The Difference Between Pistol Grips

[SinisterFencer99]

I was hoping someone could describe the difference between belgian, russian, and visconti pistol grips for foils. Also, if you order through fencing.net Visconti can be ordered in different sizes but belgian and russian seems to be only one size. So to make a long story short (too late, I know) is there a way to compare visconti grip sizes to a sizing chart like for a glove. Or does anyone know of a fencing equipment supplier in massachusetts where a person could go and find out what grip would fit them?

[magic_moose]

The best is to try different grips, but here is general sizing info
http://www.amfence.com/html/foil_grips.html#grip-info

[TangMan]

I was hoping someone could describe the difference between belgian, russian, and visconti pistol grips for foils.

Aside from sizing, I've been interested in this myself. I only own Visconti grip foils and since my area has no local suppliers I really don't know what the advantages or disadvantages of each would be. Obviously this is largely a matter of preference otherwise there would be a clear "best" grip and nothing else would be in production, but what in theory does a russian grip do that a visconti doesn't?

[MyrddinsPrecint]

it's not that they "do" things others don't, it's that people have very different hands, and sometimes what is really comfortable to one person will pinch a nerve in someone else's hand.

I wear a small glove, and fence with small viscontis. I imagine you should default to the same size as your glove, but you might eventually want to switch for some reason.


Most clubs in MA should have a number of people who use different grips, or at least the coach has a pile of something on a workbench somewhere. Otherwise, http://www.zivkovic.com/ is located in MA, although they don't carry standard viscontis/russians/etc.

If you can wait until Pomme de Terre in June, there will be vendors there....

[Piranha]

Personally, I found that even if I held even the smallest Visconti (I have very small hands), the ridges in the grip forced me to hold the weapon with my middle fingers and thumb instead of my index finger and thumb. Switching to a severely modified (i.e., cut down and filed in many places) Russian grip fixed that problem, and I have been using them ever since. I am an epee fencer, though, so I can't say if this grip is good for foil or not...

[Neinteen]

We ALL know Italian is the only way to go....

JOKING....

( Flees the mobs of dissenters faster than James II at the sight of William of Orange )

[veeco]

Obviously this is largely a matter of preference

It completely is. Don't let anyone (but me) tell you anything different.

Now, about that French grip...

[TangMan]

Now, about that French grip...

I've been reading Nick Evangelista lately. His rants against pistol grip make me never want to use a French grip again.

[veeco]

If you fence foil, don't use a French grip. They're pretty much obsolete in that weapon.

If you fence epee, give it a try! Not saying it will be the be all and end all, but it can be a great learning experience. Even if you don't stick with it, you might find out what it feels like to fence with one, learn more about its shortcomings and advantages, and be better prepared to fence someone who uses one.

[Nolano]

Keep in mind that not all of the same types of grips are created equally.... I had an XL Blue Gauntlet Visconti, which, when that weapon broke, I replaced with a new Leon Paul, with an L Visconti grip.... The LP is far superior, and much more comfortable. Not to mention I believe their sizing system is better devised. At a tournament last month, a friend of mine fell in love with my LP visconti over his Prieur.

[Pescados666]

The different grips are for different types of hands. They all have a different feel to them. At my school they only have rubber french grip weapons with Absolute blades. (I found one on the cart that was BF but I can't find it again... I found it to be much better than the Absolute Fencing blades.) Anywho, my school also has one russian grip foil on the weapon cart and although it felt better then a French grip and better yet then the Itallian grip weapons my coach has mounted on the wall do, I've held some of the weapons the varsity fencers have and they feel alot better. It would be best to find a club with a shop or something local where you can feel the grips. There arn't any shops local to me so I had to find pictures of the grip on Google images and think about how they would fit/feel in my hand. I decided on the Visconti M for my non-electric foil that I plan to buy/have given to me for Christmas.

[FoilyDeath]

If you fence foil, don't use a French grip. They're pretty much obsolete in that weapon.

Sorry, but thats not true. Some top foilists out there do fence french, although yes, they are an extremely small minority.
Try both. Really. The first time I picked up a pistol grip, I fell in love, but one of my teammates who uses french grip does a damn good job with it.

[OROD]

If you fence foil, don't use a French grip. They're pretty much obsolete in that weapon.

Sorry, but thats not true.

Just because some Amish use horse and buggies doesnt mean they're not obsolete.

Some top foilists out there do fence french

Hahahahaha... yeah, sure they do.

.

[mrbiggs]

Sorry, but thats not true. Some top foilists out there do fence french, although yes, they are an extremely small minority.

Feel free to name one.

And we're talking international level here (because I've got an inkling of who you're talking about ).

French grips are better for a certain, small set of moves and it's possible to base a fencing style around those moves. However, it's really just not as good of a grip overall.

[FoilyDeath]

Meh, i don't like giving names online. I know one in the US and another in the UK. Whilst none of them are international champions or anything, both of them have done very well at national level.

They're both good grips, and frankly the fact that no world champion has used one isn't particularly surprising seeing most coaches tell their students to stop using them two weeks in and never touch them again. I wouldn't use one, but they can be very helpful in some situations and for certain fencers.

[HDG]

Meh, i don't like giving names online. I know one in the US and another in the UK. Whilst none of them are international champions or anything, both of them have done very well at national level.

I believe that you are singlehandedly keeping the word "whilst" in use in modern English.

[giraffedog]

I think more people should say whilst...

anyway, for me it is more about the specific grip than which type it is. After trying so many grips it has come to the point where I couldn't care less what type it is as long as it fits well in my hand. I mainly use visconti and belgian and I used to hate russians until a guy at a tournament last year showed me his which was one of the best grips I've ever held.

It is true that though I use french for epee sometimes I never use it for foil, because I find it harder to get power in a beat without a pistol grip.

[samster]

If you fence foil, don't use a French grip. They're pretty much obsolete in that weapon.

I still use french, but there's one guy who keeps knocking my weapon out of my hand with outlandishly hard beats (he uses an LP Golubitsky). It's for him that my search for a pistol grip continues.

I was hoping someone could describe the difference between belgian, russian, and visconti pistol grips for foils. Also, if you order through fencing.net Visconti can be ordered in different sizes but belgian and russian seems to be only one size. So to make a long story short (too late, I know) is there a way to compare visconti grip sizes to a sizing chart like for a glove. Or does anyone know of a fencing equipment supplier in massachusetts where a person could go and find out what grip would fit them?

Most outfits seem to have only one size in Belgians and Russians. I think maybe amfence.com offers some variation in sizing of Belgians.

So far I've tried:

1. Visconti: creates tolerable, but distracting, pain in middle and ring fingers.
2. Belgian: numbs my middle finger (and I mean completely numb!)
3. Zivkovic BIII: rear prong presses too much into my palm
4. Zivkovic GII: better than, but similar to the my first set of Viscontis

I may try the Zivkovic S next... But it's tiresome trying out all these grips.

FYI Zivkovic is in Wellesley Hills, MA I believe. Good luck finding something that works for you.

[Chris]

I believe that you are singlehandedly keeping the word "whilst" in use in modern English.

No, he's not: I used it, just last week!

[HDG]

No, he's not: I used it, just last week!

Bravo; now we just need someone here to revive "betwixt".