Dene Stick Twist
Objective
Twist the stick to cause it to turn and slip in the opponent’s hand, or, succeed in bending the opponent’s wrist via only the stick twist.
Equipment
A straight, dry hardwood rod is used for this game. The rod is 2” diameter at 12” long. The surface is an unfinished sanded surface.
Playing area
No special playing area is used. Generally any hard flat surface is sufficient.
How to Play
The game may be played standing or kneeling; however, in a tournament or bracket setting, all matches should be consistent. Thus all matches are standing, or all matches are kneeling.
The two players face each other either standing or kneeling. Both competitors raise their arms to an angle of about 45 degrees. Each player takes a firm single hand grip on the end of the stick. Two hands may be used to help position the grip. Once grip is positioned players must let go with their positioning hand.
Prior to the match each player should twist slightly downward on the stick to create tension and remove the slack from the twisting of the stick.
Movement
The referee holds the middle of the stick after slack has been removed. This is to ensure no excessive twisting occurs before the start of the match. The referee then counts down, 3,2,1, and, let’s go of the stick.
The players begin to twist!
The rotation is of the hand is downward
Movements of the arms about the shoulders are not allowed, movement may only occur about the wrists.
Competitors may not move their end of stick upward to downward. The stick should be level (parallel to the ground), and the ends should point at the players throughout the match. Rotation of the stick is the only movement allowed. In other words, Dene Stick Twist is mainly decided by wrist and hand strength, not by arm strength.
Duration
There is no need to set a time limit for a match. Fatigue will determine the winner even when two players are evenly matched.
End of Match
The round ends in one of four ways:
The competitor causes the stick to twist (slip) in their opponent’s grip. This may not always be easy to detect. The ref should be diligent; however, players need to be fair and admit when they have been defeated.
The competitor succeeds in bending their opponent’s wrist
The competitor quits during the match
The stick shreds in half. When this happens the match is restarted with a new stick.
Safety
The players twist steadily and strong. No jerking or sudden movement is allowed.
Dene Sticks can be ordered in our shop, or, you can make your own from the wood Here
Wrist Warriors (Dene Stick Owners/Players)
- Trey Abbot – 9/7/2021
- John Mouser – 9/11/2021
- Chad Clark – 9/23/2021
- Stevens Taylor – 10/20/2021
- Sean Brennan – 4/7/2022
- Andrew Tucker – 8/22/2022
- Will Guiliani – 9/24/2022