Fence with my off-hand, or just practice?

[swordwench]

I’m having surgery on my weapon hand next week, and will be unable to fence for about a month. This just about killed me – I need to hit stuff or I’ll implode. So I get this insane idea in my head that I’ll fence with my off-hand. I buy a glove, and borrow a weapon. Knowing full well the muscles in that hand won’t be able to grip an epee just yet, I settle for a foil. Cool! I’m all set. Off I go to practice a bit before the inevitable trauma sets in when I’m not allowed to fence anymore.

Week 1 – I can’t move my feet without having to think about it. OK, that’s bad. But I can move a little, and I can parry just about anything that comes at me and land some ripostes. It’s a start.
Week 2 – My hand is cramping up. The grip doesn’t feel right. I try to lunge, and it’s an embarrassment. It’s more like a big, long stomp. No power coming off the back leg. Plus, my lead foot is pointing inward somewhat. It’s hopeless.
Week 3 – The grip doesn’t cramp as much. That’s good. I ignore any temptation to actually fence. I work on lunges, and lunges alone, with one of those target machines. The aim’s not that bad, although the length of the lunge is about half to 2/3 my normal range. After about a hundred lunges, it starts to feel more natural but my thighs are killing me.

The question is: what do I do with this forced recovery period? Do I try to actually fence humans, or only do footwork and lunges on both sides? Wallow around in self-pity with a bag of Cheetos? Any suggestions on what to do to keep busy and productive would be greatly appreciated.

[Frater_Frag]

Learning to fence with both hands is a good thing, allthough, one side will always be No:1.

By doing this, your body will get more symmetrical, and its actually rather fun to fence "wronghanded", besides, for as a coach, fencing with both hands is nescessary, at least being able to teach with both hands is a must. The footwork is another story...

[BenTheEMOP]

We have a woman at my club with a similar problem (it seems like tendonitis in the fencing arm) but with an unclear recvery time. Still, we are finding ways to keep her busy while she heals.

it you are going to be able to return to fencing with your proper hand, then there are some things you can do.

1. Foot work, as you said. Now is a good time to practice it.

2. Distance drills: Basically doing footwork with a partner without a weapon or hitting anyone. If you can hold a string in your hand or maybe tie one around your wrist, you can practice maintaining distance by keeping the string taut between you and a partner while you are moving back and forth.

3. Directing: Now is a good time to practice directing and seeing what directors see, which may give you a chance to learn how to fence your second opponent -- the ref. It also allows you to watch a lot of fencing and think tactics and strategy, which leads to...

4. Visualization: Fighting the bouts in your head and hitting someone on the strip of the mind. This can seem kind of goofy to some people, but if you practice it well, it can really help improve actions.

5. Cross Training: This could be a good time, depending on what the docs say about getting your blood pumping (sometimes that is not a good thing to do because it can slow healing in a wound), to do some running and other cross training that doesn't involve your hand.

The one risk about fencing with your off hand is that you risk getting hit in your back hand. While it is rare, it does happen, and that could set your healing, and thus fencing, back even longer.

Good luck! Here's to a speedy recovery!

[Black Jeebus]

My coach is going to be relegated to doing this for a good long while in the near future. He "popped" a/some tendon(s) in his right bicep and his doctor told him the heaviest thing he should be lifting with that arm is a fork. He actually has another problem besides fencing, and that's his 9 month old baby. Since he works from home he is the primary caregiver, and there's no way he can actually hold his son up with his right arm.

[Ramrod]

Why not try fencing another human? Pick an experienced partner who will understand your handicap (learning off-hand fencing) and will fence down to your level. Another beginner would be too uncontrolled to do you much good. If you really want to learn to fence with your off-hand you have to feel what the parries are like and the point control.

Regular footwork, distance drills will keep your strong-side in shape while your hand heals.

Heal fast.

[DBGlazer]

Funny you should ask . . . .

In mid-January, I developed acute tendonitis in my right elbow and forearm. So, I thought I'd give fencing leftie a try, somewhat afraid that perhaps it was a completely foolish idea. Turns out not to have been that bad, at all. The foot work is the easiest thing to transfer. I'm convinced that there's nothing particularly left-footed or right-footed about foot work. (After all, right-handed boxers place their LEFT feet forward. Lunging off your right leg if you're right-handed actually feels pretty good. Too bad you can't to that while actually fencing rightie!)

The blade work is harder to transfer to your off hand. Practice with a target, and it will come more easily.

The hardest thing, of course, was actually fencing. I found that my reflexes were slower and my actions were exaggerated (that is, more so than usually . The one area that I found satisfactory was fencing lefties -- I much prefer fencing leftie-leftie over right-leftie. Which brings up my final point. After my right arm began to feel better (and after my left arm began to develop problems), I switched back to fencing right-handed, primarily because I HATE fencing off-handed. I don't care if it's right-leftie or leftie-rightie; I find both awkward. (Of course, I'm still a relative noob, so a more experienced fencer might not have the same problems.) I did learn some things, however, that have helped my rightie-leftie game.

So, in short, go for it! You'll be a better fencer for it, and you won't have to quit while you wait to heal. I would recommend a tennis elbow brace so that your off arm doesn't feel the effects of the new efforts too radically. You can also use it on your dominant arm once you decide to return to fencing rightie.

Good luck!

[swordwench]

Thanks for all the help, guys. These are all really good suggestions - and I guess I was looking for some validation that sitting around with my Cheetos wasn't the way to go. I'm only mildly disappointed.
I've already locked myself into continuing to direct and help teach during the down time. I can't afford to give up my only nights out! Ben...'s comment about cross-training raised a good point, and one I hadn't considered before - I will need to check with my doctor before actually doing anything strenuous so I don't screw up the healing process. Fortunately, it's very minor surgery - just major enough to keep me from fencing for a few weeks. (Whether or not I can pull of the [SHAMELESS PLUG] Memorial Day Round Robin [/SHAMELESS PLUG] a few weeks later is still up in the air, but it's not looking good. ) BTW - loved the string idea for distance.

I'll stick to mostly footwork, bladework with the off-hand, and do some low-key bouting with my left. I don't want to do *too* much with a foil, though, or I might get attached to it again. Can't have that, now, can I?

[Ramrod]

Originally Posted by swordwench

I don't want to do *too* much with a foil, though, or I might get attached to it again. Can't have that, now, can I?

Just remember, it's only what you practice with. It's not the real thing!

[RoninX]

I broke my weapon hand and fenced sabre left handed for about 3 months while my weapon hand was healing. As mentioned, the footwork actually came around pretty quickly just a couple of nights and I was moving pretty well. Fencing a weapon I was a little less familiar with helped quite a bit with the frustration factor.

[Valerio Versace]

Sometimes I fence with my right hand... it's hilarious.
The first time I tried to fleche, I lined my shoulders as if I was fencing with my left hand, and tripped myself with my left foot.