Specific rules govern techniques, such as prohibiting touching the ground for extended periods of time or lowering one's elbow below the knee during a pull.

Tug of war features as an important ritual in many societies, holding religious, cultural and historical significance.

[2][3] The origins of tug of war are uncertain, but this sport was practised in Cambodia, ancient Egypt, Greece, India, and China.

According to a Tang dynasty book, The Notes of Feng, tug of war, under the name 'hook pulling' (牽鉤), was used by the military commander of the State of Chu during the Spring and Autumn period (8th to 5th centuries BC) to train warriors.

The origin of the game in India has strong archaeological roots going back at least to the 12th century AD in the area what is today the State of Orissa on the east coast.

The famous Sun Temple of Konark has a stone relief on the west wing of the structure clearly showing the game of Tug of War in progress.

[11]Tug of war stories about heroic champions from Scandinavia and Germany circulate Western Europe where Viking warriors pull on animal skins over open pits of fire in tests of strength and endurance, in preparation for battle and plunder.[when?]

As of 2008 there are 53 countries associated with TWIF, among which are Scotland, Ireland, England, India, Switzerland, Belgium, Italy,[16] South Africa and the United States.

In Myanmar (Burma), the tug of war, called lun hswe (လွန်ဆွဲ; pronounced [lʊ̀ɰ̃ sʰwɛ́]) has both cultural and historical origins.

It features as an important ritual in phongyibyan, the ceremonial cremation of high-ranking Buddhist monks, whereby the funerary pyres are tugged between opposite sides.

The tug of war is also used as a traditional rainmaking custom, called mo khaw (မိုးခေါ်; pronounced [mó kʰɔ̀]), to encourage rain.

[17] The Rakhine people also hold tug of war ceremonies called yatha hswe pwe (ရထားဆွဲပွဲ) during the Burmese month of Tabodwe.

The event is said to have been started by feudal warlord Yoshihiro Shimadzu, with the aim of boosting the morale of his soldiers before the decisive Battle of Sekigahara in 1600.

Nanba Hachiman Jinja's tug of war, which started in the Edo period, is Osaka's folklore cultural asset.

A variant, originally brought to New Zealand by Boston whalers in the 1790s, is played with five-person teams lying down on cleated boards.

The sport is played at two clubs in Te Awamutu and Hastings, supported by the New Zealand Tug of War Association.

The Peruvian children's series Nubeluz featured its own version of tug of war (called La Fuerza Glufica), where each team battled 3-on-3 on platforms suspended over a pool of water.

In the United States, a form of tug of war using eight handles is used in competition at camps, schools, churches, and other events.

Originally, the event was held as a standing tug of war over the Tallawanda stream near the Oxford waterworks bridge in which the losers were pulled into the water.

[31] This first event was later seen as a driving force for creating interfraternity competitive activities (Greek Week) at Miami University.

The Hope College Pull is an annual tug-of-war contest held across the Black River in Holland, Michigan on the fourth Saturday after Labor Day.

[35] Two teams of eight, whose total mass must not exceed a maximum weight as determined for the class, align themselves at the end of a rope approximately 11 centimetres (4.3 in) in circumference.

Amateur organizers of tugs of war may underestimate the forces generated and thus, may be unaware of the possible consequences if a rope snaps under extreme tension.

[39] For this reason, specially engineered tug of war ropes exist that can safely withstand the forces generated.