Standard Armwrestling Table: Official Dimensions and Equipment

If you train on a table whose height or dimensions differ from the official one, you are practically training a different sport. Elbow angle, the distance from shoulder to hand and the path of the wrist all depend on the geometry of the table. In this article we go through the official armwrestling table specifications of the World Armwrestling Federation (WAF) with exact numbers.

Official armwrestling table dimensions

Note that the height is measured from the floor to the top of the table surface, not to its lower edge.

The elbow pad

The elbow pad is square, 17.8 × 17.8 cm (7 × 7 in), with a thickness of 5.1 cm (2 in), and must be made of dense, high-quality foam. The thickness is not accidental: thinner foam passes pressure straight to the elbow bone, and softer foam lets the elbow sink and become unstable.

The touch pad

The pad on which a win is recorded measures 25.4 cm (10 in) long and 10.2 cm (4 in) high. Its height decides how far your opponent’s hand has to go down for a pin to count. The exact definition of a pin is in our armwrestling rules guide.

The peg

The peg your free hand must hold has a diameter of 2.5 cm (1 in) and stands 15.2 cm (6 in) above the table surface. It is mounted at the middle of each table edge, 33 cm (13 in) apart and one inch inside the edge.

These details matter because a large part of your force is transferred to the body through this peg. A shorter or closer peg changes your body angle and your pulling power.

Standing or sitting table?

Both versions exist in official competitions, and the height difference is about 30 cm. At the standing table you can use more body weight and leg and core muscles; at the sitting table the match depends more on pure arm and forearm strength. If you have only trained on one, the other will surprise you.

What if you do not have a standard table?

Most beginners do not have access to an official table. The answer is not to arm wrestle on any table you find; that builds bad technique and raises injury risk. Build your base strength instead, with at-home drills, resistance-band work and forearm strengthening. A middle path also exists: raise an ordinary table to about 101 cm with blocks or risers and add a 5 cm foam pad for the elbow. This combination comes close to the official geometry.

Three common mistakes

A table that is too low: the elbow sits lower than standard and puts unnatural stress on the joint. A soft pad: the elbow sinks into the foam and you lose a stable base. No peg: without an anchor point for the free hand, force transfer from body to arm is incomplete and the technique you practice will not work in a match.

Summary

Write the standard numbers down: height 101.6 or 71.1 cm, surface 91.4 × 66 cm, elbow pad 17.8 cm with 5.1 cm thickness, touch pad 25.4 × 10.2 cm and a 15.2 cm peg. The closer your training setup is to these numbers, the better your skills will carry over to the competition table.

New to the sport? Start with armwrestling for beginners, or get a custom training plan for competition.

Source of the numbers: official table specifications of the World Armwrestling Federation (WAF).