The cruel thing about John Dabo’s arm-wrestling style is that
his opponents likely think they’re going to win. Until they
lose.
Hollister – The cruel thing about John Dabo’s arm-wrestling style is that his opponents likely think they’re going to win. Until they lose.
Despite a lack of experience and an unorthodox technique, Dabo, a 2001 graduate from San Benito High School, finished fourth in the 133-143 weight division at the USAF Unified National Arm Wrestling Championships held earlier this month in Kansas City, Mo.
“They said this year was really competitive,” said Dabo, whose fourth-place finish was out of 11 competitors. “All these guys were studs.”
The 25-year-old improved four spots after finishing eighth at the 2006 Unified Nationals in Denver, but is seeking a top-two finish in his weight class next year to qualify for the WAF World Championships.
“My goal is to be a world champion,” Dabo said. “I want to go to worlds next year and compete and eventually be a world champion.
“I’m pretty sure I can go to the world championships. I just need to train.”
Dabo, who began competing in the sport in 2005 when he finished first in the amateur division and second in the professional division at Hollister’s Independence Rally, competes with what is considered to be a rather backwards technique.
Basically, he comes to the brink of losing a match before he mounts a comeback on his opponent, beating him with pure power and strength.
“I let them go first. I catch them, and then I pull them back over,” Dabo said. “It’s all about pulling back towards yourself and ‘pouring salt into your (chest) pocket.’ But I’m always in a losing position when I win. They say that’s the hardest way to do it, but that’s the only way I know how to do it.”
Dabo’s backwards technique, though, seems to be working.
In his first national tournament in Reno, Nev., he took fourth. The first time he took home money was in June of 2006, when he pocketed $200 in Patterson for finishing first. He even beat a pro arm wrestler at the Independence Rally in 2005, which got the attention of those in attendance.
Bill Collins of Los Banos, who promoted the arm wrestling event at the Independence Rally that year, and who is also the president of the United States Arm Wrestling Federation, has known Dabo for more than two years and says the wrist-wrestler has plenty of potential.
Said Collins of Dabo’s fourth-place finish at the Unified Nationals, “That is the largest arm wrestling championship in the United States. To place in the top five is pretty damn good.”
Regarding his experience, Dabo said his first win at the Unified Nationals was against a 17-year-old. While Dabo beat him with power, the teenager already had five years of experience, three more years than what Dabo has.
“He’s arm wrestling guys with more experience,” Collins said, “and once he gets more table time, he’ll be able to make those split-second decisions.”
Collins added that Dabo’s style is more defensive than offensive, as he “waits for the hit before he generates his power.”
“Right now, he’s going through people with power instead of over the top,” Collins added.
One way of curing this is the top roll, a technique that Dabo said he wants to learn. It is considered to be one of the most popular arm wrestling moves, but also one that takes two to three years to perfect, according to Collins.
The result of the move is to bend the opponents wrist backward, which makes it near impossible for any comeback. At the amateur world championships, Dabo said he finished second after his opponent top-rolled him twice in the finals. Said Dabo, “Once they get your wrist, it’s so hard to come back and win.”
Dabo, though, says he’s working out more in an effort to finish in the top two next year at the Unified Nationals and qualify for the WAF World Championships. To become even better, he is seeking to learn the top roll.
“If he learns the top move,” Collins said, “and learns to be an offensive puller instead of a defensive puller, he’ll excel in the sport.”
“They say I’m really good for only arm wrestling for two years,” Dabo said. “I’m still learning … Once I learn how to top roll, all these guys are going down.”
