Dressing order?

[Poulet]

I'm kind of curious as to how any of you guys go about getting dressed. Is there an optimal order? Are some ways faster than others? What has worked in your experience? What do the best fencers do?

I was shown the more classical style of dressing when I was a beginner. But times are changing, as the flick has shown (and not shown!) and I want to keep up with the latest methods and strategies involved with all aspects of the game.

Which makes it easiest to go to the bathroom (Knicker straps over or under the plastron? Under the shirt?)? For males? Females? Hermaphrodites?

[Linkthealmighty]

I find it best if the pants go on my legs and the jacket on my torso, I tried it the other way around once and it really hampered my footwork.

On a more serious note, I'm curious about where most people put the body cord, over or under the plasteron? I've tried it both ways and I think I like it over better.

[Zilverzmurfen]

Originally Posted by Linkthealmighty

I'm curious about where most people put the body cord, over or under the plasteron?

Under?!

[sabreur]

You forgot "jock/cup" and "Barbie-boobies."

And T-shirt.

And bike or compression shorts for those who wear them.

And, splints, knee braces and other supports.

My particular order would probably be something like:

Jock/cup, T-shirt, knee braces, socks, knickers, shoes, plastron, jacket, lame (w/body cord attached).

Most sabre fencers (at least the ones I know) run their body cord under their lame, over their jacket.

Oh yeah, and you forgot glove and mask.

[Zilverzmurfen]

Originally Posted by Poulet

To the person who voted for the second option: How do you feel that putting on the knickers before the socks helps your fencing?

It doesn't, but it's more convenient (for me) to dress in that order.

Also wearing the plastron 'under' your breeches is more convenient when having to go to the bathroom. About the hairy skin...well, I'm female so I don't really have a lot of problems with leg hairs getting pulled out.

And my socks never falls down. The 'elastics' in them are good. I also, sadly, am cursed with big calves () so that helps keeping them up too I suppose...

[Go? Fencing?]

I'm curious- do people put chest protectors on under or over the plastron? I put it under, but I've seen people put it over. My logic says that since the plastron is uneven, it would be more comfortable to have it over the protector.

[Epee Scherma]

I think that Poulet is on a mission to start the dumbest threads in f.net history. Well I just thought everyone should know that being a nudest, I
fence in the buff. So does the babe in my avator, she fences in the buff.

To answering Poulet's question about going to the bathroom:
I have oftened wondered this too. The great fencing author Evangelista says in his book, The Art and Science of Fencing, that you need to take off your jacket and knickers before doing #1. That way you don't yellow-stain your clothes. Always remember! Shake twice. Mr. Evangelista condemns the new way of doing #1 in a fencing suit. You part the jacket to the right side of mister wiggly and unzip the knicker's fly. FLICK mister wiggly once. This is the quick and untactical way that came about in result of the flick attacks we see.

[melihop]

tank top, knickers, t shirt... socks... chest protector.. underarm gaurd.. body cord.. jacket... sneakers.. lame... lol... glove.. plug into weapon.. mask...

[jBirch]

Uh, you guys actually wear knickers without breeches where you fence?

James.

[fatfencer]

The poll is flawed.

Doesn't include either the chestprotector(Oh I wish there was a gay smilie)

Or a t shirt underneath ewverything.

Fatfencer

[FencingKitten]

First off. I am unique, mainly because I fence wearing six braces on four different parts of my body. I start in undergarments (for the nitpickers), shorts, sport socks (calf-high), and my underarmour shirts (god I love those).

First - fencing socks. All the way up to the thigh, either Adidas soccer variety or the estoc fencing socks, which are like a nice wonderful calf-hug.

Next is the first series of braces. Slide the knee braces on, just high enough to be above where the ankle braces are going to go, but not all the way up - want to be able to bend the knee. Put on and lace up ankle braces. Add knickers around the calves. Shoes next, tie now. Ace wrap on the quad muscle, for warmth and a little support. Pull up, align and secure knee braces. They stay up very nicely with the socks underneath them, and hold the socks up I used my knickers to hold my socks up before I started bracing regularly. Pull up knickers, use elastic at the bottom to help hold knee braces in place. Bottom, done.

Add XenaBra, then plastron/underarm protector/whatever. Tuck that into the knickers, then pull the straps up (means one less thing to take off when it's time to use the restroom). Add jacket, body cord, mask cord to lame, then put the lame on. Zip it all. Cuff/glove combo, including threading the body cord.

All in all, takes me about 20 minutes to get dressed, but is nearly a warm-up in itself!

Bonus tip for "How to hook up in Sabre" requires some competency with the off weapon hand. Hook up your weapon, grip securely. Mask goes under the weapon arm, already connected to mask cord. Then step on strip. Take the reel end from the other fencer/pick up the reel end with your off-weapon hand, hook it onto your D-ring, plug in your body cord and secure, and turn around for test. Makes things go OMG faster, and this method surprises referees who aren't expecting fencers to hook up at any decent rate.

[JasminaJ]

Nice white undies, jogbra, Underarmour t-shirt, knickers with straps down,socks or very cure tights, then shoes,then into team warm-ups until I get to the strip. At the strip:
climb out of warm-ups, put on chest protector, plastron, jacket, bodycord and mask cord with lame', glove manchette, 2 sabers, extra cords in a plastic
container, albuterol inhaler, sport drink,and mask. That's what I did today at Orange Coast Division Qualifiers for Summer NACs. Had to compete individual, not enough women for a saber team this year.

[swordwench]

We've ignored one of the most important aspects of dressing... the selection of underwear. I don't think I'm alone when I say I spend more time selecting just the right pair of underwear to match my mood than I do in throwing the rest of that list of stuff onto my body. If my knickers were to split in the middle of a bout, the last thing I'd want is to have people see unattractive undergarments! (They see unattractive fencing coming from me as it is.)

[needle]

Underwear, cup, underarmor, socks, knickers, plastron, jacket, glove
...
damn, forgot the cord
take off glove, unzip top of jacket, slide the cord in, zip jacket, put on glove, check zipper on knickers

[FencingKitten]

Originally Posted by needle

Underwear, cup, underarmor, socks, knickers, plastron, jacket, glove
...
damn, forgot the cord
take off glove, unzip top of jacket, slide the cord in, zip jacket, put on glove, check zipper on knickers

Heheee. We usually rag on people who do this - "Dress now, flirt later!"

[Fencergrl]

Needle getting distracted while flirting and dressing?.... Noooo... not our Needle!

[needle]

Originally Posted by Fencergrl

Needle getting distracted while flirting and dressing?.... Noooo... not our Needle!

That's right, thank you. Now, flirting and undressing - that's entirely different matter

[glowstix]

Originally Posted by jBirch

Uh, you guys actually wear knickers without breeches where you fence?

James.

uumm..aaahhh..aren't they the same thing??

[glowstix]

oh yes!! the cup..can't forget the cup..