Left-Handed Coaches?

[parryDoh]

After getting a chance to talk to my coach again, my teaching foil now has a right-handed grip =)

Reasons

Right-handed lessons are better for the student.

Giving right-hand lessons will help keep from forming bad habits in my fencing game.


What do you think?
Do you give your lessons mostly with right or left hand?

[catwood1]

I am right handed, and give primarily right handed lessons.

Every left handed coach I know, give lessons with both hands. I would say its primarily right handed lessons, but plenty of both. I think the reasoning is less to avoid bad habits, and more because its more helpful to the fencer, as they fence *primarily* right handed fencers.

Which reminds me, I need to pick up a couple left handed visconti's, so I'm not just holding a right handed visconti upside down.

[Coldfire]

I'm left handed. My coach is left handed. He gives me lessons primarily with his left hand. Its not a problem unless the action is significantly different when fencing a right handed opponent. If it is he'll explain it. If I want him to give me a lesson right handed, all I have to do is ask.

I find that it has significantly helped me when it comes to fencing other leftys. I dont even notice usually, or if I do, it doesnt matter and I havent noticed it hurt me when it comes to fencing rightys.

[Adler]

I give lessons with both hands but i'm naturally right handed.

Being able to give lessons with your non-dominant hand has 2 main advantages:
1) It allows their pupils to gain confidence in dealing with opposite handers.
2) It rests the coach dominant hand.

IMO if a coach is doing their job properly it shouldn't matter which hand they use to give lessons with.

[Goldgar]

I'm right-handed and give mostly right-handed lessons, although I also give left-handed lessons to help my students become comfortable with left-handed presentation, technique, and tactics. I give many more lessons right-handed than left, though; not so much because the majority of opponents are right-handed, but because I am much better with my right hand, and can give a higher-level lesson with that hand. I need to work on giving better left-handed lessons, so that the choice of which lesson to give can be entirely based on what the student needs to work on.

[big daddy]

Im right handed but I give lessons with either hand. That being said I tend to favor giving lessons in foil with my left hand.

[Bryn Ralph]

Leonardo Terrone's opus entitled "Right and Left Handed Foil" promotes the bilateral development of fencers. Although written in 1920, the information is useful for instructors despite the classical paradigm of Italian fencing.

[HDG]

My coach is a natural righty, but I greatly value the occasional lessons he does with the left since there is not a single lefty in my club to practice against.

[telkanuru]

My first coach gave lessons lefty.

It didn't seem to hurt anything, and I was better against lefties.

[MdA]

A good fencing coach should give lessons with both hands.

[Superscribe]

I've also had to take lessons with both hands, because i had the good fortune of having left handed glove and foil. The coach i got the lesson from said it would be for me mentally. I'm skeptical

[Superscribe]

Also something i think is worth noting: the perceived importance of the hand with which you give the lesson is different in the 3 weapons. The target area is the most difficult to hit in foil, so it think left/right distinction is most important there.