Do you use a wrist strap for your foil or epee?

[DHCJr]

The martingale is describe above by several people. The strap is basically that a strap. With a martingale, if you were to let go the weapon would hang from your wrist. With a strap, you can't let go. It holds the back end of the handle against your wrist.

[klauver]

First a martingal and a wrist strap are different. For French a wrist strap would be illegal, but as noted above, it is used for Italian.

A martingal WAS required until 2002 FIE rule book for all Non-electric FIE competitions. A martingal is used so the weapon can not be thrown even acidentally, which the body cord does now.

M.4.6 precludes the wrist strap from the French.

I am dating myself here, but back in the 70's, I used to use what I was told was a Martingal, but it was a velcro strap that went around the palm of my hand between the thumb and forefinger. It was not attached by the handle. It did not go around the wrist, behind the thumb. I only used it against opponents with wicked binds and attacks to the blade, Italian style.

I soon transitioned to a Belgian grip and so I didn't need it anymore. Is that classified as a "wrist strap?"

[DHCJr]

Yes, that would be a wrist strap. For only a few pence, you can get a matingale from Leon Paul. The trouble is you have to buy 10.

[davtsung]

Just hold on tight!

[mrbiggs]

"Non-electric FIE competitions."!

I think i may know why the fie took that one out the rule book

Until sabre was electrified, there were non-electric FIE competitions. But not in foil or épée, of course. But it wasn't out of the question.

[ChrisFrench]

First a martingal and a wrist strap are different. For French a wrist strap would be illegal, but as noted above, it is used for Italian.

A martingal WAS required until 2002 FIE rule book for all Non-electric FIE competitions. A martingal is used so the weapon can not be thrown even acidentally, which the body cord does now.

M.4.6 precludes the wrist strap from the French.

DHCJr, can you please explain M.4.6 to me? Why should it not apply to the Italian?

Cheers!

[DHCJr]

The Fench and the Italian or Pistol grip are different as the French has no attachment that fixes the hand position. The others already have those attachments. If you were to add a wrist strap to a French that would be an attachment. The problem is it does not fix the hand in one position only. You could strap it so your thumb was 2 cm from the inside of the guard. But you could also strap it so your thumb was 1 cm or another distance.

I would like to add that this rule has come up at a Wheel-Chair fencing where Dan was present. A coach wanted to tape a French grip onto the fencers hand because the fencer could not hold it. The ruling was if they switched to a pistol grip, they could tape the handle on.

[sarmaticus]

Darn that's a good idea! I'll have to try that - as I continually get my body cord looped out of my glove and caught up my opponent's blade.

I've noticed that Marcel Fischer tapes his bodywire to his wrist.

[Sumo_Sniper]

First a martingal and a wrist strap are different. For French a wrist strap would be illegal, but as noted above, it is used for Italian.

A martingal WAS required until 2002 FIE rule book for all Non-electric FIE competitions. A martingal is used so the weapon can not be thrown even acidentally, which the body cord does now.

M.4.6 precludes the wrist strap from the French.

Body wires tend to not do that job very well. While I haven't even seen a strap and thus haven't figured out if they are foil/epee only, I know that in sabre, bayonet or two-pin, the body wire won't hold it from a good hit.

Evidence is from Australian Nationals where the lefty opponent must have blinked at the wrong time, and I came in with a very strong beat, leaving his hand empty and the sabre sailing across 2 pistes to land about 20 meters away. While I don't didn't consider that a hard hit, I was thinking "Holy Crap." The bodywire obviously didn't do crap in that case, and I've seen them let go before.

Similar things have happened in foil for me, although not to that magnitude. Either way, I wouldn't use a strap.

[DHCJr]

If that is true, the fencer who lost his weapon could get a yellow or a red card for non-conforming equipment. See M.5.3.

[Sumo_Sniper]

It's a National competition, requiring full FIE standard gear, so I'd've though they'd be pretty tough on it. I don't mind really. I think it really shocked him and softened him up for the rest of my team.

[Zenfencer]

Does anyone know where one can get those old velcro style wrist straps like Santelli used to sell? Mine are getting a bit ragged.

[DHCJr]

I am not sure of what the Santelli wrist straps were like, but you can get double sided Velcro in most large fabric stores. This has the pile on one side and the hooks on the other. It is sold by length and there are several widths.

[PeterGustafsson]

Hi!


A former Sw. ME champion (50ies), and more importantly - SEMI member uses a wrist strap for his pistol-grip epee. He has a leather strap with a small belt-buckle on it.


Have a nice time!

Peter Gustafsson