Bloody Fingers Are Just Part of the Game in This Wild German Sport

This past Sunday, about 180 competitors gathered in Pang, just outside Munich, to battle it out at the 64th German Championship in fingerhakeln — a traditional sport that's definitely not for the faint of heart (or fragile fingers).

The rules are simple but brutal: Two competitors sit on opposite sides of a table, hook one finger (usually the middle one) through a small leather loop, and wait for the referee’s signal. Once the match begins, it's a fierce tug-of-war to pull the other person across the table. It’s all over in just a few seconds — but injuries like dislocated fingers are pretty common.

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Finger wrestling actually has old-school roots too — it’s believed to have started as a way to settle disputes back in the day. Because why argue when you can just tear each other's fingers off instead?

If you ever thought your family game nights got intense, Germany just raised the bar.