Amateur pullers

[Bob Paradis]

I'm a novice, but occasionally pull open to see how far I have to go.

I don't really have to do that though. I train with pros so I know I stink.

[Casey Szparaga]

Josh,

Not sure if you meant me personally, or just anyone in general??

But, my understanding is that, yes that is the case. Unless you are a recognized pro, or have accepted money, you're OK.

A lot of people on this coast don't understand amateur because there usually isn't one, just novice or Pro. Up until recently, the Olympics were strictly amateur for Americans.

[J.Tanner]

I consider myself A novice/amateur puller but I will no longer be pulling in the novice class.
Only amateur, open & pro. for me now .
Ive always entered open & pro classes also otherwise I wouldnt no how much further I need to go.

IMO, you must throw yourself to the WOLVES if you plan on getting BETTER in this sport

[Erick "Zap" Szczap]

I'm about to make the leap from novice to open. I have won one novice class (this past Get-a-Grip), but even before that tourney I was training hard for the caliber of opponent I'll be facing in the open class. I'm lucky to get to train with some of the best professional armwrestlers in the country, so I know exactly how far I still have to go. I expect to get obliterated in the open class but that's how you grow.

[Jess Simpson]

After a year of competing I'm no longer pulling any novice, at least not my own weight class. I think it's time for me to step up and get my but handed to me for a while, I might pull the 176 opens and the 198 and 242 novice (since there's almost no amateur classes offered). The past year nothing aggravated me more than the guys who've been pulling for years and are really strong that couldn't quite place in the top 3 in the open class so they'd go ahead and enter the novices to raise their self esteem. It doesn't give the real novices a chance to improve any against someone more their own level.

[Casey Szparaga]

I think there is some kind of rule that if you've ever won 3 tournaments as a novice, you're out. Sounds like a good rule.

Leonard, where are you??

[Tim Lewis]

In Colorado, it is actually 2 novice wins with at least 4 people in each class.

In my opinion, the AAA has a lot more "experienced" novice pullers especiallly at major tournaments.

I am a novice/amatuer puller, but I still pull the opens at every tournament as well. Major tournaments in the western region offer amatuer but usually not state/local level tournaments, the classes just wouldn't fill up.

I usually place consistenally 2nd or 3rd in novice classes and win 1-2 open matches in my class. However, location has a lot to do with it. I've found that the average middle of the road open puller on the east coast is much better than west of the mississippi. Notice I said average here and nothing about the best that consistenely place.

[Deleted]

The rule we tend to use in Colorado is that you start in novice automatically (although you can go opens if you want, but the organizers don't advocate it), and remain there until you win a novice class two times. After that, you are no longer eligible to pull novice in that weight class. What I'm not certain of is whether a two-time novice winner in one class can step up a weight class and try novice against the bigger pullers. I think we just try to separate it cleanly - once you win a novice class twice, you're no longer a novice of any kind.

[Deleted]

Sorry Tim, didn't see your response. I was composing mine, heated up dinner, then posted after you!

[Jess Simpson]

The problem is that most of the tournaments I can afford to go to are not very big. Tournament directors are friends with a lot of guys and don't really enforce the rule unless your a widely accepted pro. So at all these tournaments there's always one or two guys that win the novices time in and time out thus keeping the REAL novices from getting any trophies or medals.
One example, (and I know this really isn't the exact same topic but the principal is exact) is when I used to pull the teen divisions where there was no weight class just like a 16-18 age group. I was talking to one of my competitors about this "kid" in our class who was about 260lbs and more facial hair than Grizzly Adams. This guy told me, "yeah that kid has been 17 years old for the past 3 years, but since he's from this town they just let him slide."
The responsibility I guess lies with the competitor, there's a point where you just need to step up and take your beatings for a few years like everyone else.

[Anthony Snook]

"It doesn't give the real novices a chance to improve any against someone more their own level"

Jess wouldn't that be the same concept of open level guys going to tourneys when you got the best in the U.S. showing up. The open level guy shows up and gets creamed by the best, he/she learned something right The novice gets creamed by the open level guy, he learned something right? I think not. I don't know what someone can learn from getting slammed, other than get stronger, and possibly by watching video to see if you made mistakes. But if the guy is stronger even if you didn't make any mistakes it wouldn't have mattered JMO

[Jess Simpson]

"Novice
–noun
1. a person who is new to the circumstances, work, etc., in which he or she is placed; beginner; tyro: a novice in politics."

I really don't think that's the same principal at all. Novice means new, beginner. Just because you're not one of the best in the U.S. doesn't mean you shouldn't pull open classes exclusively; no novice or amateur. From the sounds of it there must be a lot more Amateur classes offered in the northeast. If more tournaments offered/were big enough to offer novice, amateur, and open classes then this wouldn't be a problem.
Sorry Mr. Snook, I might be reading your post wrong but I wasn't real clear what your point was. I don't think a novice/amateur puller learns hardly anything from getting flashed by a low-grade pro puller. However, I think that a motivated, low-grade open puller who studies videos and trains hard can still learn a lot from getting owned by an elite armwrestler.

[Justin Kaufman]

I'll chime in a bit here. In Co you can move up weight classes in the novice from what I remember. I started about 3 and half years ago, won the first tournament in the 98's novice. Went to Vegas in 04' and won the novice 166-199 (I think) after that here in CO, I wasn't able to pull novice 98's anymore.

They did let me pull the heavier novice classes but when I won the novice supers at state they kicked me out of the novice classes completely.

In my opinion "You should police yourself!!!", you know where you stand. If all you want to do is collect novice trophies, you are STUPID!! and you get nothing from beating on the new guys!!!


Also if experienced guys are allowed to keep going down in classification, these are the guys that are going to cause injuries and for what an "EGO TRIP."


You get better when you move up not down!!!

[Anthony Snook]

Ok if a novice puller jumps up and pulls the open he "learns" something correct?(Not my opinion, thats what I'm taking from this) Now would he not, as well as the others in the novice learn something if a open puller pulls the novice? That is how I took your comment about the guys not good enough to place in the open pulling novice. I agree someone getting flashed does not learn anything.

I would like someone to tell me how a novice "learns" something pulling in the open that they wouldn't learn with a open puller pulling the novice?

Justin, I agree.

[Harold "Rattlesnake" Ryden]

One day my wife said to me " If you continue to pull amateurs, you will continue to pull like an amateur!"

That was the last time I pulled amateurs! It took some time and a lot of losses but you get a lot better a lot quicker... at least thats how it worked for me!

My advice to the new guys is pull multiple novice classes working your way up in weight classes( from tournament to tournament)... even if your a light weight do it until the big guys get easy!!!! You are now ready for the opens!!!

Good luck guys!