literally, [release your fingers] a very little bit, then relax, and then you strike. I mean, you should feel your fingers strike first way, that feeling.
- Umm... Can you tell me about some exercises on wrist developing, the most efficient ones?
- Most efficient would be developing each finger separately from the others, remember it.
Each finger separately. Because... Let's say... the weak part will usually compensate the strong part.
so that you can lift only 2 kg with it, then the average force will be 5 kg [Voevoda's calculations], you understand?
That's why you must train each finger separately, and then your total force will be bigger.
- But how exactly should I train my fingers?
- You know, there is a very popular cable pulldown exercise, which is done in a trainer with a handle, which can roll [most handles for this exercise won't roll, but you can find a special one and attach to the apparatus].
And you just grapple it with one finger, then switch to the next one... This is how it's done. [Explaining how it should be done] I guess you have been doing it anyway, right?
- Well, ye, but never with only one finger.
- You used the whole wrist? Once again, it is not efficient enough. That is, you lose these small force pieces like 0.1 kg, which could lead you to win.
- Umm, another question, about speed - how do I develop it?
Look... By the way, everyone here, listen to me now, because I'm going to tell you very basic things... The matter is that, if you want to develop a phenomenal speed, you have got to train your nervous system, there's no doubt.
So, you have woken up in the morning... Don't you have any heart problems, do you? So, once you woke up, get off your bed and do let's say 10 push ups very rapidly, with jumping. You will be in confusion or disorientation, perhaps vertigo. It's called Supercompensation.
So, if you do this once, the second time it will be easier, and then, in extreme situations you will be ready and set.
[Something has happened to Voevoda's microphone]
A guy talking to Voevoda: You'd better don't hop like that.
- Huh, I'm not hopping, I just can't move slower, because I am now even more faster than I was.
Alright, day after day, you will be getting used to such extreme loading to your nervous system
And you will become slightly faster, then more and more faster. It's actually a very old training system, this is how our Slavic Bogatyrs [epic heroes in Russian Culture] were training [WIKIPEDIA LINK]
They would jump off their bed at once and run [to work out].
- Does it have any harmful effect on my heart?
- Umm, if your motor [heart] is fine, it won't hurt you. Mine is good, I actually have been training like this since I was 12 years old, I can run very fast, I am explosive.
So, I don't know what made me that fast, the training or maybe it's all about genetic factors. Basically, my father couldn't run very fast, but he was good at wrestling - Greco-Roman, Freestyle...
But I personally can run very fast, and am very explosive, and this really helps me much.
Believe me, you will definitely get your speed improved
- Ok, thank you very much - Ye, no problem
[Something indecipherable]
Look... Get a good grip firstly
So this is your way of grip? - Yes.
Ok, go!
Look, you immediately slackened this bone. You are trying to pull everything to your side, but forgetting about your wrist.
Yesterday I was talking about the same thing: you do not give up your enemy anything [of your body].
That is, if you're top rolling, pull everything to your side, just everything, like this.
Then your opponent has no chance... Now try and fight like you usually do...
See? He will simply wrap you [get in hook]. You shouldn't let this happen, because, as I can see, your biceps is not above average.
Just now try biceps fight
- I have an injury... - Ok, I got it.
Then look, I recommend you... I yesterday showed it...
You get your wrist in this position, fix it with your second hand, and then your mate should try and bend your wrist down, and you're trying to pull it up.
Do you notice how it is going aside? You shouldn't do it. Your hand should always be at this angle, you see?
If you train at this angle, your hand will be iron.
And you will not lose the part you lost to me.
- Thanks. - Not at all
Look, you're top rolling, but failing it. Essentially, your brachioradialis [biggest forearm muscle] is working weakly.
Let's see your hook.
Look, at hook you are stronger, much stronger.
And so, if you anatomically good at hook, you should develop it. Now let's see how strong your hand is, you've got long, good fingers.
No... Start working out on your wrist. Wrist and biceps will be your best tricks, because your top roll is pretty much weak, brachioradialis is not working properly.
Try again... See, I am not even trying.
Now hook me... See, now I've got to struggle a little. You got it?
Just you should develop your wrist and these two fingers [forth and pinky].
Again, guys, arm wrestling was formerly named "wrist wrestling". This is because basically everything depends on the wrist.
