Getting a Grip, Finally #
fencing, February 11th 2009
Turns out I didn't even know how to hold a sword... Yesterday, while making notes about monday's class I wrote down something like "Posta di bicorno: flat supported by the palm."
I started wondering about that, since it seemed very much like the regular grip to me. A moment with sword in hand confirmed that yes, for me the flat was indeed always supported by the palm, and edge by almost nothing but the crotch of the thumb. Oops.
I fiddled with the grip, and ended up with something that felt reasonably ergonomic, and had the edge better supported. Later, during class yesterday, I asked about this, and got the confirmation that my old grip was indeed bogus. Cutting drills immediately revealed the new grip as superior: I have the tendency to hyperextend my dominant arm when cutting into posta longa, which was much reduced with the corrected grip.
Looking back, I suspect a major reason for the palm-on-flat grip I used was the extremely flat and wide handle on my old Lutel, which makes the palm-on-flat grip fairly tempting, but also makes the wrong grip less obvious visually:
Oh well. I wonder how long it will take to unlearn this bad habit...