NOVICE NATIONALS 2ND/3RD NOVEMBER 2024;
PRO NATIONALS 30TH NOVEMBER/1ST DECEMBER 2024.
Please read fully before entering these competitions
Venue for both events
KINGS HEATH CRICKET & SPORTS CLUB, 247 Alcester Road South, Birmingham, B14 6DT UK
Both Novice & Pro competition details:
Weigh in Friday night 730 - 9pm
OR
Weigh in on Saturday 930-1100am.
OR
Weigh in on Sunday 930-1100am.
Left arm tournaments are on Saturday.
Right arm tournaments are on Sunday.
Compulsory safety briefing 1130am.
Pulling starts 12pm.
Entry fee for the competition is £40.
This is whether you pull one or both arms.
PAA members get a reduction & only pay £25. It is the same amount whether participating on one or both arms.
As it is a national championships you can only pull in one weight class. The exception is the Pro Nationals where there is a Masters 50+ division. Those over 50 can pull this class as well as their chosen weight division for no extra cost.
NOVICE classes are: Ladies Open, U65kg, U75kg, U86kg, U95kg, U105kg, Superheavyweights.
PRO classes are: Ladies Open, Masters 50+, U65kg, U75kg, U86kg, U95kg, U105kg, Superheavyweights.
There will be an overall class at the end of the PRO NATIONALS where any of the finalists can participate in a Warzone style final to determine the winner.
RESIDENCY
You must have been a resident of the UK or Ireland at a permanent address for the past 5 years & a commitment not to pull for anyone else.
EXPERIENCE
Novices are allowed to pull in both Novice & Pro Nationals but please talk with your team/club as to whether it would be good for you at this stage to compete. The winners of the Novice class might have nearly five years of conditioning. The winners of the Pro class will be super strong with excellent technique. They won't be taking it easy on new people, so it is advised to have at least a few months of experience
NEVER ARMWRESTLED BEFORE?
If you have never armwrestled before this is not the competition for you & we will turn you away. The winners of the nationals will be exceptionally conditioned, having spent a long time preparing for this event. A look at the winners of previous years (see David Hornes list which is linked on the results page) reveals some of the killers currently walking the pro ranks. Being gym strong is not enough. Having an understanding of technique from watching videos will not be enough. It takes practice to apply the techniques safely so as not to injure yourself & conditioning to build up the connective tissue & muscle durability. For this reason entrants have to come from a club that we know of & can verify. At the weigh in we will ask who you pull with. Those who are not attached to a club will not be allowed to pull. Clubs will be contacted beforehand to provide a list of their Novices.
Why do we do this? It is very easy for a strong person to exert force in a way that will seriously injure themselves in an armwrestle. If you are going to be a force in this sport you will need patience & there are plenty of opportunities to gain it at one of our regional competitions or at one of the independent promotion competitions which can be found on the events page.
AGE RESTRICTION
We do not have the facility to run a junior tournament.
We are NOT able to accommodate anyone under the age of 18 to participate in the competition or future events or to be allowed to use the equipment provided for the pullers.
TOURNAMENT SCORING
Tournament scoring for double elimination.
Some people are unfamiliar with how a tournament works. Why has he gone again & I didn't get called? Have I been left out? Is it fixed?
I think it worth explaining especially for the new people.
We do double elimination. That means that you get two chances. Everyone starts on the A side winners list. First loss puts you into the B side. Two losses & it's out. One of the finalists will fight their way through from a loss to get another chance, sometimes against the person who beat them earlier. The A side finalist is unbeaten so only needs 1 pin to get gold. The B side finalist needs to make the other puller lose twice.
If there are 8, 16 or 32 pullers then everyone has the same chance in the draw.
Other numbers mean that some people randomly get a bye - which is there was no one to pull against so they advance forwards without having to fight for it. Thus in double eliimination tournaments a certain amount of "Luck of the draw" plays a part in the outcome. This can't be avoided under the format.