The power of your biceps, triceps, etc is great and all, but everything begins from your wrist.
Develop you wrist, it's the basic thing.
- Hi, could you tell me which wrestling style fits me best anatomically? - Ok, so we are going to get into your anatomy. Go!
You see, I just now explained this... Never give up your wrist.
- How do I give it up? - Well, do it again.
- This! Can't you see? You released it. - So I did it this way?
- Yes, you're trying to set your bone to this position, under my [pinky] finger. - But I am trying to push your finger away!
- You will never be able to do it. Look, there was arm wrestler Cobra, he wrestled like this, just let me show.
But, you know, he would leave nothing for his opponents to take - he would pull them to his side, moving around.
And what you do is... I guess your wrist often hurts. No? Because this kind of wrestling usually brings wrist injures.
- I may have simply get used to it. - Might be. Let's give it another try.
Still the same. Now show me how you hook.
[Voice from the crowd]: how do you push opponent's fingers away correctly then? Voevoda: Pushing fingers? Well, talking openly, are you sure it is so easy to push a finger away the way he does it? It is actually impossible.
When you have mastered arm wrestling and take part in competitions, you will notice that people are approximately equal
[Equal] strength, stamina, and, let's say... mm...
[Voice from the crowd]: Dynamic abilities? Voevoda: Yes, exactly. So they are good at hook, top roll, just any way of wrestling.
And so, this type of wrestling... Do it again... This type of wrestling will lead to slip out.
And afterwards, in straps, this will never work, because in straps, wrist gets twice as strong [???].
And if you pay attention to this bone, then you will be wrestling more efficient.
Try one more time.
No, you're still giving it up. It is a stereotype of you. Now remove your forefinger from your thumb and wrestle then.
Still the same. Now try to fix your wrist.
Listen, with me you won't be even able to slip out. There are more guys who are sticky, with tenacious grip. For example, John Brzenk.
Guess you all know who he is. When arm wrestling him, it is very difficult to slip from his grip, his fingers are very strong. So...
[You must pay attention to] fingers and wrist, and that fixation.
Look and see, this is how I wrestle.
Huh, now you're wrestling almost correctly. Try again...
- Pull, pull, pull! - I am going to win?!
- Why not, you will, no problem here. The most important is to win properly.
You must earn a dynamic stereotype. If that stereotype is correct, then you will be getting better in sports, but if you you only work out, doing some special exercises (at which you are probably the best in your gym) and then you wrestle your way, in that case you will never be a good sportsman.
Because in this case you would be only pleasing yourself.
[Voice from the crowd]: Everything should be done with right technique. Voevoda: Yes, right technique.
There's my trainer, Kote Razmadze... The guys in my gym are very strong, they do an exercise with a weight of 200 kg,
but then Kote comes and does the same exercise with 50 kg, only in a more accurate way. And when it comes to arm wrestling, he is at the same level as they are.
But he has no pain in his joints and chords, you see?
Just you should do everything clear and correctly, and from that you will become strong.
Because your mind will be able to play an wrestle match before it has even started.
But if you get in a condition which you haven't thought of, you will lose at once, because you simply won't be able to fight, it's psychology.
- Can you now check my hook? - You go.
You're anatomically better supposed for top rolling. You aren't bad at top rolling, actually, you're only losing your wrist.
And as to hook... I consider it has no future. Why? Because you will get tired very quickly. Two hookers can easily give themselves a very long match, and after that they both are very tired and get off the competition.
[Voice from the crowd]: When you're top rolling... Voevoda: Wait, I'll explain you everything when it's your turn.
Guy from the crowd: My turn will hardly happen... Voevoda: No, you are a strong guy, you will get to the table.
- Alexei, tell me about your match with John Brzenk, your fears of it, etc.
- So you want to know about Brzenk... Ok.
I wasn't afraid of anything, because I was in a very good shape.
Look, I'll show you how it was with Brzenk, if you want.
OK. First, we set a grip. By the way, Brzenk belongs to a sort of arm wrestlers who always set their grip very neatly. He set his hand regularly - just like I did - we had absolutely no problems with it.
Then, after "Ready, go!", we started to wrestle. I managed to bend his wrist. He then started to drag it out, clinging onto my fingers and pulling me back.
