Fencing girls

[deadly lefty]

I, as a boy, have trouble fencing females because of the errrmm "chest area". I always subconsiencly hit off target because of girls. what advice can you guys or ladys give me? I dont want to hit those areas because I imagine it would hurt a lot!

[ThornOfTheBlood]

*falls over anime style* If they are not wearing a chest protector, it's their fault for getting hit in the chest and it hurting, just like it would be your own fault if you didn't wear a cup and got nailed in the balls.

[cowpaste]

I just pretend that my foil tip is my hand.

[ebonylevin]

Just hit them! Wearing a chest protector for girls hurts a lot less, getting hit, than it does for males who dont wear anything, or so I would imagine.

[Katman]

I just pretend that my foil tip is my hand.

Chek likes to poke girls hard, in the chest.

[ThatReallyHurt]

You know, I had the exact same difficulty you're describing. Besides the whole "ouch, that's going to hurt" thoughts, I grew up in a household full of "traditional" values (that's what my Mom calls them, anyway).

One of the coaches in my club got me out of that habit pretty quickly, though. She (yes, this coach is a she) would keep pairing me up with females for drills and other practices, and she'd watch to see if I was being timid. If I was, she'd try to correct me verbally, and if that failed, she'd sub in as my drill partner and let me have it. She'd also tell me to find my lunge distance and then practice lunging at her. I'd often be back too far so as not to hit hard (or at all), but then she'd start stepping into my lunges so my foil would hit and bend waaaay over. Then she'd take care to say "that didn't hurt. Lunge again!"

It took about a month, but I'm finally fencing flat out against anyone I'm bouting. Maybe try doing drills or practicing with female opponents more often until you get comfortable with the fact that you're not going to hurt anyone...

[greenchick]

I, as a boy, have trouble fencing females because of the errrmm "chest area". I always subconsiencly hit off target because of girls. what advice can you guys or ladys give me? I dont want to hit those areas because I imagine it would hurt a lot!

We're required to wear the applicable protective gear. Y'all aren't.

[davtsung]

There's that awkward moment when you hit the chest protector and it makes that sound (ya know). If it's really loud you kinda have to play it off as if you let loose a 'silent but violent', so not as to seem uncomfortable in acknowledging its there. While acoustically uncomfortable for me to hit it, I once hit a newbie in the chest when she forgot to wear the cups of life, that was just plain awful. Brave soul even pretended as if it didn;t really hurt. It was alright cause I 'hurted' for her.

[greenchick]

There's that awkward moment when you hit the chest protector and it makes that sound (ya know). If it's really loud you kinda have to play it off as if you let loose a 'silent but violent', so not as to seem uncomfortable in acknowledging its there. While acoustically uncomfortable for me to hit it, I once hit a newbie in the chest when she forgot to wear the cups of life, that was just plain awful. Brave soul even pretended as if it didn;t really hurt. It was alright cause I 'hurted' for her.

Dude, seriously, you're overthinking this.

We're not embarrassed by having boobies. We're not embarrassed by wearing breast protectors to keep our lovely delicate girls unbruised. And we're not at all (at least, the terribly cruel ones amongst us) embarrassed when you're embarrassed about hitting them. (In fact, some of us may even take advantage of the fact that some guys are really awkward and embarrassed, and score 5 quick touches while y'all are still waiting for the blush to fade.)

[davtsung]

Dude, seriously, you're overthinking this.

We're not embarrassed by having boobies. We're not embarrassed by wearing breast protectors to keep our lovely delicate girls unbruised. And we're not at all (at least, the terribly cruel ones amongst us) embarrassed when you're embarrassed about hitting them. (In fact, some of us may even take advantage of the fact that some guys are really awkward and embarrassed, and score 5 quick touches while y'all are still waiting for the blush to fade.)

i wasn't suggesting that girls are embarrassed by having boobies (though the usage of that word should render some embarrassment) though you lost me with the double embarrassment typing. Alls I saying is that I'm awkward about it, doesn't mean I'll let a competition walk over me in competition. But during practices when you may have to hold your form after lunge, it can get weird. But yes, I do overthink about women's ....boobies was it?