The scoring system we use currently isn't reliant on an internet connection or interfered with by adverts obscuring the screen. It was purpose built for our tournaments & has been adapted to account for many circumstances. It might seem unusual that someone pulls twice before your turn - it happens often in the bigger classes. As more people are eliminated the rest between matches gets smaller if there are quick pins. With a lot of matches to fit in during the day it is tough if you wait a long while & then get eliminated instantly in each of your matches. No one said it would be easy.
People have lost because they were out of the room when they were called to pull. Others signed in on the wrong sheets, missed the roll call, pulled the wrong person on the wrong table due to having a similar sounding name to someone else & a dozen other mishaps. Tensions can run high, no one wants to lose. Sometimes the scoring team makes a mistake. We're trying to find the champion of each weight class in the fairest way we can. Scoring & refereeing is done by volunteers who love the sport.
Good luck Saturday.
DIRECTIONS TO VENUE
Directions for those coming from the North or East (M6)
Exit J6 (Spaghetti junction) onto A38(M) for Birmingham City Centre & Ring Road.
Exit A38(M) onto ring road A4540.
Sat navs will likely take you straight through Birmingham City Centre which is quicker - there is a camera controlled congestion charge of £9 for vehicles over a certain age or diesels. If you forget to pay they send you a fine of £30 or more a month later.
Exit Ring road onto A435 for Redditch, Kings Heath & Moseley.
Drive through Moseley & Kings Heath. You will see a digital speed control sign just before the Masonic Hall & Corks Club buildings. Indicate Left. Car park for Kings Heath Cricket Club is on left just after Pavilion Pub.
Google map route from M6 to venue avoiding congestion charge:
https://goo.gl/maps/PYbnCDuvpCryzkqi9
Those coming from the South/South West/West using M40 or M5:
Get onto M42. Exit Junction 3 onto A435 for Birmingham.
After roundabout where the Maypole Travelodge is (still on A435) it is just under 2 miles to the venue. After passing Cocks Moor Leisure Centre on the right road will go uphill & pass through some shops. Look out for cricket club on right after the shops. THE ENTRANCE TO THE CAR PARK IS OPPOSITE LIVINGSTONE ROAD. If you pass the Pavilion pub, Corks Club or Masonic hall you have gone too far.
Google Map route from M42 to venue:
https://goo.gl/maps/Yn4zReh1uX5Uvw419
Car Park holds about 70 cars. Camera controlled £1.50 per day M-F, £2 per day Saturday. If you put your vehicle registration into the key pad inside the cricket club you don't have to pay. Those who don't pay or register their vehicle can expect a parking charge notice through the post & all sorts of fees & hassle.
From the car park go through towards the main building (not the cricket pavilion) - those coming to the weigh in Friday night need to make their way to the restaurant area (ask at bar). Those on foot can enter through front doors from street.
On the day, use Function room entrance to left of building - it is called the Cartland suite.
THOSE RELYING ON RAIL SERVICES see latest updates of delays or strikes here:
https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/service_disruptions/industrialaction.aspx
Nearest train stations are Kings Norton or Bournville. Both these connect from Birmingham New Street (trains for Redditch or Longbridge usually from Platform 12). Birmingham New Street is a few stops from Birmingham International for the Airport.
If travelling by Coach & arriving at Birmingham Coach Station, Digbeth, a four minute walk to Birchall Street to meet the No. 50 bus is reported to take 22 minutes & drops you outside Kings Heath Cricket Club. The stop is called Livingstone Road. Timetable suggests buses run every 10 minutes. Map showing walking directiosn etc:
https://goo.gl/maps/fDx7QnRTCgq73nCXA
For other bus routes in & around Birmingham this map might be useful:
https://www.tfwm.org.uk/media/tqadq1mc/birmingham-area-map-guide.pdf
HOTELS
Travellodge Maypole is 1.8 miles away. A google search for Alchester Road Birmingham gives about 20 returns. Andy Thorn stayed at the Regency last year & said it was good. There might be options on AirBNB that are more suitable for sharing.