German finger wrestling is exactly what it sounds like – sort of.

It’s a bit like thumb wars, but there’s rope and traditional costumes involved.

The recent German finger wrestling (Fingerhakeln) championships happened in Bavaria and apparently, it’s a pretty big deal.

I like to think of it as the Bavarian equivalent of that event in England where people chase a cheese wheel down a hill.

Over to the BBC for more on finger wrestling.

The 60th annual championships took part in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, southern Germany, on Thursday as part of the Partenkirchner Festival Week.

As in other forms of wrestling, those taking part must put in lots of training. Squeezing tennis balls and lifting heavy weights with just one finger are both part of the routine. To emerge triumphant, technique and physical strength are important, as is a high pain threshold.

Uhm, sure…

Twisted Lunchbox had a go at describing the sport as well. Skip ahead to 45 seconds:

Some of the injuries that competitors can look forward to include cuts, friction, burns, and broken or dislocated fingers.

Let’s get a look at some action shots of the event:

You can also catch some video of the championship here:

The origins of the sport are unclear, although most believe that it started as a way to settle arguments.

I guess there are worse (albeit less weird) ways to settle arguments.

[source:bbc]