pistol grip hurting my hand

[gwfencer]

I am used to a french grip for both foil and epee. Recently, I have had to use a pistol grip because at the club that's been available. I found my hand hurting a lot. Especially if I try and do a circular parry movement or anything similar.

I tried holding it really loose and it feels better. I'm wondering if I'm just not used to it but will get used to it, or if my hand doesn't take that well to pistol grip or if I need to accept the concept of holding a weapon a lot looser than I expect.

Advice, opinions, thoughts?

"Keep your point in line"

[FencerInUS]

I had the same problem when I first got my pistol grip. I have since gotten used to it and it dosent hurt my hand anymore. I tended to put a death grip on it when I first got it, I had to consiously loosen my grip on it to get my hand to stop hurting. Doing drills with this in mind helped greatly.

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F.I.US.
Parry, THEN riposte
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[Shadow Fencer]

I too have recently transitioned from the French to a Belgian and have and on occasion, still experience discomfort from gripping it too hard. One of the tips my coach told me was to loosen the grip on the middle, ring and pinky fingers. This way I would be more conscious of easing the "death grip" I have!

[Arturo]

Not all pistol grips are alike. Some people's hands are too large for some of the smaller grips like belgians, and some of the visconti styles. You have to try different grips and see which one fits your hand the best, also remember not to hold the grip too tightly.

[DarkTransient]

At one point I was thinking about switching to Russian grip. Russian grip is really comfortable; its like a sofa for your hand and you can still flick with it. But I am sticking with Belgium for maximum performance. I have never dropped my sword which has a Belgium grip, and its middle finger trigger allows me to perform close range flicks with ease.


[This message has been edited by DarkTransient (edited 03-05-2001).]

[arcon]

[ 10-19-2001: Message edited by: arcon ]

[damianip]

gwfencer,

Relax your hand and also try as many grips as possible.

You are probably holding the weapon in a death grip. If the grip is properly sized, it should lay comfortably in the hand. Like the French, use the manipulating fingers to control the blade and let the aids fall into place on the grip.

The most common mistake in selecting a first ortho is using a grip which is too big.


Paolo

[MikeHarm]

I found my hands hurt when I had one that was too small. I've never had any problems with my hands hurting with a french grip though.

Mike

[neevel]

gw--

You've got the solution figured out-- pistol grips should if anything be held more loosely than French grips. Keep a gentle pinch with the thumb and forefinger, and then just rest the back three fingers on the grip without applying any significant pressure. Squeeze down momentarily when making blade actions (parries, beats, etc.), but then immediately release the pressure. You should be able to easily shift the grip around in your hand as you manipulate the weapon-- if you have trouble doing so, try a different grip, which allows you to move it more freely and doesn't fill the hand completely.

-Dave

[This message has been edited by neevel (edited 03-06-2001).]

[escrime chick]

If any of you like Russian grips, you should try the Rambeau - it's very similar but more streamlined, so it's easier on your hand (especially for those of us with small hands!) and it's very good for circle-parries and for flicking

[chilli]

Cheers Ecrime Chick
I was going to ask what was recommended for us little people. I have always used a French, but I am planning on getting new kit v.soon.

Anyone else? Got suggestions for tiny hands that want to have a grip, no dropsies, but great wrist.

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Chilli ~((((>

[foodle]

Visconti grips come in a bunch of sizes (from x-small to x-large). The x-small ones are meant for adults with very small hands or children. I think you should be able to find a grip that is the right size for you given the range of sizes that they come in.

Try your salle-mates' weapons and see which one is sized right for you. Then order that size. Better yet, if you live near a fencing shop or goto a tourney, go and try the different sizes yourself.

[Lumberg]

Try a different pistol grip.

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Lumberg.
"...ahhh, we have sort of a problem here... yeah, you apparently didn't put one of the new cover sheets on your TPS report"