🏛️Official — TAWF
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Combat Sports
2–5 players
indoor
table, armrests
7 essential rules
The Team Armwrestling World Federation (TAWF) governs the team format of international armwrestling, in which entire national teams compete head-to-head across multiple weight classes for aggregated team scoring rather than individual medals. TAWF builds on WAF technical rules but applies a relay...
WAF-spec armwrestling table (104 cm tall, 91-93 cm long, padded elbow pads + pegs + touch pads); Team kit: each nation wears a coordinated uniform with national crest; Standard apparel: short-sleeve shirt (mid-bicep), no jewelry, trimmed nails
Central championship table with elevated platform for spectator/broadcast visibility; Team benches flanking the table for each competing nation; Warm-up area with practice tables; team medical staff station
Each team fields one competitor per weight class (typically 5-on-5 or 7-on-7 depending on event format); Standard WAF weight classes (Men: 70/80/90/100/+100 kg; Women: 60/70/+70 kg in 5v5 simplified format); Team captain + non-competing coach allowed in coach's box
Each weight-class matchup follows WAF individual rules (best-of-3 rounds, pin to touch pad); Matches contested sequentially: lowest weight class first, then ascending; Score updates posted live for team standings
1 point per weight-class win (within team dual); 0.5 points per tied weight class; Team with majority of weight-class points wins the dual
WAF individual foul taxonomy applies (elbow off pad, shoulder off-line, foot off floor); Team-level penalties: coach interference outside coach's box → team warning, then point deduction; Equipment violation: warning + correction; refusal = individual DQ + 0 to team for that weight class
Same individual injury risk as WAF: spiral humerus fractures, shoulder strain, elbow ligament damage. TAWF team format adds team-medical-staff requirement on each bench.
Honor the post-match handshake or embrace
Immediately after a pull concludes — win or loss — competitors are expected to shake hands or embrace. Leaving the table without acknowledging the opponent is considered a serious breach of armwrestling culture at all levels, and is especially noticed in team events where the conduct reflects on the whole squad.
This norm is foundational across competitive armwrestling broadly, not unique to the team format, but team captains are expected to model it visibly.
Don't showboat or taunt after a pull
Excessive celebration, pointing, or taunting directed at a defeated opponent is strongly frowned upon. Armwrestling culture prizes toughness and humility equally; visibly mocking someone who just lost — especially in front of their teammates — is viewed as disrespecting the sport itself.
More visible in team formats because the defeated puller still sits with their team and witnesses the reaction.
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