Tag Archives: Rule Book

Rulebook – 12th Edition

The 12th edition of the Rulebook has been published. This includes all rule changes, bylaw changes, and new lifts from the 2024, 2023, and 2022 national meetings.

Notable changes include:

  • Tank tops are now allowed in competition.
  • Knee sleeves are still disallowed on most lifts, but they are now allowed on the three lifts (Anderson squat, front squat, 12″ base squat) that allow knee wraps.
  • Official scoring now uses a gender adjustment (same as IAWA scoring) so that men and women can be ranked together.
  • Secretary and Treasurer roles have been separated into two positions.
  • Aspiring officials may use up to 2 video tests to achieve their 3 required practical sessions (one in-person session is still required).
  • Level 1 officials may substitute up to 15 meets from other organizations such as USA Weightlifting or USA Powerlifting toward their 25-meet qualification for Level 2.
  • Meets may be held remotely or hybrid, at the meet director’s discretion. This does not apply to the National Championship.
  • The host of the National Meeting may choose to allow virtual attendance.
  • The minimum size of a platform is now 8×8 feet (not 8×12).
  • Blocks or plates may be used under a lifter’s feet on bench presses.
  • The membership fee, after many years at $25, has been increased to $35.

New lifts include:

  • Bavarian deadlift (2024)
  • Bench press, 2 dumbbells (2024)
  • Jefferson finger lifts (2022)
  • Saxon deadlift (2024) – note that this uses a metal saxon bar, different from the wooden one used for the Saxon snatch.
USAWA-RULEBOOK-12th-Edition.docx-1Download

Rule Book Updates

By Al Myers

I have added the Rule Book updates to the website, under “About Us” then “Rule Book”.   These were the updates that were voted on and passed at the 2019 Annual General Meeting of the USAWA.    Please just print off this page and add it to your current Rule Book.  Since there have been just a few changes/updates I’ve decided to do it this way instead of completely publishing a new edition of the Rule Book.

The current USAWA Rule Book is the 10th Edition Rule Book.

Updated Rulebook and New Bylaws

by Al Myers

The USAWA Rulebook 4th Edition

The updated Rulebook (Edition 4) and new Bylaws are now available on the website.  Both can be found in the header line of the website.  This section also contains a document titled “2010 Rulebook Changes/New Approved Lifts”.  This is the new information added to the previous Rulebook (Edition 3).  I included this so if you already have a previous Rulebook and don’t want to buy or print off a new one you could simply just add these pages to your Rulebook.

I  added some new pictures to the Rulebook (the print-off doesn’t have these).  So if you want to see who made it you’ll have to open up the new Rulebook and have a look! The Rulebook is now 91 pages long, contains rules for all 164 Official lifts, and contains 94 pictures of 55 lifters.  The new USAWA Bylaws are also available now on the website.  These new bylaws were prepared this past year by the Bylaw committee of Joe Garcia, Tim Piper, and myself.  They were approved by the membership at the 2010 Annual Meeting. These new Bylaws replaced the non-functioning bylaws that were originally written in 1987, which were  never updated to reflect how the USAWA has evolved in the past 20 years.  The new USAWA Bylaws reflect how our organization has been functioning in recent years.  The only “new thing”  in them is the formation of a 5-person Executive Board that will govern the USAWA throughout the year.  Membership will still have final say on the majority of issues, and decisions made by membership vote at the Annual Meeting will continue to make the ultimate decisions on issues.  Please take the time to look over the bylaws on the website.

I will have “hard copies” of the Rulebook for sale again.  These copies will also contain the Bylaws.  The book will sell for $30 (including postage).  Let me know if you want one.  I am only going to print off copies for what I have orders for to prevent unnecessary carry-over.  I plan to have a printing by the end of August and again the first of the year.