lefty knickers

[D+F+P=Hadouken!]

Hey,

I'm considering buying some left handed FIE knickers off of someone. There isnt a rule againt a righty wearing left handed knickers, is there? Also, besides the pocket being on the other side, are they constructed differently?

[Elendae]

The opening for the zipper is on the opposite side as well. Other than that, I don't think there's anything to worry about. I was given righty knickers instead of lefty and no one has said anything about it.

[pacer]

both times I've ordered left handed knickers, I've received right handed ones. As far as I can tell, the side the pocket is on is the only difference, (And that is easy enough to fix) I suppose if you were buying a practice uniform you might get a pair of knickers where the leading leg was reinforced with an additional layer of fabric, but the uhlmann n350 or n800 aren't constructed that way.

[glowstix]

Originally Posted by D+F+P=Hadouken!

Hey,

I'm considering buying some left handed FIE knickers off of someone. There isnt a rule againt a righty wearing left handed knickers, is there? Also, besides the pocket being on the other side, are they constructed differently?

why would you want to buy lefty knickers if you're right handed??

i have generic cheapo knickers with the zipper in the middle but the pocket is one left side which makes it a pain in the a$$ to put the body cord there between bouts since i'm left handed. i'd much rather have left handed knickers..(along with those nice left handed adidas asymmetrics but thats a whole different thread.. ).

[achilleus]

Originally Posted by Elendae

The opening for the zipper is on the opposite side as well. Other than that, I don't think there's anything to worry about. I was given righty knickers instead of lefty and no one has said anything about it.

That's the big difference. It's why wearing the wrong pants is illegal, as the flap can catch points, and the zipper ain't 800N.

If you're gonna spend the money, get the right pants. The astute ref will not let you fence.

The astute fencer also realizes what a blade going through the zipper can damage.

[foildad]

DFP-

If you don't buy them maybe I'd buy them for my lefty son. Could you hook me up w/ the seller?

Thanks

[Frank Pratt]

Originally Posted by achilleus

That's the big difference. It's why wearing the wrong pants is illegal, as the flap can catch points, and the zipper ain't 800N. ...

My thoughts exactly. Left knickers on a righty are dangerous (and thus illegal) for the same reason a lefty jacket on a righty is illegal. This is not a good area to under-protect!! I would think that most referees would fail to notice, but if one ref did notice, you would face a yellow card and would not be allowd to fence until you replaced your knickers. You could actually get a 2nd group penaltly (red card) for delaying the bout while you hunted down another pair.

If you just want the pocket on the other side, a few minutes with a pair of scissors, some thread, and a needle should do the trick. Just don't move that flap to the other side.

[edew]

The direction of the overlap for the front zipper is different, in the same way that left- versus right-handed jackets are different.

[Mauler]

You will eventually encounter a referee who will notice it and the resulting process will be somewhat unpleasant for everyone involved. If you are competing as a right-handed fencer, buy the right-handed gear.

At Sacramento, a fencer reported to the strip for a second flight of a Div II Women's Foil, which would place this incident sometime in the mid/late afternoon of a packed day. While checking for her plastron something didn't look quite right. She had her jacket and lame (right-handed) partially unzipped to display her plastron, yet the plastron was worn to protect her on her left side.

My initial impression was that perhaps she was new at sport and didn't understand the proper use of a plastron. It turns out that she had just purchased a new jacket and lame when she got to the Nationals. And yes, she is left-handed! She even got them stenciled! (no return)

To make things worse, she was one of the pair that was slated to fence the first bout of the pool. Don't go through what she did. It's not fun RUNNING from your strip to vendor to make an emergency re-purchase on an item that can't be returned (because they were already stenciled), and then RUNNING to the armourer to get it validated, and then RUNNING back to your strip and fencing your first bout at a National Championship with a bunch of penalties... exhausted.

Don't do it. $20 (or whatever the savings) you may be saving isn't worth it.

[Sword Mistress]

why not just get a pair of knickers that has pockets on both sides?

they do exist.