Mas Wrestling (Stick Pulling)
Mas Wrestling is a wrestling sport derived from a traditional Russian stick pulling game from Yakutia. There are similar sports from around the world, such as the Eskimo stick pull and kjevletrekk from Norway.
In Mas Wrestling, participants sit and face each other with their feet braced against a board and each person with both hands on a stick. The aim is to pull the other player over to your side.
The stick can be held in either the internal (both hands in the middle) or external position (hands on the outside of the stick). The hand position is determined by a coin toss, then alternated in subsequent matches. The hands and fingers are not allowed to overlap. At the start the match, the stick is held over the board and parallel to it. The athletes start pulling on the command of the referee. The contestant wins if they can pull their opponent over the board and keep the stick in their hands.
A stick pulling event has been held at the World Strongman Competition since 2011. Stick pulling is also part of the Eskimo-Indian Games.
Similar Sports
- Arm Wrestling — a type of wrestling where each participant place one elbow on a surface while gripping the other participant's hand. The aim is to pin the other's arm onto the surface.
- Beeni Wrestling — also called Asian arm wrestling, involves two competitors attempting to break free from their competitor’s hold.
- Strongman Events — a sport that tests competitors' strength in a variety of different ways.
- Kubihiki — the traditional Japanese strength sport of neck pulling or neck wrestling.
- See the unusual sports of toe wrestling and finger wrestling
Related Pages
- About Types of Wrestling
- Complete list of sports
- Straight-Arm Hang Test — a fitness test of arm strength
- The Encyclopedia of Sports
- More about the sport of wrestling
- Sport in Russia
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