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About one in ten kids is left-handed, and if yours is one of them, fencing order forms raise a question right-handed families never think about: half the items ask you to pick “left” or “right,” and the other half do not care. Picking wrong is not dangerous the way a wrong mask size is, but a right-handed jacket or glove will not pass a careful equipment check and is miserable to fence in. The good news: left-hand versions cost the same. There is no “lefty tax” — just a few extra boxes to check, and a smaller resale market later.
Gear That Comes in Left and Right Versions
The glove. A fencing glove is worn on the weapon hand only, so buy a left-hand glove for a left-handed fencer. This applies to all three weapons; saber fencers also need the conductive glove or cuff, which is handed too. A standard glove runs roughly $20–$35 (reference price, prices vary). Check price on Amazon
The weapon grip. This is the one parents miss most often. Pistol (orthopedic) grips are molded for one hand — a right-hand pistol grip cannot be held correctly in the left hand — so when you order a weapon or a bare grip, select Left. Straight French grips are the exception: they are essentially straight and can be used by either hand, so there is nothing to choose. If you buy a complete weapon, look for “left-handed” in the product name; the blade itself is identical, only the grip (and how it is mounted) differs. A typical youth electric weapon runs about $90–$160 (reference price, prices vary). Check price on Amazon
The jacket. Front-zip and side-zip jackets are cut for a specific hand. This is a rule, not a style choice: the rules require the jacket’s closure to overlap in the direction away from the sword arm, so the flap protects the seam on the weapon side. A left-handed fencer needs a left-hand jacket. The exception is the back-zip “club” jacket, which is cut the same for everyone — ambidextrous, but awkward to get in and out of, which is why most families buy front-zip once they buy their own.
The plastron (underarm protector). The plastron is a half-jacket worn under the jacket on the weapon-arm side, so it is sold in left and right versions. For a lefty, the sleeve goes on the left arm.
The lamé (foil and saber). Most lamés are also made in left and right versions, because the zipper placement mirrors the jacket underneath. Back-zip lamés are the ambidextrous exception. Order the same hand as the jacket.
Gear That Is Exactly the Same for Everyone
- Mask — no left or right version exists. Only the weapon type (foil, epee, saber) and the size matter; the conductive bib on a foil mask is symmetric.
- Knickers (fencing pants) — sold in men’s and women’s cuts, but not by hand.
- Chest protectors — symmetric; no handedness.
- Shoes and socks — sold as pairs, like any shoes.
- Body cords and mask cords — identical for everyone.
- Bags — no difference.
A practical shortcut: if an item goes on or protects the weapon arm or the weapon side of the torso, it probably comes in a left version. If it does not touch the weapon arm, it almost certainly does not.
Starter Kits and the Hand Question
If you buy a starter kit, the hand selection at checkout drives three of the pieces inside: the jacket, the glove, and the grip on the weapon. That makes the kit an easy place to make one mistake three times. Before paying, re-read the order summary and confirm “Left” appears where it should. If the kit does not ask about hand at all, it almost certainly contains a back-zip jacket and a French grip — fine for a beginner, but worth knowing before you pay.
The Used-Gear Problem (and a Small Silver Lining)
Because only about one fencer in ten is left-handed, the used market for left-hand gear is thin in both directions:
- Buying used is harder. Fewer left-hand jackets, gloves, and pistol-grip weapons are listed at any given time, and youth sizes are scarcer still. Start looking earlier than right-handed families do, and check your own club’s gear swap first — clubs are where left-hand pieces most often change hands.
- Selling takes longer. When your child outgrows a left-hand jacket, expect it to sit listed longer than a right-hand one would. Price it a little keener and be patient.
- The silver lining: because demand is small, left-hand pieces sometimes sit unsold and get discounted — a patient parent can occasionally pick up a barely used left-hand FIE jacket for a beginner price.
Do not let anyone talk you into “just using” right-hand gear in a hard-to-find size. A mismatched glove or jacket fails the point of buying your own kit in the first place.
Order Checklist for Left-Handed Gear
- Read the product name twice. On fencing sites “L” usually means size Large, not Left. The hand is normally a separate dropdown or a separate product listing that says “Left Hand” in full. Do not assume — check which one you clicked.
- Confirm the hand on every handed item: glove, grip or complete weapon, front-zip jacket, plastron, lamé.
- Order earlier than you think. Retailers stock fewer left-hand pieces, so common youth sizes in left can sell out sooner. If a tournament is coming, do not leave left-hand orders to the last week.
- Try everything on before removing tags. Glove on the left hand, grip held in the left hand, jacket zipped — the overlap should run in the direction of the left (weapon) arm. If anything feels like a mirror image of what the coach wears, it probably is.
- Keep receipts and check the return window. Hand mistakes are the most common fencing order error; most US retailers exchange them easily if the tags are still on.
The Fun Part: Lefties Are Overrepresented at the Top
There is a genuine upside to hand your child at the next tough practice. Left-handers are roughly 10% of the general population, but studies of elite fencing keep finding far more of them: research published in Royal Society Open Science found left-handers made up as much as about a third of the top 50 in recent year-end foil world rankings, and a study of world-class women’s epee fencers found about 21% were left-handed. The usual explanation is practice asymmetry: right-handers almost never fence left-handers, so every lefty is an unfamiliar puzzle — while your child fences right-handers at every single practice and finds them perfectly normal.
FAQ
Can my left-handed child just borrow a right-hand glove at the club?
Not comfortably, and the cuff and fit will be wrong. Ask the club specifically for left-hand loaner gear — most clubs keep a few pieces, but you may need to ask in advance.
My child writes with the right hand but wants to fence left-handed. Which hand do we buy for?
Buy for the hand that holds the weapon. Handedness in fencing follows the sword arm, not the writing hand. Let the coach settle which hand your child fences with before you order anything handed.
Do left-hand versions cost more?
No — at the major US retailers, left and right versions of the same item are priced the same. The real cost is availability, not price.
The Bottom Line
Five items need the left-hand version — glove, grip, front-zip jacket, plastron, and lamé — and everything else is identical for every fencer. Check the hand selection twice at checkout, order a little earlier than right-handed families, and expect the used market to be slower in both directions. In exchange, your child gets to be the opponent nobody at the club has enough practice against.
Related reading: our fencing gear sizing guide and our guide to kids’ starter kits.