FIE: no reqmnt for leftie on left?

[jjefferies]

I did search the forum so if this has been broached before - guess I just missed it.

At NAC C (Richmond), one of my director's <this is epee> told us that as the FIE no longer requires lefties to be positioned on the left side he was no longer requiring it of us (again this is epee which may make a difference). Is this correct?? i.e. the FIE no longer requires it in epee?? If so does it automagically spill over into USFA practice?

[oiuyt]

Originally Posted by FIE Rulebook

t.17.1 Le tireur appelé le premier doit se placer à la droite de l'arbitre, sauf dans le cas du match entre un droitier et un gaucher, si le premier appelé est le gaucher.

Originally Posted by BFA Translation

t.17. 1. The fencer whose number is called first should place himself on the right of the Referee, except in the case of a bout between a right- and a left-hander, if the left-hander is called first.

That said, it's ignored not infrequently. Especially in team matches.

Watch some video, you'll see the fencers hooked up to the "wrong" side at times.

-B

[edew]

I think we should move to not use the "lefty on the left" rule. It's easier for beginning fencers to learn "first called on the right" and be done with it. And, referees should practice reffing backsided bouts to get use to it.

I see the WC videos all show "wrong way" bouts of late.

[KD5MDK]

I should get used to it so that when I hit the FIE level I good enough not to enforce all rules?

In epee, it doesn't matter as much. In foil, you'll just narrow it down to the covering target side and the less covering target side. How confused will beginners be when the rules for hooking up are different between weapons?

[FoilyDeath]

Sorry, but the left hander on the left rule is actually important, and has a reason for existing: you see bugger all as a ref otherwise. The first person on the right is completely useless, which is why most people never ever enforce it, apart from in the US for some bizarre reason.

[KD5MDK]

Given the number of fencers who sign scoresheets with the scores reversed, everything to help diminish that is a good thing.

[fencerbill]

It doesn't seem to make any difference in Sabre and little in Foil, but I like lefty on the right in Epee.

I like to watch the lights as well as the fencers. If the fencers hug the line on the machine side of the strip, it is harder. If they hug the side away from the machine, it is easier. Since you are more likely to see them on the edge of the strip with righty against lefty, putting the lefty on the right makes sense to me.

Until the rules nazis come along, oh well.

[rudd]

I would imagine the FIE are doing this in team matches to keep the team members always on the same side of the piste. Better for the audience and probably better for the teams.

[stu]

For team matches maybe it makes sense. Maybe. The rest of the time though, giving the ref the best view possible seems like a good idea. After all, we can't spend half our lives complaining about them if we're just going to make things harder for them.

[DJ Apostrophe]

In world cups, when they get to the finals strip, they have gotten away from having the referee between the fencers and the audience, and instead, having the referee face the audience with the fencers in between. As a result, the "lefty on the left" rule is being ignored in order to give the audience better views of the action (which is why they moved the referee in the first place). As a referee, I will continue to enforce the lefty on the left rule until I'm told to change that by the FOC. I don't think they'll change it except under similar circumstances as the FIE.

-w

[parrythis]

Originally Posted by fencerbill

It doesn't seem to make any difference in Sabre and little in Foil, but I like lefty on the right in Epee.

I like to watch the lights as well as the fencers. If the fencers hug the line on the machine side of the strip, it is harder. If they hug the side away from the machine, it is easier. Since you are more likely to see them on the edge of the strip with righty against lefty, putting the lefty on the right makes sense to me.

Interesting perspective - not one that I would have thought of.

I always thought that the "lefty on the left" rule was important in foil because if the lefty was on the right, both fencers would be facing away from the ref and it would be harder to tell if anyone was covering target.

[DJ Apostrophe]

Originally Posted by parrythis

Interesting perspective - not one that I would have thought of.

I always thought that the "lefty on the left" rule was important in foil because if the lefty was on the right, both fencers would be facing away from the ref and it would be harder to tell if anyone was covering target.

Yeah, but Epee fencers are cheating bastards!

Every last one of them!

-w (an Epee fencer)

[glowstix]

Originally Posted by edew

I think we should move to not use the "lefty on the left" rule. It's easier for beginning fencers to learn "first called on the right" and be done with it. And, referees should practice reffing backsided bouts to get use to it.

I see the WC videos all show "wrong way" bouts of late.

no no no!!! but i like the red light.. what am i going to do with my life now!?!????

[downunder]

I was told at my FIE exam that we should always have the left handed fencer on the left, especially in epee, to watch for the back arm parries.

I was told that the reason why this wasn't done at St Petersburg (and as I understand it possibly some of the Grand Prix events) was because the computer software that puts the names and information of the fencers on the screens next to the piste automatically allocated the sides without considering the 'handedness' of the fencer. It was a decision made to just get on with it rather than waste time trying to resolve it on the spot.

[Capt. Slo-mo]

Although there were a number of instances in St. Pete's where there was much running around and flipping of the names on the scoreboards.

At one point, an FIE official came sprinting up to me, and began pointing to the board and gesticulating wildly, all the while unleashing a torrent of French directions to change the placement of the names. (At least, I think that's what: "votre mère était un hamster, et votre père senti des baies de sureau!" meant)

The Tissot people (who ran the scoreboard system) and the Fencing Pictures people (who ran the video replay system) were all wearing black t-shirts (albeit with slightly different logos), hence his confusion.