I have never wrestled like that. I would always slip out in this case. So I did it.
John Brzenk is way better when it comes to straps. He showed me that he would be number one.
It made me furious. And then he started - I let him start. He tried to bend me in hook. I managed to hold him, and then slowly won. I was even disappointed with it,
because I thought it would be a harder fight. But I earned a really great strength in straps.
Two men were holding my wrist and another two men were holding me with a rope. Eventually the rope was torn...
[Voice from the crowd]: Ye, we have seen the video. Voevoda: OK, then no need in explaining.
- Teach me how I should hook. - Let's do it this way: you hook me, and I will tell you what's wrong.
Alright, the wrong thing was, you moved your arm towards me and it was relaxed.
When you relax your arm, and your opponent makes a stroke... Relax your arm now. Oops, do you see it? Your wrestle position got worse, as you lost the neutral position. And since that, you have got to wrestle the way your opponent imposes.
Never let your opponent to impose on you the way he wrestles.
Therefore never do these moves, they won't work.
You know what? You can pull your hand towards yourself, and then perform a stroke sideways.
Just fix this part harder. Move your fingers lower. Even more lower. This. Now pull.
Now slide with these two fingers around my hand, striking to that direction.
Try now. No, no, you did it forwards, but I said sideways, so you should move your fingers towards yourself and sideways.
Now it is kind of normal, but still, that wrong thing has been stuck to your mind for a while, you're trying to strike forwards, again.
It may work when wrestling non-professionals, but when it comes to pro's...
For example, when preparing for arm fights, you are watching how people wrestle, looking for mistakes.
If someone has made a mistake, you then simply come and make a good use of it.
Do not let a mistake happen. You take, press, curl and pull sideways. This is how you must curl aside.
Again, repeating myself, you shouldn't move any closer to your opponent! Pull everything towards yourself. Your field. Your wrestling. Your conditions. Got it?
- Yes, thank you very much
Go.
Look, mistake number one. Fingers. Yours aren't long enough, so forget about this thing [forefinger upon thumb].
This is how you should grip my hand.
Then get your wrist back in start position. Now try and top roll.
And don't give anything up to your opponent. Everything moves towards you.
And don't release your fingers. You know, it's a huge mistake: releasing fingers when you have almost won by top rolling.
Never you should do it. Fix it always. Because a good *** would simply slip from you, and then in straps you wouldn't be able to top roll him.
So, press your fingers as strong as possible, and then pull.
Try to slip the grip now... See, there is no way to slip out.
I am going to tell you a short story, I competed in Golden Tour, it was one of my first competitions,
and there was a Czech guy [cant spell his name], he weighted 160 or 180 kg [~ 380 lbs].
His wrist was weak and he would always wrestle without it [Voevoda shows how].
So, every time I wrestled him, I would easily bent his wrist right away, but immediately after that, none of us could move any longer.
And we were stuck in that position for two, three minutes. And my arm would then swell up so hard...
- Was it without slipping out? - No, I mean, it was in straps.
But after a while, we worked out a new approach: I set my grip a little lower and bent his wrist like before, but did it in a way so that he wouldn't be able to control or hold it at all.
So, first of all, you must think when it comes to wrestling.
- So how should I wrestle? - Let's do it again, try to hook.
Add more power.
Look here, your mistake is, you relaxed too early.
Remember, guys, when you training, remove these blocks off the table and wrestle in this way [till you touch the table].
Then you will have a strong ending part of wrestling. It's a little secret, because the people who trains with these blocks usually have problems with the ending part.
- Lack of finishing pressure... - Ye, lack of it.
So, simply remove it and wrestle then, got it?
You know what? You've got a discordance between your wrist and forearm.
You need to do that move, you know... There is an apparatus with a handle [cable lat pulldown],
Tie a belt to the handle, stand at the table, choose any vertical angle for the belt, but horizontal one is to be 45 degrees [as if you wrestled a real human],
And then simply twist it all together.
This will improve the coordination of your wrist and forearm.
So, again, the block-typed apparatus [fix if translated incorrectly] is pulling at an angle of 45 degrees, and you're constantly pulling to the opposite side.
The reason it is good to work with block-typed apparatus is, their force is constant.
