Common Sense Evaluation

Named after an Australian lizard, Goanna Pulling is said to be a real test of strength and agility, although when it comes down to it, it’s really just tug of war using heads instead of hands.

The name comes from the position that players adopt when competing which resembles the stance of the Australian reptile, the Goanna.

Enjoy!

Goanna Pulling is basically tug of war with a bizarre twist – instead of their hands, competitors must use their heads to pull each other over the line and win the game. The rules are pretty simple: two people go (literally) head to head on the goanna pulling pad. They get down on all four, with their bellies touching the board and their heads held high. This position makes participants look a lot like goanna lizards, hence the name of the game, in case you were wondering. The two opponents each place their palms behind a white line traced on the board, and a referee puts a large leather belt around their heads. As soon as he give the signal, the two contestants must use their upper body strength – their neck muscles especially – to pull the other guy past the line and win the game.

Matches can be over in a matter of seconds, or last several minutes. Apparently, proper technique is very important, and while a strong neck is essential, it’s not always the biggest and strongest contestant who wins, which makes it even more exciting to watch

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