Belmont Brass Wrists arm wrestling club founded by two high school friends

“We started small — just a few guys on a little orange table. But even then we knew we wanted to build something bigger,” Martinez said.

Martinez said the club grew quickly as he and Sun continued inviting people and, once around 20 members were regularly participating, they realized it could become a true arm wrestling club.

Original sessions were at tables at the mall until security kicked them out. After trying a few different locations, the club eventually found a home at the Alpha Acid Brewing Company in Belmont.

For members like Justin Shay, the club is more than just a place to train. He said it’s fun and offers a chance to meet new people.

“We’ve grown so much from that first little meetup. Seeing new people join and events happen — it’s been amazing,” Shay said.

With the increase in members, the club has also participated in more events, including official wrestling competitions.

As one of the few women who attend the club, Mystic Cassel said she has spent the past year attending competitions that have offered both familiar and new challenges to her competitions.

“Going to competitions, you're going against women that you practice with, which is really great, because you kind of know what to expect,” Cassel said. “One competition recently there were a lot of women I hadn’t gone against before, and that was hard.”

The club’s growth was sparked by Sun’s vision. His passion for arm wrestling inspired him to start it, but he never wanted it to remain just a high school activity.

“I didn’t want anyone to think this was just a high school club because that would truly lower interest, so I wanted more adults and people from all age levels,” Sun said.

While it may not seem like it, arm wrestling is a full-body sport. It uses shoulders, back, and core to generate force, rather than relying just on arm strength. 

Sun said that arm wrestling doesn't have many rules, but proper technique is essential for both safety and fun competition. 

“Whether it’s safe or not really depends on how well you do it and how you approach it,” Sun said. “Injuries usually happen when people overdo it.”

For Michal Szczesniak, a 46-year-old former martial artist, arm wrestling was a way to compete using strength without the risk of injury that came with his previous sport.

“I was looking for a sport that wouldn’t hurt me, but still let me challenge myself,” Szczesniak said.

Szczesniak said he appreciates the club’s supportive environment, noting that members of all sizes and skill levels make for a strong mix of training partners.

Now a confident and seasoned member, Szczesniak helps teach and mentor new members, showing them how to compete and feel welcome because he remembers what it was like to join for the first time and feel lost.

“My martial arts experience taught me how to make newcomers comfortable and help them develop their own game,” Szczesniak said.

Szczesniak is just one example of how the club has attracted not only a diverse group of people eager to join, but also members committed to helping the club grow.

Martinez said the club has reached a strong position, with a consistent turnout of members at meetups and a regular location for training. He hopes the community can help grow the sport overall.

“Arm wrestling isn’t as well known as sports like football or basketball, but my dream is to help grow it and show people how great it is,” Martinez said.