Oklahoma Armwrestling League

Oklahoma Armwrestling League 🥇 Oklahoma Arm Wrestling League (OAL)
Code of Ethics & Ruleset
________________________________________
🧭 CODE OF ETHICS
1.

Respect First:
All members, athletes, and officials must treat each other with respect, regardless of skill level, background, or beliefs. Good sportsmanship is non-negotiable.
2. Integrity in Competition:
Cheating, sandbagging, or manipulation of brackets or match outcomes will not be tolerated. Honor the match, and the community.
3. Personal Responsibility:
Competitors are responsible for their

own safety, health decisions, and preparedness. OAL encourages healthy competition and personal accountability over blame-shifting.
4. Brotherhood & Rivalry:
Fierce rivalries are welcome—but must be rooted in mutual respect. Build others up, even when you're trying to pin them down.
5. Inclusivity:
Everyone is welcome to compete, from weekend warriors to seasoned pros. No discrimination based on gender, race, age, or background.
6. No Anti-Doping Clause:
The OAL will not enforce anti-doping regulations. Participants are encouraged to make informed choices, monitor their health, and be open with their practices where appropriate.
7. Protect the Culture:
The spirit of traditional arm wrestling—grit, community, pride, and raw strength—comes before ego or commercialism.
_______Oklahoma Arm Wrestling League (OAL) Official Ruleset (WAL-Inspired, Grassroots Edition) Updated for 2025 Season

🏆 Match Format
Matches are Best of 3 or Best of 5, depending on bracket or event level. Each round is one pull. Winner advances in a double-elimination format (unless specified otherwise). Divisions are separated by weight class.
✊ Grip & Start
Competitors must approach the table with open hands. Athletes attempt a negotiated grip first. If no grip is reached in 30 seconds, the referee sets a referee’s grip: Hands are positioned by the ref. “Ready… Go!” command starts the match. No movement is allowed after "Ready" is spoken.
💢 Straps
All slips go directly to straps. It does not matter if the slip is intentional or not. Once a slip occurs, the referee immediately sets a strap match restart. No fouls or warnings are issued for slipping.
❌ Elbow Fouls
An elbow foul occurs when the elbow completely lifts off or leaves the pad. Floating within the pad is permitted, but if the elbow breaks contact with the pad surface = foul. Elbow fouls operate under a "running foul" rule set. When an elbow foul is committed, the match continues without stopping, and the offender becomes the "runner." The runner must pin their opponent to earn a neutral restart (the pin does not count as a victory; the round simply restarts from a fair grip). If the runner commits another foul before pinning their opponent, it counts as two in a row, resulting in loss of the round. If the opponent pins the runner while they are on a running foul, the runner loses the round.

🏃 Straight Arm Position (New Rule – Class-Specific)
A straight arm position is defined as the competitor’s arm being fully extended (locked or nearly locked) with minimal bend at the elbow while the match is in progress. Amateur Classes (all weight classes designated as amateur):
Maintaining a straight arm position is a foul. The referee will immediately stop the match and issue a foul. The round restarts from a neutral grip with no warnings given. Two straight-arm fouls in the same round = loss of the round. Open / Pro Classes (any division labeled Open or Pro):
Maintaining a straight arm position results in a verbal warning from the referee (“Stand up!” or similar command). The athlete must immediately correct their posture (bend the arm and stand up) to continue. If the athlete does not correct the position after the warning, the referee stops the match, issues a foul, and restarts the round from a neutral grip. Two straight-arm fouls in the same round = loss of the round.

🛑 False Starts
A false start (pulling before the “Go”) results in one foul. Two false starts = loss of the round. Movement before “Go” in a referee’s grip = foul.
🖐️ Pin Victory
A pin is scored when any part of the opponent’s hand, wrist, or fingers touches or passes below the touch pad. Note: Pins achieved while on a running foul do not count as a victory (see Elbow Fouls for details). A match can also be won by:

2 fouls from your opponent
Disqualification (for rules infractions or conduct)

⚙️ Table & Equipment
Standard 7’x7’ WAL-style tables with:

Regulation pads
Two vertical pin pads
Side pegs for hand placement
Chalk is allowed. No stickum, tape, or grip aids permitted.