If you take a dumbbell, in this position [forearm being horizontal] you're resisting all its weight (100%),
but in that position you will resist 85%,
and here you resist nothing.
Thus, in the position you are to wrestle, dumbbells have no force to give you any stress.
So, guys, it is necessarily for you to work on those apparatus, and wrestle other people, of course.
And you must develop your wrist with such apparatus. OK? Let's try again.
Hey, never release your torso. Keep all together, your torso should be a single whole with your arm. Come on!
Also include your lats...
This! [Pull] everything towards yourself! We are greedy, haven't I told you :)?
- Where are you from? - Korea.
- Korea? OK, now come on!
Look here... You understand Russian? [Voevoda says an English word: "understand"]
Ok, now grip my wrist with your fingers wider.
If your fingers aren't long enough, remove your thumb from under your forefinger, and then try and grapple as much of my wrist as possible.
As a matter of fact, it's Utopia. I don't know where did you all learn it [keeping thumb under forefinger]...
[Voice from the crowd]: So what do people hide their thumb for? Voevoda: I honestly have no clue, it is a stupid way to wrestle.
If you grip normally, you can control it, placing your fingers higher or lower.
But with your thumb hidden, it is no way.
This is how I grip.
And with it, I can use that finger [forefinger].
Wrestle me now.
I'll just use my forefinger. Now wrestle me more, wrestle on.
[Voevoda talking to someone in the crowd]: See where he is holding me now?
Just compare my angle and his.
And one more time, try and twist me properly.
You never do it like that.
Remember one thing. When training, do this.
[You are] a single whole.
Has anyone of you been to dance or breakdance lessons?
If you want to perform let's say a Windmill or Munchmill, you must move like a spring, with a 100% coordination of your body.
In case of any discordance, like when your arms move one way, legs move a different one, and body goes yet more different - you will get *** up.
[Oops...]
One more time, now try top rolling.
Enough, your arm has got really tired. You should wrestle more frequently, because you're getting tired too quickly.
- Hello. How do I strain my arm before start? - Straining... Let's see how you are doing it.
No, you haven't strained it.
So, prestarting straining. What should we do for that...
If you are enduring but your opponent is not - for example, that Korean, - you grip him and try to pull towards yourself.
You pull, pull, pull, as he is getting tired.
You have a good stamina, its obvious, so take advantage of it.
Therefore you, using your fingers...
Well done, you did it almost correctly, only place them lower a little.
Check your lats and move your elbow closer to your torso.
Now the straining. Tense your lats and bend your wrist a little.
Do it now and I'll do the same. Got it?
Now you did it wrong - you put your shoulder forward.
Never do it. It has to be at 90 degrees always.
Unless you want to get injured, never wrestle like this.
There is spiral dislocation... [Voice from the crowd]: Shoulder spiral fracture...
Shoulder spiral fracture... Such a complicated phrase cannot but mean much to you.
Alright, wrestle one more time.
Now you did it better, but still tried to put your shoulder forwards.
A big mistake any arm wrestler can experience is trying to wrestle only with his arm.
Never do it. Use all of your muscles.
You, guys, all have big strong arms, only you need to develop them properly.
Proper development of any part of your body will give a positive result. You get it?
And therefore you must train separately your fingers, your wrist, all different ways.
When I went to gym [years ago], I would place a 5 kg weight to my sport bag on purpose.
And I would then walk on the streets with it in this way, for half hour or even whole hour.
My arm would swell up, but it was my workout for fixation.
And I eventually earned good fixation at the first angle, second and third one.
Three angles: 1) initial one; 2) The angle that you have when working on a block type apparatus; 3) the angle that you have while losing.
[Voice from the crowd]: So we should develop three angles? Voevoda: Yes, the three angles.
- When top rolling, should I pull it right away at the start? - Of course, undoubtedly.
Once again, if you know that your opponent has no stamina with his fingers, you should be constantly torturing and pulling them before start.
Of course, don't do it too disrespectfully :)
As soon as you feel that his fingers are tired, relax and let the referee set the grip. Then strike.
- Ok, got it. Alexey, could you tell us a couple of words about relaxation?
- Relaxation? - Ye, how do I recreate, in general?
Mm, look, there is a massage.
