That Other Hand

[Clean Touch]

Most fencers (beginners, intermediate, and the advanced varieties) focus on their footwork and their bladework, and the mesh of the two into a seamless, fluid fencing machine bent on the destruction of their adversary.

But what about the off-hand? In the fencing classes I teach I emphasize the classic arm-up and profiled chest of classical fencing. I teach the beginners to throw it down when they lunge and to use the upward motion to wrench their bodies back into the on guard position during the recovery. I personally use this technique when I fence and find that throwing the hand back and down propels me forward like a rocket and adds to my speed incredibly.

Most of the fencers I encounter have taken to holding their offhand at their waist, as if it were the only thing they could do with that odd appendage. Some hold it out to the side and fling it back to get it out of the way. Most of the "good" saber fencers at my club hold their off hand straight down, hunching their shoulders like a Neanderthal.

What do you do with your off-hand? Do you hold it low? Keep it high? Try to keep it out of the way?


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Est-ce que l'attaque etait bon? Mais Oui!!

[Link14]

In our beginning foil class, I've been teaching the students to hold there off-arm relaxed, slightly away from the body. I'm trying to keep their shoulders relaxed, from covering target area, and to maintain balance. We do practice extending the arm back to help point control and recovery.

When I go to coaches college this summer (hopefully), maybe I'll find out if I'm teaching it correctly.

[damianip]

My son's coach insists that in épée the off arm be down and relaxed. He says that having the arm elevated causes excess tension in the shoulders: particularly bad for the weapon arm and for point control.

The arm goes back on the lunge for impetus and balance.

I carry my arm at about rib height against my torso in épée.

For foil, the coach says, down, slightly away from the torso and out: don't want to cover target, but you want to keep the arm relaxed.

That also happens to be how I hold it in foil.

Paolo

[EnoYls]

I hold it kinda down and away from my body and back in all weapons. if that makes any sense.

[belligerent_sorceress]

I tried holding it up, but that got kind of tiring.

Now I hold it at my waist, but away and back, with my shoulder relaxed. One girl on my team crooks her arm like she's holding a baby, but tends to cover target slightly when doing that.

My team is split about half and half, with some holding the arm up and some leaving it down.

I hear that holding the arm up aids balance.

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Melissa

"You can beat me, you can bind me, but you can't touch me!

[saberkid]

well i do saber, but when the arm is up it creates tension is the shoulders, back and weapon arm making it hard to keep point control if you leav it relaxed at the side it keep's the body more relaxed, you can throw the arm back when you lung (i do that in saber) and that can help a little, but I've never noticed any diference i just keep it relaxed and let it do its own thing

[Gav]

It depends upon taste. If you want to fence in the classical style keep that hand up, if you don't let it drop. However remember that in foil it is an offence to cover your target area (this goes for long hair as well). So if that hand isn't up it had better not get in the way.

It's true that it aids balance. If you learn to keep your rear hand up correctly then you should find that it acts as a counterbalance and can aid your point control.

[Dragoneye]

Definately hand up. Gav's right, it is partially a taste thing - personally I feel fencers with their off-hands up look a lot better on the piste (they give the impression they put more effort into their form). As for the balance factor, I find it helps a great deal. It further helps to narrow your profile. Granted, it is initially tiring to have it up there, but once you've done it for a while it becomes as easy as holding waist height. Technically it should be easier, or at least no more difficult, than holding your blade up - after all, there is no added weight, just a bit of height

Some thoughts.


Cheers,

Dragoneye.

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"Violent delights have violent ends." R&J - WS.

[Lumberg]

I learned to keep the back arm down and relaxed. One other difference in addition to keeping the back arm down is the angle of my body is less sideways than the classical en garde position. Therefore, if I raised my back arm, it would actually be more off to the side instead of exactly behind me.

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Lumberg.
"...ahhh, we have sort of a problem here... yeah, you apparently didn't put one of the new cover sheets on your TPS report"