🧠 Weight Classes (modifiable per event)

Lightweight – Up to 154lbs
Middleweight – 155 to 198lbs
Light-Heavyweight – 199 to 220lbs
Heavyweight – 221 to 242lbs
Super Heavyweight – 242+lbs

🤝 Conduct & Sportsmanship
Respect for opponents, referees, and crowd is expected. Controlled intensity is welcome — but fighting, threats, or aggressive behavior = immediate DQ. Competitors may celebrate wins, but taunting or hostile behavior is not tolerated.
🧾 Appeals
Each competitor may make one official appeal per event. Appeals must be made immediately following the round in question. The head referee and event director will make a final ruling. Video replay may be used at major events, if available._________________________________
🥇

OAL BISON All-over Print Unisex T-shirt | INNERACTIVE DESIGN

04/26/2026

https://inneractive.square.site/product/oal-bison-all-over-print-unisex-t-shirt/6YJYLKXOZIKGY23NDGBIWGNW

OAL BISON All-over Print Unisex T-shirt | INNERACTIVE DESIGN These are custom printed, hand cut and sewn as they are ordered. They do take time to make, but are worth the wait. We offer high-quality all-over print t-shirts under in-house manufacturing. You can design on the front, back, and sleeve of printed shirts or fully printed with logos, quotes, paintin...

04/26/2026

Here’s some footage from Isaiah Jones practice that he hosted on Saturday.

John P Griffith had 2 practice super matches,
First was a best of 7 left hand against Heath Chishty

An right handed best of 5 against Curtis Greenway

Christopher_Gains 1 like. "Super Matches & Practice"

03/26/2026

OAL Rankings Challenge Rules
1. Match Format
Challenges must be conducted as a formal super match.
Matches may take place:
At any league or organization within the state of Oklahoma, or
As a private match with a certified referee.
Video evidence is required for all private matches.

2. Weight Requirements
Both athletes must make the agreed-upon weight class.
This applies to both sanctioned and private matches.

3. Challenge Eligibility
An athlete may challenge another athlete ranked within three positions of their own ranking.
If the challenged athlete is within three ranks, they are required to respond. Athletes ranked outside of three positions above the challenger may decline without penalty.

4. Unranked Athlete Restrictions
Unranked athletes may issue challenges only up to rank 8.

5. Response Timeline
The challenged athlete has 30 days to respond to a challenge.

6. Match Scheduling
Once a challenge is accepted:
Both athletes must agree on a time and location as soon as reasonably possible.
Matches must be scheduled within the same calendar year.
If both parties cannot agree on details:
An arbitration process may be used to finalize match arrangements.

7. Post-Match Protection
After completing a match:
Both athletes receive a 30-day grace period during which they are not required to accept or respond to challenges.

8. Loss Restrictions
If the challenger loses:
They may not issue another challenge for 60 days.

OAL Tournament Ranking Rules
1. Rank Advancement Requirements

To take the rank of a higher-ranked athlete in a tournament, one of the following must occur:

The lower-ranked athlete defeats the higher-ranked athlete twice, or
The lower-ranked athlete places at least two positions higher than the higher-ranked athlete in the final standings.

2. Weight Class Requirement
Rankings are only affected if the match occurs within the athlete’s official ranked weight class.

3. Cross-Weight Class Results
If competition occurs outside of the athlete’s ranked weight class:
No ranking changes will occur, regardless of placement or match results.

Donate to Support for Jeffrey's End-of-Life Expenses, organized by Stormie Carlson

03/23/2026

Hey OK Arm Wrestling community, please stop in and donate what you can. We lost a brother way too soon.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-for-jeffreys-endoflife-expenses?fbclid=IwRlRTSAQulSVmZGlkFlA3QnG9OR7hry0n8n7rRUpmOxa1cXRleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEezpRqRDr7XTVfQcD3MFT4kpF_AnwQFHuwferf8pHKN4aF0_XabdMgt2pAqRI_aem_VI6ibqd-wDg-6zeukHvjJA

Donate to Support for Jeffrey's End-of-Life Expenses, organized by Stormie Carlson

03/16/2026

😎🔥

03/16/2026

Wishing a Happy Birthday to the Man, The Myth, The legend Robert Kelly

Send a message to learn more

03/15/2026

Shout out to 2 Oklahoma Pullers Dakota Bean and Heath Stewart !! They put on a show💪🔥👏 Congrats to the Champ Dakota Bean 🏆

04/30/2025

The New Jerseys are available!!!

OKAW Clean Logo All-over Print Unisex T-shirt | Free Shop These all-over print shirts are made with high-quality material and applied with the best T-shirt printing technique to make sure that the shirt printing won’t fade, crack, or peel off. Material: 100% polyester fabric Instead of using traditional screen printing, we apply sublimated printing techn...

04/24/2025

We will be doing a couple Round Robins and possibly some call outs soon to establish this new Oklahoma League. It is high time we unite the state and create a one stop place for Oklahoma Armwrestling. All future updates on the Round robins will be posted here.