pistol gripes

[samster]

i have a basic visconti grip on my foil and my hand hurts quite a bit-thumb side (top) of the middle finder and the thumb side of the pinky at the first carpal joint. because of this, i've been using a french weapon -- which is actually kind of nice i think. but getting back to the pistol grip-- is this a common problem? is it something you just get used to after a while? is it fixable (with something like a dremel tool) and if so, then how do you fix it?

thanks,
-sam

[lefty_monster]

If the pistol grip hurts, you need a different one. It's not supposed to make you hurt. Well, if it's blisters then you might want to check out a different glove. But if it's soreness then you're grip is wrong. Sounds like maybe your grip is too small for your hand, IMHO.

[noodle]

If the pistol grip hurts, you need a different one. It's not supposed to make you hurt. Well, if it's blisters then you might want to check out a different glove. But if it's soreness then you're grip is wrong. Sounds like maybe your grip is too small for your hand, IMHO.

or you might have a death grip, which hurts your hand.

[samster]

If the pistol grip hurts, you need a different one. It's not supposed to make you hurt. Well, if it's blisters then you might want to check out a different glove. But if it's soreness then you're grip is wrong. Sounds like maybe your grip is too small for your hand, IMHO.

it's soreness. no blisters. i wear a size 8 glove and am using an absolute visconti size small. the medium hurt even more so i switched down. i'm beginning to think the shape is just not for me. maybe i will try to send the unused grips back and exchange for something else (tho it's been a month already)... grips seem to be like bicycle saddles. trial and error is the way to find the one for you... unless you're exceptionally lucky to hit it on the first try.

-sam

[samster]

or you might have a death grip, which hurts your hand.

i assume you mean 'holding on for dear life...' it happens sometimes, but i've been working on that. i'm sure there's some correlation now that you mention it.

[GypsyScot]

maybe i will try to send the unused grips back and exchange for something else (tho it's been a month already)

Don't worry about it, just send them over.

Ninja Edit: Clever title

[lefty_monster]

i assume you mean 'holding on for dear life...' it happens sometimes, but i've been working on that. i'm sure there's some correlation now that you mention it.

Concentrate on holding the grip with your thumb and index finger. That cures the "death grip" tendency and gives you control. Don't loosen the other fingers so much that the weapon is knocked out of your hand, but loosen up a little.

[HDG]

Try a belgian. You might even be a candidate for <gasp> a Zivkovic. Couldn't begin to tell you which one though.

[samster]

Concentrate on holding the grip with your thumb and index finger. That cures the "death grip" tendency and gives you control. Don't loosen the other fingers so much that the weapon is knocked out of your hand, but loosen up a little.

yes. my coach/instructor says that too. however, i find that when i focus on the technical stuff (e.g., reminding myself to relax, loosen the grip, etc.) i get whacked. it's an incredibly reliable trend. over and over and over again... it constantly amazes me how much there is to keep track of. i don't now how i did this in high school. but so far, it's much much fun.
-sam

[lefty_monster]

Don't worry- I do that too. Coach says to keep my arm a certain way and I get hit because I'm too busy with my arm.

[KD5MDK]

Eventually you get better at it. Ubung macht der Meister.

[RenegadeStorm88]

Try a belgian. You might even be a candidate for <gasp> a Zivkovic. Couldn't begin to tell you which one though.

Whats so special about the belgian grips?

[lefty_monster]

I vote for belgian. They are ze best! There's nothing special about belgians. Zivkovics are "special" in that they're weird.

Grips are a matter of personal preference and hand shape. Belgian and german seem to be the most popular grips with visconti coming in close behind.

[HDG]

Whats so special about the belgian grips?

Nothing; they're just sufficiently different from visconti's that they might work better for you.

[Fechter1]

Ubung macht den Meister.

Fixed that for ya. (Except for the umlaut, which I am too lazy to import...)

[KD5MDK]

It's been 4 years since I even pretended to study German, and I was always terrible at gender of nouns.

[wahrman]

Why don't you just press the "Ü" button.

Oh right, I've got a German keyboard.

Fixed that for ya. (Except for the umlaut, which I am too lazy to import...)

[samster]

... Ubung macht den Meister.

exercise makes the master. (demonstrating the handiness of google.)

are there a lot of german people on this site?

[mackillian]

A belgian short could be an option for you as well. If you want to try one out, PM me, I've got a few extras lying around, as only TCA carries them in the US (as far as I know!) Don't get one from TCA, their belgian shorts aren't made properly (though I can't really put my finger on why they feel so funky). I've had to order the ones I use directly from Prieur. Anyway, when I was trying out grips I had problems with the Visconti and after trying a bunch of other grips, found that the belgian short was the most comfortable (smallish hands) for foil. Epee, however, regular belgian all the way (or the balance is off).

I'll shut up now. Stupid rambling.