DHWOG Charles Vansittart "Man With The Iron Grip" Contest

[Donc101]

“The Man with the Iron Grip” contest

Saturday July 24,, 2021

To honor the great strong man Charles Vansittart, who was called “The Man with the Iron Grip” in his shows in the early 1900s. Events have been chosen that are similar to his show events. Vansittart born in 1867 died in Torquay on 24 July, 1938 (aged 70).

Events:
1. Bending as many 6” ‘wire’ nails all taped together (with a single 10" x 4" wrap on each side for protection) - Charles Vansittart (England) - bent six x 6" wire nails together - c.1900's

2. One hand Pinch and hold for time away from the body 2 x 20k, 2 x 15k, 2 x 10k or 2 x 5k plates [Obviously the flat side outwards]

3. Nails snapping: One nail or two nails taped together for time (These will be our 88k strength nails, all bent with a single 10" x 4" wrap on each side for protection)

If you just want to compete in one or two events you can.

[Note: Our rated nails are to be purchased from our World of Grip shop for the contest – please enquire. The two plates for pinching will be your choice as long as both plates have one side that has a totally flat surface, which you grasp]

Event Rules:
Rules video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85u4NrepuKc
Only chalk is allowed
No gloves are allowed. Nothing allowed on the wrists and only normal elbow sleeves allowed, as is the case with all grip contest events.

1. Bending as many 6” ‘wire’ nails all taped together (with a single 10" x 4" wrap on each side for protection) - Charles Vansittart (England) - bent six x 6" wire nails together - c.1900's
One single 10” x 4” World of Grip wrap on each side of the nails, and one towel can be used at a time on your body for protection for where the nails will be bent over/against.
Bend as many wire nails all taped together by any unbraced or braced style, except using your feet or the floor.
A bend is achieved when you attain a full ‘V’ bend, and the inside of the leg ends are no more than 2” apart.
Time limit = 5 mins

2. One hand Pinch and hold for time away from the body 2 x 20k, 2 x 15k, 2 x 10k or 2 x 5k plates [Obviously the flat side outwards]
Pinch lift with one hand the top of 2 x 20k (45lb) plates together with the flat sides out, and hold away from the body. You do not have to lift to a certain height. Timing is started from the moment the plates are lifted off the floor, and stopped when they either drop out of the hand, or are put down. The plates are not allowed to touch the legs or any other bodyparts apart from the hands holding it. Please make sure I can see this all on the video. The hands or forearms are not allowed to be locked against the thighs.
In order from toughest to easiest: 2 x 20k, 2 x 15k, 2 x 10k and 2 x 5k.

3. Nails snapping: One nail or two nails taped together for time (These will be our 88k strength nails, all bent with a single 10" x 4" wrap on each side for protection)
Obviously snapping a pair of nails betters a snap of a single nail.
Tape the two nails together tightly.
1. The nails are to be held in your hands and bent by any unbraced or braced style, except using your feet or the floor.
2. Wraps for protection will be the World of Grip 10" x 4" suede wrap on each side of the bar.
3. Padding to bend the wrapped nail/s over can be a towel. You can strap the towel to your leg with a knee wrap or gaffa tape so that the towel stays in place.
4. Bend the nails/nail, back and forth till they/it snaps. Max time limit = 20 minutes
8. Please show on the video before wrapping all of the centre of the nails close up, by rotating it.

Classes: Open and Women’s class (if enough competitors)
Venue: Various venues

Trophies: There will be medals for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the overall contest, and also a winner’s medal for each single event.
 

See Less

[Donc101]

“The Man with the Iron Grip” results – To honour Charles Vansittart -

 

Saturday 24 July, 2021

 

Open Class results 

1 Reuben Hughes (Wales) – 5pt

2 David Horne (GB) – (bw102.75k, age 59) – 6pt

3 Don Cummings (USA) – 8pt

4 Philip Walker (Scotland) – 13pt

5 Tom Morris (England) – 14pt

6 Bryan Jones (USA) – (bw64.3k) – 17pt

Andrew Burford (England)

John McNeill (N. Ireland) – injured

 

Events:

1. Bending as many 6” ‘wire’ nails all taped together (with a single 10" x 4" wrap on each side for protection)

1 Don Cummings (USA) – bent 15 x ‘wire’ nails taped together in 3min 12sec – Birmingham, MI, USA

2 Reuben Hughes (Wales) – bent 13 x ‘wire’ nails taped together in 14sec – Morfa Nefyn, Wales

3 David Horne (GB) – bent 12 x ‘wire’ nails taped together in 40sec – Stafford, England

4 Tom Morris (England) – bent 9 x ‘wire’ nails taped together in 2min 32sec – England

5 Philip Walker (Scotland) – bent 8 x ‘wire’ nails taped together in 35sec – Scotland

6 Bryan Jones (USA) – bent 6 x ‘wire’ nails taped together in 25sec – Bristol, CT, USA

 

2. One hand Pinch and hold for time away from the body 2 x 20k, 2 x 15k, 2 x 10k or 2 x 5k plates [Obviously the flat side outwards]

1 David Horne (GB) – 2 x 20k plates held for 7:97sec – Stafford, England

2 Reuben Hughes (Wales) – 2 x 15k plates held for 10:06sec – Morfa Nefyn, Wales

3 Philip Walker (Scotland) – 2 x 10k plates held for 39sec – Scotland

4 Don Cummings (USA) – 2 x 10k plates held for 21sec – Birmingham, MI, USA

5 Bryan Jones (USA) – 2 x 10k plates held for 6sec – Bristol, CT, USA

6 Tom Morris (England) – no pinch

 

