Us Grip Nationals

[Hubgeezer]

The 1"v-bar was a good event until the weights started to approach 380 and 400. The 1 Hand DL appears to be a good substitute to the 1" v-bar. Easy event for everyone to work on. The weights should tend to be lower than the 1" v-bar, and I haven't seen anyone tear up their hands on it.

The One Hand Deadlift is popping up more and more in contests. It is a good test of overall "hand strength", and it is by no means a "specialty" event.

[stew2]

Perhaps one way to get the sport more positive exposure would be less threads that threaten to degenerate like this one? This is a window into our world and it isn't always a pleasant one - it would be a bit like trying to get someone interested in Powerlifting by showing them Go Heavy. The amount of bitchiness (and I concede that many of my own posts could be included here) on the web is strange as every contest and get-together I've been to or read about has always sounded like a great time, even if it was in someone's garage.

:rock :rock :rock

I believe I posted in the last thread (bitch sesion about hand size) that if I was new to this sport and board I wasn't sold yet. Looks like I'm not alone need to hire some new sales guys sales are still down.

[jad]

2. The V Bar. I write an article in MILO describing the V Bar as one of three "standard events" in grip contests, and what happens? I don't think it's hardly been in any contests since. The Chris James injury in the 2007 British Nationals may have something to do with it, and the fact that Mikael, the biggest expert on the event and perhaps the best promoter of it, has pretty much dropped out from posting might be two reasons. Other than those two almost objective reasons, I am not really sure why.

The 1" V-bar, along with grippers and hubbing, is the trojan horse of the stubby-fingered crowd. They love to tout it as being a "fair" event, to replace the other unfair events that the big-handed crowd has foisted upon them. Fact is, grippers, 1" V-bar, and hubbing all give a big advantage to small-handed people. They are just as "unfair" as thickbar and wide-pinch. The seeming moral superiority--fairness for all!--that was the lynchpin of their case actually does not exist. For a while, nobody pointed out these uncomfortable facts to the Handsize Objectors, but now I'm doing it, and there's really nothing they can do in response except play the Name Game, an argument which can be refuted in more or less five sentences.

-Rex

Hubbing, maybe and I stress maybe but not even close to offsetting the disadvantages of thickbar. Assuming it does what other contests has it been in other than the upcoming MGC? You think we'll see a hub pinch replace 2HP at nationals to offset the axle? Riiiiiiiiiiiiiight. Wonder why that is?? The vbar and grippers you're just flat wrong on. You can try to minimize and discredit the evidence by referring to it as the name game argument, but it doesn't change the facts.

I'd be fine with getting rid of vbar altogether. 1" is dangerous, especially with the blood component and 2" is yet another gravytrain event for the large handed guys. As for grippers; replace it with an adjustable hand dyno and I'll betcha the results don't change a whole lot. Of course, like with the failed gripboard dyno cert, the large handed guys will whine that it needs to be set at a certain distance for everybody and round and round we go.

[Bob Lipinski]

Wow, even I am tired of this argument by now.

Rex, how about you and I make a pact to stay out of these arguments? I hold thick bar shit in my comps, it's all good. If you want strongman, stick to strongman. If you like grip stuff, you'll have plenty of the type of events you enjoy. Axle, blobs, etc. aren't going anywhere.

[Bob Lipinski]

SHIT, I even argued to keep the 2" vbar over the 1"!!!!!!

Rex, c'mon. I know you like to argue but you're just making things worse on all of us. Common events and grip tests are already agreed on, so the handsize thing is dead anyways.

[nockowt1]

I'm not sure how the hand size argument came up again. The main (only) reason I started this thread is to show the response of an elite strongman to possibly competing in a grip contest. At this point I'm not sure I even care anymore about grip getting more exposure because of the direction these threads always seem to go.

[mobsterone]

It might be worth noting that those who've more or less dropped the 1" V-Bar in the UK were actually quite good at it (I hold the British record without a hook grip and Jim has the all time record with the hook gripper version). David and I pretty much dropped it for little or no other reason than the injury factor. Back when I did my 170+kilos/374+lbs lift I also tried a 180 and tore skin. Jim would lose his thumbnail with anything over 200-kilos and that's without getting into the issue of bar rotation raising the risk of injury to biceps etc.

I like the lift but we don't contest it in any all round events at the moment.

I take a little issue (along with the compliments) over the comment about the possibility I might still choose events which favour me. Untrue.

1) there aren't that many to choose from and

2) that many (as can be seen from this very discussion) in which rules can be struck and called agreed

3) I change them around (as was mentioned) for variety.

4) we include big weight lifts for strongmen.

5) David told me that in order to win competitions (not events) you need to be a good all rounder. I'm a good all rounder. My weak lifts are better than many others and my strong lifts are top ten. I wouldn't be rated as one of the best if it was only on specially selected events and competitions.

On the issue of strongmen (see point 4) I train in and co-own a strongman gym. I have once again been asked to do a grip demonstration at a strongman event and help out at others. Laurence Shahlaie (BSM and WSM competitor) will almost certainly compete at a grip comp this year (he wants the 2HP record) and many others have had a go and might come on board later. David Horne and I are, by far, more recognized for what we do in hand and grip strength among the strongman scene here than most of the rest of the top 10 guys are in their own respective countries.

I've said before that in-fighting amongst ourselves never serves us well and secondly that you need a big personality to push the sport forward. Someone with connections yes but also a degree of the showman about them. Mikeal, for all his record keeping abilities and co-creation of some aspects helped found some parts of our sport but was never the way forward.

He was keen on keeping what the Metroflex event found to be a major problem... no rising bar. That equals 11+ hour competitions. He practically had to be pushed out of being the only record keeper and refused point blank (before more or less being ousted) to accept any other rules than his own. That's not the way forward.

Those that, like Mikeal, waste a page arguing semantics (Rex et al...) might well enjoy the debate but it does not serve the cause well. What needs to be done is very simple. A plan of action. It should be thus:

a) Set up the organisation.

b) sign up several respected members and give them roles. Stick to those roles.

c) get members to put subs in.

d) have rules

e) use a small percentage (say 10-15%) for promotion of the sport (via the web, adverts and so on)

f) get money off grip tools for members so even non-competing members get something out of being in

g) think up ways of getting strongmen involved. The co-compete idea works well enough (hold your event at a strongman event).

That should be enough to get you started. Now get it done.

[AP]

Great points Steve, I agree 100%

The proof, as always, is in the doing.

If you grip: sign up for a contest, train the events in the contest, compete and get better, rinse and repeat.

If you want to hold the "perfect" contest then hold it, and convince everyone to come. Then we will all say you are awesome.

[Bob Lipinski]

Steve, I think you have proved yourself to be a world class grip guy regardless of the events. Good post.

The Diesel Crew is getting the credibility and connections to help forward the sport. I think things will happen soon.

[nockowt1]

Excellent post Steve.