Fencing.Net - Your Guide to Fencing & Fencing Equipment

botmer · 08-11-2002, 08:32 PM

Well, I'm one of those fencers kind of obsessed with the asymmetrical development of the body in fencing, though I see most fencers around don't mind too much about that. So, what do you think about practicing once in a while with your left arm or right if you're left-handed? I've even got foils for both hands for this. (When I bought a left handed foil I got some are-you-nuts looks from other fencers) Some guy told me doing this doesn't work but so far he's the only one so radical about this. I see nothing wrong in experimenting with the "weak" side. Course I'm not going to compete with my left hand if I'm righty but it feels good to make the other side of the body work even though it feels awkward. So how do you folks compensate your muscles' development? If you've never done it, you should try a few fleches with your "weak" side, it feels funny. I'm not talking about ambidextrous people, but anyway, is it true that these people have a lot of trouble to fence?

attila · 08-11-2002, 10:14 PM

If you have the time to burn-sure and go for it. Just remember that it takes years of specilaized work on our hand-eye-foot coordination in order to develop a decent game just on our "natural" side. If you just want to develop your bod I bet you are better off working out at the health gym.

achilleus · 08-12-2002, 12:45 AM

<blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by botmer:
Well, I'm one of those fencers kind of obsessed with the asymmetrical development of the body in fencing, though I see most fencers around don't mind too much about that. So, what do you think about practicing once in a while with your left arm or right if you're left-handed? I've even got foils for both hands for this. (When I bought a left handed foil I got some are-you-nuts looks from other fencers) Some guy told me doing this doesn't work but so far he's the only one so radical about this. I see nothing wrong in experimenting with the "weak" side. Course I'm not going to compete with my left hand if I'm righty but it feels good to make the other side of the body work even though it feels awkward. So how do you folks compensate your muscles' development? If you've never done it, you should try a few fleches with your "weak" side, it feels funny. I'm not talking about ambidextrous people, but anyway, is it true that these people have a lot of trouble to fence?<hr /></blockquote>If you want to develop your off side, cross-train. Most athletes do weight training to compensate for weak muscles.

As for why don't people use both hands, I've seen some fencers during injury periods switch hands. But as for training, when a coach was asked, he (an olympic fencer) responded that he had fenced for 25 years and was still learning how to fence with one hand, and what could you possibly hope to learn if you keep switching?

three_hundred_fifty_five · 08-12-2002, 07:58 AM

If you choose to go that route, then you need to get two gloves and two jackets (unless you get a back zip jacket) and if you fence sabre or foil, you need to get two lames (unless you get a back zip lame) and two manchettes if you fence electric saber. Then, you'll need two sets of weapons.
Short answer. If you are serious about competing, stick with one hand.

scarlet_woman156k · 08-12-2002, 10:47 AM

Cross-train, cross-train, cross-train. It's amazing what cross-traning can do when your balance has been knocked off because of the obvious asymmetry fencing causes.

I began cross-training initially for strength, muscle building and endurance, but really noticed the benefits regarding overall balance that it has on the body.

[ 08-12-2002, 01:49 PM: Message edited by: scarlet_woman156k ]

angrylemur · 08-12-2002, 04:23 PM

I have enough trouble handling the one weapon. Maybe when I'm world champion...

epeefencer74 · 08-12-2002, 06:32 PM

I'm all for training with the non-master hand. If nothing else, it will give a unique view into how the opposite handed fencer sees the world. I myself have at times trained and fought with my non-master hand (left in my case). Though the fencing was very clumsy, it was fun to do. Also this has helped me in my capacity as coach. I can act both as a right-handed or left-handed fencer for my students to train with.

Inquartata · 08-12-2002, 06:54 PM

Everyone develops asymmetrically. It's just more visible in some athletes. ( Typically the right side of your body is slightly heavier than the left, one leg is fractionally longer than the other---and I'm sure you've noticed facial asymmetries ).

The problem with practicing with the offhand is that you have only a limited amount of practice time, and you are in fact limiting yourself even more this way. Stealing real practice time in pursuit of symmetrical physical development, in other words...