3. Nails snapping: One nail or two nails taped together for time (These will be our 88k strength nails, all bent with a single 10" x 4" wrap on each side for protection)

1 Reuben Hughes (Wales) – snapped two x 6” nails taped together in 25sec – Morfa Nefyn, Wales

2 David Horne (GB) – snapped two x 6” nails taped together in 1min 10sec – Stafford, England

3 Don Cummings (USA) – snapped two x 6” nails taped together in 4min 24sec – Birmingham, MI, USA

4 Tom Morris (England) – snapped one x 6” nail in 22sec – England

5 Philip Walker (Scotland) – snapped one x 6” nail in 1min 15sec – Scotland

6 Bryan Jones (USA) – no snap

[Donc101]

Fun contest. I have not been training snapping or pinch, so I mainly wanted to do well in the bending event. I was very happy to set the world record and win the event by bending 15 wire nails taped together. Here is a pic and video.

 

[Donc101]

Here are my other attempts

 

 

[Donc101]

Here are David Horne’s attempts

 

 

[Donc101]

I found this great story about Charles V and his show down and contest with Cyclops. Enjoy!

The Man With The Iron Grip By George F. Jowett

Few people who saw Charles Vansittart on the street ever believed he was the man capable of the stupendous arm and grip strength with which he was credited. No less a person than the great Cyclops was badly fooled.....and on one occasion it caused Cyclops considerable embarrassment.

Cyclops in his hey-day of fame was known throughout Europe as the man with the iron grip, but in Charles Vansittart he met a man who proved himself easily the master of Cyclops. The Englishman stood well over six feet tall, and when dressed, looked to be underweight for his height, but he was the raw-boned cordy type whose strength cannot always be estimated on appearance. He had the finest pair of arms and shoulders that I ever saw grace the body of a man.

At the time of this story, Cyclops was in London appearing at the music halls and on the evening of this particular occasion, he, with a group of admiring friends were having a glorious time in a tavern along the Strand. As the evening wore on, Cyclops, stimulated with the praise of his companions and no doubt the beer, grew very boisterous. Cyclops loved to dominate a crowd and the general attention he was attracting from all in the tavern encouraged him to demonstrate his physical prowess. Feat after feat he performed amidst great applause when he finally wound up by boasting how everyone, including Sandow and the great Louis Cyr, were afraid to meet him in a contest of strength.

To this all agreed with the exception of two men who has sat unobtrusively by themselves, watching in silence and interest the performance of Cyclops. Finally the shorter of these men rose from his table and stepped over to where Cyclops and his friends sat. Addressing Cyclops he said, "Truly a wonderful performance and by a wonderful man, but I believe my friend can outdo you."

Immediate interest was created and all eyes directed to the table where the tall man sat. Cyclops' friends volubly refused to believe that any man could equal Cyclops let alone beat him and called the bets which were quickly covered by the man who had addressed Cyclops. As the bets were made, Vansittart rose from his seat and crossed over by the side of the huge Cyclops. They exchanged courtesies, took off their coats, rolled up their sleeves and then the battle was on. Pewter plates were rolled in their hands like paper napkins....salt shakers squashed flat between the pressure of finger and thumb. Iron pokers of sturdy size were bent and twisted out of shape, but every stunt Cyclops performed, Vansittart duplicated with equal ease.

As a last resort Cyclops pulled off his famous coin feat, breaking between his fingers a coin the size of an half dollar. To the amazement of all, the Englishman equaled the feat and then from his pocket took a tennis ball which he handed to the puzzled Cyclops and with a smile asked him to tear it apart with the strength of hand and fingers only. Some thought it a joke. Other voiced their incredulity of such a feat being possible, never-the-less, Cyclops took the ball within his grip and tried until his arms trembled with strain, but to no avail. Then,Vansittart took the ball within his grip and to the amazemment of all tore the ball to pieces. As he did so the muscles on his arms stood out in great sinous masses of writhing steel. His wrist seemed to be alive with corded cables and for the first time during the contest, the watchers noted the difference between the arms of both these two giants of strength. Vansittart's grip seemed to be charged with super life that tore with all the destructive power of some giant animal claw. This feat stupefied Cyclops as much as it did the others, but more was to follow. Vansittart called for twelve regulation sized billiard cues. These he grasp by the pointed end within the fingers of one hand, actually held them all out at once in a position horzontal with his shoulders for the space of one full minute. Men cried out in astonishment for never had any seen such amazing gripping power demonstrated. Cyclops was sobered into silence. He saw he had met his master and congratulated Vansittart with genuine praise.

Not even the great John Marx could equal this Englishman in feats of arm strength, so prodigious was his strength. Vansittart had a pair of eighteen inch biceps that were perfectly moulded, but his forearms only measured fourteen inches and his wrist seven and five eights, but there was dynamc steel in them there muscles, boys!

Tearing three decks of playing cards stacked together was only a regular feat for him, and to span the bottom side of a 56-pound block-weight and pickup with the pinch pressure of his thumb and second finger he hardly considaed a stunt at all. Some time you try these stunts. You will better appreciate them, and at the same time derive great gripping power from the practice. Space alone forbids me telling you more of the astounding feats this wonderful man could accomplish with his formidable arms and shoulders, but men who later proved to be greater than Cyclops will all tell you that for feats of gripping strength, Charles Vansittart was the real man with the Iron Grip. 

[Donc101]

New world records from the comp: