what to buy?

[triptakers]

Hi all!
My daughter has been taking epee lessons for less than a year, but likes it enough that she wants her own "stuff" - I'm great with that, since there's a lice outbreak in town (yuk), and I'd like her to have at least her own mask, lol. She's a lefty, also, and got a good slice last week on the wrist, since that's the easiest spot for rightie new fencers to hit - so I want to ask about the best jacket/glove to get to prevent that (I know you can't fully prevent it) from happening again. Since she's still new to the sport, I'd rather not throw a ton of money out there, but am unsure how to find good/inexpensive/used maybe stuff for a leftie? And obvious newbie question - what's a lame, and do we need one?


Thanks!

[Inquartata]

A lame is a metallic-threaded* jacket ( for sabre ) or armless "vest" ( for foil ). You don't need one in epee.

You face the fundamental trade-off between cost and quality. There's no perfect solution to it, and you'll have to choose one or the other, or settle on a compromise.

I don't fence epee, so I am not conversant with what is "best" for equipment for it. But someone should be along presently who is.

Or in some cases non-metallic with a conductive coating of some sort.

[noodle]

these are good places to start:

http://shop.fencing.net/Basic_Epee_F...dn-start2w.htm
http://shop.fencing.net/product_p/fdn-ee01.htm

[TBean]

Don't know how much you are looking to spend, but in addition to the recommended above there are the Leon Paul starter sets. They are more expensive, but the quality of the product is very high, but if you don't know if she will stay with this, or she is very young this might not be the best option.

http://www.leonpaulusa.com/acatalog/..._Epee_Kit.html

Add another $50.00 to this kit and she has knickers as well. Given that you have a daughter, you are going to need to invest in some kind body armor/chest protector as well.

[tbryan]

My daughter has been taking epee lessons for less than a year, but likes it enough that she wants her own "stuff" - I'm great with that, since there's a lice outbreak in town (yuk), and I'd like her to have at least her own mask, lol. She's a lefty, also, and got a good slice last week on the wrist, since that's the easiest spot for rightie new fencers to hit - so I want to ask about the best jacket/glove to get to prevent that (I know you can't fully prevent it) from happening again. Since she's still new to the sport, I'd rather not throw a ton of money out there, but am unsure how to find good/inexpensive/used maybe stuff for a leftie? And obvious newbie question - what's a lame, and do we need one?

You may also want to head over to the Parent's Corner to talk with other fencing parents. Factors that you might want to consider include the age of your daughter, how much she's likely to grow (needing to replace her jacket, knickers, under arm protector, chest protector, and shoes), and how likely she is to stick with fencing (how fast to buy all the gear). Is she just fencing at her club, or is she starting to go to competitions outside of the club? How big is fencing compared to other activities that she does? For example, your situation could describe an 8-year old who just takes a group class and bouts with her classmates at the club. It could also describe a cadet who is fencing three nights/week, getting private lessons, and is starting to compete.

You might not want to go out and spend a bunch of money on top of the line gear only to have her quit next year or outgrow half of it in six months.

You can also spread out the purchases. Maybe start with a mask to avoid the lice problem and maybe a glove. Then get a weapon and body cord. Then the jacket and underarm protector. And so on. After a year, she would have all of her own gear. And you'll already be in the habit of buying gear every few months for when she breaks her first weapon, outgrows her jacket, etc.

If you can only splurge on one item, I've seen recommenations to splurge on the mask first since a catastrophic mask failure will often result in injury.

Even good fencing gear won't prevent against bruises or abrasions through the fabric. It's there to prevent cuts and more serious wounds, especially when a blade breaks. If the injury was from a blade hitting her bare skin, then a jacket and glove that fit correctly would probably have helped.

[Purple Fencer]

I personally recommend the Armor 2 glove...which I designed with better padding for those hard hits (she'll still feel it, but not as bad)

I sell them....drop me a line.