Is a protective cup for men required?

[mrbiggs]

Of course, I was hit there within the first two or three touches.

That's kind of ridiculous--I don't know if it was a coincidence, a product of your fencing style, a product of your opponent's fencing style, or any combination thereof, but that's a very unusually high occurrence rate.

I haven't worn a cup for any of my time fencing. I get hit there maybe once a year, and it's generally very mild and I just have to take a second to collect myself. When I was starting, it happened slightly more often, but still pretty rarely.

On the other hand, it is important to realize that you are taking a risk when you don't wear a cup. There are a ton of horror stories on this forum, and a friend of mine had a very serious incident in the region (involving stitches ). It's a risk I'm taking, but it's a risk I think you should be aware of before you make the decision whether or not to wear one.

[W. Richmond]

Tonight I watched one of my club mates take prime and jam the other in the nuts while they were coming in on the fleche, just watching made me glad to be wearing a cup.

[Inquartata]

It's required for both men and women.

Appendix A to the Material Rules. Section 3.2. Paragraph 3.

In 7 years of fencing I've never worn one, never been checked to see if I was wearing one,

Note to self: Next time you referee, after warning that you will card for influence-oriented or excessive screaming, ask each fencer if he is wearing a cup, and insist on each fencer doing a self-check. If no cup, start the cards! You may be able to wreak absolute havoc on an entire pool this way!

Brilliant!

I don't know any sabre fencers who wear one.

Cough. Yes, you do.

[oiuyt]

Note to self: Next time you referee, after warning that you will card for influence-oriented or excessive screaming, ask each fencer if he is wearing a cup, and insist on each fencer doing a self-check. If no cup, start the cards! You may be able to wreak absolute havoc on an entire pool this way!

At which point the appeal will (should) end up with a discussion of whether or not the appendix in question is actually integrated into any of the rules. Or is merely an interesting suggestion or side discussion that has managed to make it officially into the rulebook.

Depending on who the senior referee(s) on the DT are that could be interesting.

-B

[milstdfarm]

"Depending on who the senior referee(s) on the DT are that could be interesting."

If as you suggest, a protective cup is required for women as well, I suspect all women at the tourney would be eliminated!

I was mildly surprised a cup is required for men. I am very surprised a cup is required for women.

[Foiled in Seattle]

If it's good enough for the lead singer of Jethro Tull, dammit, it's good enough for me!

[Inquartata]

At which point the appeal will (should) end up with a discussion of whether or not the appendix in question is actually integrated into any of the rules. Or is merely an interesting suggestion or side discussion that has managed to make it officially into the rulebook.

Depending on who the senior referee(s) on the DT are that could be interesting.

-B

More arguing for Inqy! It's a win-win!

[MyrddinsPrecint]

"Depending on who the senior referee(s) on the DT are that could be interesting."

If as you suggest, a protective cup is required for women as well, I suspect all women at the tourney would be eliminated!

I was mildly surprised a cup is required for men. I am very surprised a cup is required for women.

Oiuyt reads the rules very very carefully. Yes, the rulebook makes no distinction that women aren't required to wear a cup, but I also doubt that it would ever be used, unless Oiuyt was in a particularly mischievous mood.

[Fechter1]

Oiuyt reads the rules very very carefully. Yes, the rulebook makes no distinction that women aren't required to wear a cup, but I also doubt that it would ever be used, unless Oiuyt was in a particularly mischievous mood.

Ah, but if you read the prior section on breast protectors, specifically the inclusion of explicit gender definition, then by NOT defining a gender for the cup requirement, that rule must therefore apply to ALL fencers. (Definition by omission?) <evil grin>
At least, that's what I am prepared to argue should someone every try nto exclude me from a competition for that reason.

And yes, one could cut a mixed tournament probably about in half (including eliminating probably all the female fencers) just by mandating the cup check...

[needle]

I got the Shock Doctor Men's Bio Flex cup off of Amazon -- it cost all of $7, and after 30 seconds of wearing it, I forgot I even had it on.

Get it here: http://www.amazon.com/Shock-Doctor-M...ef=pd_sbs_sg_6

Another happy Bio Flex user here. I highly recommend it, as well as their compression shorts with a cup pocket - http://www.shockdoctor.com/product/p...trade-cup.aspx

[rdg]

I'm a woman, but I think you would have to be a crazy man to fence epee without one. It is target, afterall, and for some smaller women their arm extension level is close to that height. I haven't hit too many men there, but it DOES happen.

I prefer to reference it as the chalise.

Piranha: Oh but you have. It was that clunking sound.

Very happy to have one,

Sam

[ACrimsonRapier]

That's kind of ridiculous--I don't know if it was a coincidence, a product of your fencing style, a product of your opponent's fencing style, or any combination thereof, but that's a very unusually high occurrence rate.

He has a tendency of counter attacking toward that area. =\

[JEC]

Cheaper solutions....

http://store.titlemma.com/mma-groin-protectors.html

[erik_blank]

And for those females out there:

http://www.hand-crafted.com/item.cfm/RecordId/147.htm

This one even has logos!

http://www.sportskids.com/superstore.../p/358056.html

[slow_learner]

http://www.nuttybuddy.com/

So comfy that often at the end of fencing I forget to remove it and end up driving home with it on.

Am even thinking of trying it for indoor soccer. Last night two of the guys stopped the ball in an unfortunate manner.

And if you must know, yes, I wear the Mongo...

[Telemakhos]

It just doesn't seem necessary to me. I've been hit in the pieces in everyday life, but that doesn't mean I wear a cup to class or to the grocery store. If you have anywhere near decent distance, it shouldn't be a problem to not wear one, even if your opponent likes low-line attacks.

[Inquartata]

Actually, I wear one during shifts at work, which sometimes bleeds over into trips to the store and so forth.

I would estimate that I get whacked across that area about three time a month in practice, mostly by (a) wild novices, and (b) good sabre fencers who favor low line attacks. I'm not sure whether these would have been painful had I not been wearing the cup, and I'm just as happy not to find out!

Brad, do the rules, as you read them, require wearing the cup inside the knickers, or would exterior codpieces satisfy the letter of the law? I've always wanted to construct a "Black Russian" with which to frighten the FOC, er, I mean, the clergy...

[bigdawg2121]

http://www.nuttybuddy.com/

And if you must know, yes, I wear the Mongo...

Sooo, you're over 6'1...and on a fencing forum. Expect a cookie?

[telkanuru]

It just struck me that every time we have one of these threads, I say that I have never worn a cup and haven't been hit, someone always says "Oh well just you wait!"

eyeroll.

[Foiled in Seattle]

It just struck me that every time we have one of these threads, I say that I have never worn a cup and haven't been hit, someone always says "Oh well just you wait!"

eyeroll.

Is the eye-roll for the content of the sentence or the lack of punctuation?

It's fine with me if you don't wear a cup, because I don't think you'll necessarily get jabbed in the nads. I also don't think you'll necessarily be involved in a major automobile collision, but I'll bet you fasten your seatbelt every time you get behind the wheel. You do it because it's simple, cheap insurance that doesn't really have much of a downside.

You've had enough people in this thread tell you that the new cups are extremely comfortable to wear and cheap to buy. So, tell me, what's the downside?

By the way, Seattle's emergency rooms do gangbuster business with bicyclists who, right up to the moment their heads met the pavement, would assert that they've been riding their bikes for 30 years and have never needed a helmet. They seem to apply the same logic to helmet use that you do to wearing a cup.

I hope you never need one.