Comments on: How to Buy Fencing Equipment

on 8/26/2006 I suggest you look around and see what other fencers in your club are using and ask what they like about it. Don't forget to ask your coach. If they have pistol grips, ask to try it. Hold it in your hands. See how it feels. Since there are different variations of pistol grips (Italian Visconti, Germans, Zikovic brands, etc) and sizes, you should ask a fellow club member or coach to try one before you start purchasing your grip (runs from 7 to 15 dollars). This holds true for French grips as well. If you use one of these, ask who made it and what type of material it is made of. This will decide which grip is for you, and may save you a couple of bucks down the road.

on 2/2/2006 The sure sign of a weak fencer is one who has progressed to a pistol grip quickly. It is all too easy to hide rudimentary flaws with a pistol grip. Learn the French grip and use it until you can defeat most everyone that crosses your path, then continue on the French grip for 2 or 3 times longer than it took to master. Then you can move on to pistol grip. Remember that it is a modern advancement, a whim if you will, and many put their very lives into a French grip and did just fine.

on 11/22/2005 Quilting is not necessarily a sign that your jacket will provide adequate protection. In a beginner's jacket, look first for a strong, durable fabric. Heavy white canvas is a popular choice. Older FIE jackets are made of kevlar, which is bulletproof but which deteriorates under uv-light; modern FIE jackets are generally made of ballistic nylon. Everyone has a different opinion on what a good beginner jacket is made of, but in my experience, a layer or two of heavy canvas offers greater protection than two layers of finer cotton, even with batting between them. Canvas also tends to make a cooler jacket than quilted fabric does.

on 5/22/2007 The pistol grip has displaced form and control as the primary function of fencing. Because something is easier, does not make it better, or more functional. It is simply a by-product of laziness and unwillingness to learn a tool the right way, the way it was done for hundreds of years. I find it very hard to believe that over the 400 or so years, fencing has come to the touch for touch sport we know, no-one had ever come up with a pistol grip or something like it in all those years. It makes you realize that finesse, finger control, and the mental aspect of fencing overrides any force that is amplified by the pistol grip.

on 11/22/2005 With foil blades, they break really easily if you get the most inexpensive kind. Be sure that they're FIE approved. FIE blades are almost three times as expensive, but it's worth it, because in the time it'd take to break an FIE blade, you'd break five less expensive blades.

on 11/22/2005 You may wish to carefully consider using a pistol grip. Pistol grips are said to enhance your strength, but strength is not the focus of fencing. By using a pistol grip you will not learn to use your fingers as well as you can with a standard grip. Pistol grip users tend to use their arm too much and less of the fingers to maneuver their point. I recommend "The Inner Game of Fencing" written by Nick Evangelista. It explains that the pistol grip destroys your ability to fence with the grace that a standard grip does, and basically turns you from a fencer to a poker. You do not need to bash your opponent into submission or clean them off the piste. Remember to begin learning with the Foil, starting with the Sabre or Épée is detrimental to your learning process. I wish you luck, and choose wisely.

on 11/22/2005 No one uses Italian foils anymore. Don't bother buying a non-electric weapon. If you are advanced enough to want your own stuff, you will be using electric ones most of the time.

Shoes are important. It is possible to find cheap ones, and they make a huge difference. I would even not bother getting a mak or weapon, but just shoes!

on 11/22/2005 Orthopedic grips, commonly referred to as pistol grips, are usually better for fencing than French grips. French grips may be useful in pe because you can hold the end to extend your reach. Most people use pistol grips, though, because they are more comfortable, especially over a long period of time, and they're easier to control and hold on to. French grips are mainly used for beginning fencers who are learning finger control (because you need a lot of it to use them).

on 11/22/2005 Pistol grips can be useful, too. Despite the fact that you don't have quite so much control over the grip, many people find them more comfortable and useful. You can still execute a good flick and they are easier to hold properly and keep from flying out of your hand. You do not lose feeling in your fingers, you merely lose a little bit of blade maneuverability. Why do you think most electric weapons have pistol grips?

on 11/22/2005 The so-called orthopedic grip, or pistol grip actually improves finger control and sensitivity. In addition, it helps to prevent hand fatigue. The French grip is really only good for the most beginning fencer. Once the fencer has progressed into electric fencing, a pistol grip is almost a necessity, especially when fencing foil.