Record: 32-4
Hometown: Erie, Pennsylvania
Favorite Technique: Toproll
Rivalries: Michael Todd, Dmitry Trubin - Kazhakstan, Andrey Pushkar - Ukraine
EFT (Elbow to Fingertips): 21 inches
WAL TITLES:
2017 - WAL Championships - 2nd Place, Super Heavyweight - Right Hand
2017 - WAL Championships - 2nd Place, Super Heavyweight - Left Hand
2016 - WAL Northern Regionals - 1st Place, Super Heavyweight - Right Hand
2016 - WAL Championships - 2nd Place, Super Heavyweight - Right Hand
2015 - WAL Southern Regionals - 1st Place, Super Heavyweight - Right Hand
2015 - WAL Championships - 1st place, Super Heavyweight - Right Hand
PHYSICAL SKILLS
Power: 10
Speed: 6.8
Hand & Wrist Control: 8.4
Endurance: 7.4
Core Strength: 8.5
TECHNICAL SKILLS
Hit: 8
Catch: 9
Toproll: 8.8
Hook: 9.6
Press: 8.5
Counter Moves: 7.2
TABLE IQ: 7.8
* Ratings were compiled from a committee of experts including referees, directors and retired competitors
About Dave Chaffee
It hasn’t been an easy road to the top for Dave Chaffee. He started pulling in 2006 and broke his arm at the table a few years later. Along the way he’s battled a variety of neck problems and other ailments, but Chaffee believes that adversity makes a man stronger. When he broke his arm most of his friends thought that he would never armwrestle again, and he could have easily quit. He vividly remembers his dad saying to him, “I guess you can find a new hobby now.” He looked his dad in the eye and said, “I will be World Champ someday.” Three years later in 2010 he became the WAF World Champion.
Chaffee focuses on wrist raises with a sledgehammer as part of his daily training regimen. But for the Erie, Pa., maximum security corrections officer, a regular store-bought 10-pound sledgehammer doesn’t cut it: Chaffee adds up to 45 pounds of weights duct taped to the business end, then grabs the handle and raises the cudgel using just his wrist. As an added tip: he also uses the hammer to do reverse raises (placing the hammer’s head behind him and raising it) to work out other wrist muscles.
The super heavyweight not only trains his muscles, he focuses on his mind. When he’s not in the gym or lifting sledgehammers, Chaffee studies tape. A lot of tape. He watches videos of the greats like John Brzenk and Cobra Rhodes He studies the little movements that lead to success and incorporates them into his own arsenal.
Chaffee is known for his calm demeanour at the table, he lets his pulling do the talking! This approach has allowed Chaffee to dominate the sport and he remains one of the most successful and respected pullers in the World!
Motto: "Things happen for a reason. Never give up. Be a better person than you were the day before."