[mackillian]

That sound makes me giggle every single time.

[Peach]

They're mostly fat with some glandular tissue, and they're not particularly sensitive overall. If you get hit unprotected, yeah, they're going to hurt, but so would anything soft that was sticking out, such as my tummy after Thanksgiving. Breasts are designed for nursing children, and if you think that's a gentle undertaking I advise you to apply an industrial vacuum cleaner to your abdomen.

There's a fairly nonsensical discussion in the latest American Fencing Magazine by the otherwise levelheaded Peter Harmer discussing why women have to wear breast protectors and men don't have to wear cups. He does make one valid point, that the breasts are frequently hit and the groin isn't, which makes sense (unless you've seen a few too many male fencers down on the ground rocking and keening, as I have).

I am female and coach fencing in a boy's school and they get used to hitting me in the chest pretty darn fast. They'd better. If they hold back, I explain that I'm wearing water buffalo hide and it doesn't hurt, and then I whack them on the head a few times.

[Saber-Psycho]

I, as a boy, have trouble fencing females because of the errrmm "chest area". I always subconsiencly hit off target because of girls. what advice can you guys or ladys give me? I dont want to hit those areas because I imagine it would hurt a lot!

It actually hurts MORE when you hit off the chest plate area. Because, I mean, it's hard plastic. It ain't gonna hurt.
Just hit 'em.

[mlr2fence]

When a boy is timid about fencing a girl tell them that she is, or at least should be, wearing body armor. The gals know 'the object of the game' and wouldn't be fencing if they were afraid. The also want the boys' best game so they can gain experience from it. I've heard girls complain in practice when they perceive the boys to be scaling down when bouting them as compared to other guys. Of course, being brutal is never appropriate no matter who the opponent is.

[ls14evar]

Its more fun when they wear the metal hubcaps. They make a much more satisfying sound when hit.

[D+F+P=Hadouken!]

I get pissed off when the girls complain that I hit them there, and they are not wearing the proper items.. jeeze girl, wear the plate, and it wont be a problem, cause its fair target.

[allisonhazen]

We women get to wear plenty of padding (via chest protection). For foil, this means that a good 70% of our target area is fully covered and pain-free from all hits. For epee and sabre, plastrons help a lot with the arm bruises. So, don't be too concerned -- body hits barely hurt us ladies. And, while you're at it, get yourself a male chest protector -- no sense giving us women such an advantage in practice bouts! Happy fencing.

[jBirch]

Well, tank armour is angled to prevent hits. So too are breast protectors. Damn near cheatin' I say.

[The Mormegil]

we could make all women who fence do what the Amazons did, and cut of there "boobies" . . . . wait what the heck was i thinking, i like boobies, they can just were the proper gear. definitely much better idea.
seriously, i have been fencing a 14 and a 12 year girls lately at practice, it takes a little getting use to, 1) because they are girls, and 2) because they are kids. but it's valid taget area. you just have to deal, they know what they are getting into.

[D'Artag-NOT]

Ohh, this whole discussion makes me chuckle.

As the mature woman in our club, I get the job of advising the femme fencers about breast protection (saving them, and our male coach, possible embarrassment). Trust me, the devices work and you're not going to hurt or injure anyone. Try to think of it as "getting a touch" rather than "hitting a girl".

My sister, the tang soo do black belt, tells me that well-brought-up young men have this problem in Eastern martial arts as well. The key to overcoming it is to adjust your thinking a little. By going all out, you're treating your female opponent as a full competitor, which is inherently a respectful attitude. Serious female fencers are offended when a male opponent holds back as though they were delicate little flowers.

Sidebar: I have such a fun time working with male newbies to overcome this problem. All I have to do is get them laughing by asking, "How can you possibly miss a target this size?!" (the bosom gods were generous to me).

But to the initial poster--bless your momma for bringing you up so nicely.