Is Fencing lefty still an advantage

[davtsung]

It seems that we're getting more and more practice against our 'mal-dextrous' chiral counterparts that the 'advantage' seems a little less than when first starting out..... What do you think? Plus, also indicate if you are in fact a lefty and in what weapon...

[remise]

I am not a lefty. However, I systematically win more bouts against left-handers than I do against right-handers.

[fencergal33]

I said maybe. I think at the local level, it's still an advantage because most people train against righties. The higher up you fence, the less of an issue it becomes.

[Morion]

Against me it is! I have not yet figured out how to properly deal with you evil left handers and want to put together a petition to make left handed equipment illegal in bouts!

[Joe biebel]

Originally Posted by Morion

Against me it is! I have not yet figured out how to properly deal with you evil left handers and want to put together a petition to make left handed equipment illegal in bouts!

Yeah, let's say you are successful and get the left-handed equipment banned, and then they (left-handed fencers) fence left-handed with right-handed equipment and still beat you? You may need to pull a Tanya Harding.

Our club has several strong lefties and only 2 strong righties to train with. My confidence is unaffected these days by the handedness of my opponents, just their skill affects the outcome.

[sonofaconch]

I've only fenced a handful of lefties to begin with, but was never really concerned about their handedness. I won some and lost some, but chalked it up to skill more than anything else. Personally, I've never been intimidated. The south paws have their weaknesses, just like the rest of us.

[jeff]

There's still an advantage, based solely on the lefty's (I am one) having more time to train against opposite-handed opponents. It takes time to make those reflexes natural!

It's worth a lot of touches at beginner level, less so for experienced fencers, but probably still gets the odd touch here or there to the lefty's advantage. Righties who get a lot of strip time with righties, and experienced fencers like Joe Biebel are largely unaffected.

Also - lefties who rarely fence other lefties are equally fish out of water when they finally have to fence one!

Hey, Joe: don't put evil ideas in Morion's head!

[CvilleFencer]

In foil, under the old timings I preffered fencing lefties. I had a decent attack to shoulder, flank back and chest. Mixing them up I did very well against lefties. Under the new timings I can't get my touches to register, primarily because I don't fence foil much anymore and my attacks usually finished angulated or flicked. Muscle memory takes over for me when fencing lefties and my attacks just don't register. I am slowly working on it, but you don't have to be much of a fencer to cause me serious grief in foil, just be left handed and counter attack every time I come in. Chances are it will be one light for you! In epee it is much less and issue for me but I would still prefer to fence a right handed fencer.

[telkanuru]

One of my coaches gives lessons left-handed, and I normally don't even notice an opponent is left handed until I've already unhooked. It's simply another factor, like hight or speed.

[Morion]

Originally Posted by jeff

Hey, Joe: don't put evil ideas in Morion's head!

Hmmmm I do have a couple of old tire irons out in the garage.....

[leapyear]

Everyone says being lefty isn't an advantage at the higher levels- but it seems to me like there are an awful lot of lefties on national teams and in the Olympics.

Does anyone have any stats on the proportion of lefties v righties at the higher levels?

[Durando]

Originally Posted by leapyear

Everyone says being lefty isn't an advantage at the higher levels- but it seems to me like there are an awful lot of lefties on national teams and in the Olympics.

It's because they're gratified at an early age by a preceived advantage. As a right-handed épéeist I love fencing them. In a way, it's more simple though I'm at a loss to say why. (Insert usual reasons about actions against the hand, prises de fer in the usual lines, etc.) Perhaps it owes to me having had three left-handed maîtres d'armes, but it's not something that I or anyone else I know whose been fencing for more than a couple of years gives a second thought to.

[Cerian]

Originally Posted by CvilleFencer

In foil, under the old timings I preffered fencing lefties. I had a decent attack to shoulder, flank back and chest. Mixing them up I did very well against lefties. Under the new timings I can't get my touches to register, primarily because I don't fence foil much anymore and my attacks usually finished angulated or flicked. Muscle memory takes over for me when fencing lefties and my attacks just don't register. I am slowly working on it, but you don't have to be much of a fencer to cause me serious grief in foil, just be left handed and counter attack every time I come in. Chances are it will be one light for you! In epee it is much less and issue for me but I would still prefer to fence a right handed fencer.

Chest flicks are still pretty reliable against lefties. Shoulder too, you just have to flick more like you would in epee.

[davtsung]

Originally Posted by CvilleFencer

In foil, under the old timings I preffered fencing lefties. I had a decent attack to shoulder, flank back and chest. Mixing them up I did very well against lefties. Under the new timings I can't get my touches to register, primarily because I don't fence foil much anymore and my attacks usually finished angulated or flicked. Muscle memory takes over for me when fencing lefties and my attacks just don't register. I am slowly working on it, but you don't have to be much of a fencer to cause me serious grief in foil, just be left handed and counter attack every time I come in. Chances are it will be one light for you! In epee it is much less and issue for me but I would still prefer to fence a right handed fencer.

I've always had more problems against lefties, so the counter-attacking lefty has to me become the true plague of the new timings, even more so than 'no lights' on a valid touche. I never really appreciated how flicking was that important a piece of my repertoire until I'm suddenly facing a lefty and sweating over whether or not my straight attack will register. And if the straight attack has that possibility (albeit lower) of not registering, why shouldn't I flick? I decided that I'm going to incorporate more flicking again (against either L or R)..... I'm not gonna lie, it may hurt more to my opponents, but if you counter-attack and show me your back, it will be a 'recreational' hazard you should be ready to deal with!

[indirl2000]

MORION : The left side of the brain control the right side of the body and vice-versa,which means we only out think right handers naturaly.

[Morion]

Originally Posted by indirl2000

MORION : The left side of the brain control the right side of the body and vice-versa,which means we only out think right handers naturaly.

Does that mean I should hit them on the head with my tire iron instead of the knee???

OK, enough of the Tonya Harding schtick!! I actually have started doing a little better against lefties lately because someone taught me how to properly do a 6 coupe and I am getting better at feints. To me it seems that fencing a left hander involves a lot more point control since your main target is their flank and that is usually a much smaller area on anybody with a good En Garde.

[bleeblue]

In epee - i like fencing lefties. i'm able to get under them and do nice wrist hits.

In foil (which i don't do much of anymore) i loath fencing lefties!


There is a 50/50 divide of lefties and righties in my club (well the poeple who usually show up for training anyway) so i've always had practice with lefties.

[tbryan]

Originally Posted by davtsung

It seems that we're getting more and more practice against our 'mal-dextrous' chiral counterparts that the 'advantage' seems a little less than when first starting out..... What do you think? Plus, also indicate if you are in fact a lefty and in what weapon...

Based on most of the fencing I see locally, lefties still have some advantage in foil. It doesn't help them beat superior opponents, but lefties seem generally to do better against righties of about the same skill level.

In epee, lefty vs. righty has never bothered me at all. I know a few epeeists who hate fencing lefties (including one lefty ), but it seems to make much less difference in epee where the near targets still "look" the same. The problem in foil is normally the change in angle of the the target. It curves away to your left instead of to your right. In epee, the wrist and forearm are still just behind the guard.

[Sword Hobbit]

I don't know if fencing lefty (I do) is an advantage bu we tend to confuse the instructor.

[KD5MDK]

I think it's like baseball: Left handed pitchers are pretty rare in high school, more common in college, and by the time you get to the Majors every team has as many as they want, and everybody is used to them. But they had a better chance of being picked for college ball and developing because they were a lefty back then.