If you have a partner you... Well, either way, you find someone, and...
there is lymph going from fingers to shoulder,
so, you raise his arm, shake it a little, and work each segment out by "rolling" it down.
- How strongly should I press against it? - Mm, basically, it's fine if you have a bar of soap,
As to the size of pressure, you should feel the muscle fiber and how "tired" it is.
That is, if it's too hard and dense, you simply press so that it becomes softer, driving it all down.
- Is it to be done after training? - No, I'm currently talking about a competition.
When training, you must work out so hard that in the end you can barely raise a ball-point pen, this would be a true training.
But when it comes to a competition, you must concentrate as much as possible on each fight.
That is, in order to wrestle best, you arm must be fresh and regained.
This is why I don't recommend you... You know, once in a competition, I saw guys behind the scene doing push ups and stuff.
Leave it! Just limber up and do nothing more.
Accumulate your neural energy. Arm wrestling is an explosive passion of emotions! Don't do anything, don't do pull ups or push ups, leave it!
You must put off all your doubts and troubles. Keep only the fight in your mind, forget about the rest! Just do and forget. There is nothing but your fight!
Don't push up, etc. Your arm is warmed up and you understand that nothing wrong will happen to you.
Just keep accumulating it and, finally, explode. Only in that case you will get a good result.
And if you struck but your opponent offered strong resistance, you should apply that massage to your arm after the fight and everything would be OK.
- Hi, what's your question? - Well, I have weakness in my hand.
Let's see how weak it is, start wrestling.
You know, your wrist is actually not the weakest I have held today. I think you simply have been training with guys who are very good at top roll.
- Well, actually, yes. - It doesn't mean your hand is weak.
Look here, this move is wrong.
The proper way would be, as I have already shown today, wrestling like this.
Basically, you must punch with this bone in your eye. Or your glasses, whatever :)
Have a try now... Yes, this! Exactly!
This is the main meaning of top roll. Once you haven given up your wrist, don't hope for success.
- What about the start itself? - As I said, it should be segmented.
So, you set your grip, relax you arm a little, and then strike in this direction.
Try it.
Now it's all good, except that a) you didn't grapple properly, b) didn't fix it.
Now try!
And c) you didn't pushed your fingers away [likely before start].
Push your fingers away... Relax your grip a little. And then start your stroke with your fingers.
See what your stroke should be like? Try it.
This! Can you feel it? It is better, you agree? It is easier now, so use it.
No, you didn't strike with your fingers. Push them off my wrist a bit.
Now this is better, but, you know, there is a concept of kinetic energy.
You kind of add a very little bit to your stroke. It is very slight, but still good, it will make it easier for your body and, for your mind. Easier to concentrate on the stroke.
Try one more time.
Set your grip, then release your fingers a little and then perform a stroke.
Look.
This. Now it's normal. OK?
- My arm is aching a little...
Now these are big strong fingers.
[Voice from the outside - famous Russian sportsman Sergei Badyuk]: Just kick them all out! They're a band of idlers.
Badiuk: Half of them haven't served in army... [Interrupting Voevoda] This is the best place to conscript into the army.
Voevoda (laughing): Ye, establishing here a military registration office...
Ok, press, press on.
No, no, don't press with your fingers like that.
Your hand is huge. Let's compare yours and mine. I'm like a boy as compared to you.
And so, you should grapple and immobilize me with your fingers. Now go!
Raise this part, higher, higher.
Move on, on, on! Keep your body closer to the table, closer, closer!
Yeah, this! Crawl over my wrist!
Done. Get it? Constantly pulling towards yourself. Plus crawling over the opponent's wrist.
This time you wrested well. But if you wrestle like you did before... you will be hooked.
But if you wrestle like this, no one will be able to get you into hook, because there is simply nothing to hook.
Because you're not releasing your wrist and thus they can't hook it. Try one more time.
Come on! Curl, curl on! Till the end! Well done. This is the way it should be done.
Bu the way, you've got really good fingers. But they don't seem to be firm.
Do you know what you must do? Finger push ups. And hit the table with them.
This makes your bones firmer. Plus you must developer your fingers separately.
[Voice from the crowd]: Does this affect one's joints?
Basically, my joints are very flexible, I have been constantly striking with them.
- Let's wrestle on left! - Why not, come on.