Devon Larratt: The World’s Greatest Arm Wrestler | E63

May 30, 2023

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Welcome to another episode of In Search of Excellence! My guest today is Devon Larratt, one of the greatest arm wrestlers in the world.

Devon is a Canadian professional arm wrestler and a former member of the Canadian Army Forces. He has won multiple world championships and is considered to be one of the best arm wrestlers of all time. He is also a fantastic person and one of the most entertaining and charismatic sports figures!

We talk about this very unusual sport, his grandmother who was “the best arm wrestler in Alberta," underground arm wrestling competitions, his military career, and more!

Time stamps:

00:00 Is arm wrestling really a sport?

Arm wrestling is a very simple sport
It has federations with rule sets
It is done on a professional table
The size of the arm wrestling table
The elbow must stay on 7” plain surface
What does it take to win
Neutral position start
Take a grip, ready go, pin your opponent, win the match
Advantages and disadvantages of different anatomies
How Sylvester Stallone influenced arm wrestling
The movie Over the Top

09:39 How popular is arm wrestling in US?

It is very popular, but doesn’t have government support
3 prominent professional leagues
Armors, King of the Table, East vs. West
Amateur arm wrestling – WAF and IFA
Arm wrestling as a sport is growing
World Arm Wrestling League
The deciding factor is does it bring money
Today it does have sponsors

13:50 Devon’s background

Grew up in Big Island, Ontario on a farm
He was a high energy kid
His grandma was an arm-wrestler
Never beat his grandma in arm wrestling
His brother showed him The Pumping Iron book
Was fascinated with Arnold Schwarzenegger
Identified strength with being a man
Obsessed with strength, fitness, performance
Training from a very young age
After high school worked in oil field
Ton of young man worked there
He arm wrestled with them and beat everybody
Dion Angel was unbeatable
At the time, arm wrestling was completely underground

25:08 Are mentors necessary for success?

A goal is a light in the distance
Sometimes you meet people who have been where you are going
They can be amazing guides
Dion was one of those people
Mentors provide guidance and save you time
With Internet mentors are much more available

27:30 Joining the Canadian Military

Joined the army in 1996
Combat tours are scary
It takes time to develop psychological strength to fight
Spent 20 years in arm forces
Complications from arm wrestling made him leave
You chose to serve your country and fight
Being shot you realize how lucky you are
Stuck for 4 days, had to take extremely strong antibiotics
Destroyed gut flora and was sick for 6 months
Being a follower and a desire to be the best

41:49 Devon’s vision of war and sports

Life is a gift and one of our jobs is to be happy
One key to happiness to find things that make you happy
Devon was always attracted to fighting

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