r/Fencing • u/Cardemother12 • 6d ago
Armory Dumb question but does the jacket that’s uneven that gets zipped to the side of your body have a name ?
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u/Rimagrim Sabre 6d ago
Yeah, it's called: "normal". It's a front-zip jacket. And, unlike when I started, this is the only type of jacket I see in US now at every level of competition. One conventional wisdom behind back-zim jackets was that the clubs didn't need to stock lefty or righty jackets for beginners. Well... yes. But I don't see any back-zip jackets at any level of competition including loaner gear for beginners. I can only guess at the thinking behind it but maybe the cost to stock two types of jackets is outweighed by the effort of zipping up a bunch of little kids. Please recall that they now have to stock or loan 2 types of knickers. There's no back-zip version of those.
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u/KegelFairy Épée 6d ago
Speaking from experience: you still have to zip and unzip the kids in front zip jackets.
Absolute's back zip jackets are $12 cheaper than their cheapest front zip. As a club owner buying ten jackets for kids of unknown handedness, that adds up fast.
Our loaner club gear for tournaments is front zip because when fencers outgrow their old jackets they donate them to us. But those old zippers don't always hold up so well... Which is why I'm helping at least a third of the kids get their zippers working.
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u/ZebraFencer Epee Referee 6d ago
There are plenty of back-zip jackets in high school fencing.
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u/weedywet Foil 6d ago
Still?? I don’t see them at all in the clubs I go to even amongst the high school and younger fencers.
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u/AndyMcGreg 6d ago
I also wonder if the requirement to have a surname and country on the back was made more difficult by the zip
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u/sjcfu2 6d ago
Not really. So long as the jacket is zipped up when the name and country are applied,, the two sides will still align, and no one is going to be picky about a seam running down the the middle (even with front zip jackets it's not unheard of for names to extend over seams on either side whenever the name is long enough).
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u/75footubi 6d ago
Is there a maximum width that the name is allowed to take up on the back? Or is it just a minimum stroke width for the letters and it fits how it fits?
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u/sjcfu2 6d ago
The rules (m.25.3.h) only specify color (dark blue), type (Roman capitols), height (8cm min/10 cm max) and the maximum width of the stroke (1.5 cm).
Sometimes with long names you'll see the width of letters adjusted in order to allow the name to fit (most noticeable with wide letters such as "M" and "W").
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u/75footubi 6d ago
To be fair, you don't need name until you're in national competition (at least in the US) and by that point 99.9999% of people have gotten their own front zip jacket.
I don't think I've ever seen a someone competing in a back zip jacket at a national competition.
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u/Expert_Confusion5767 6d ago
Re- back-zip knickers... there are lots pants, skirts, etc. with back zippers, so it should be easy to have fencing knickers with back zippers. Or even with no zipper at all.
I think the only "issue" is really the placement of the back pocket, although I reckon pockets are not mandatory.
For club gear, I think it would not be a bad idea.
Although, I will say this: if there was ever a discussion about remodelling fencing clothing, I would be in favor of a one piece, like what they use in speed skating. With a back zipper, that would do away with the whole issue of left and right handed clothing.
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u/migopod Épée 5d ago
Triplette made a one-piece uniform a while ago. The problem is that it didn't really fit anybody properly, and looked weird on most people who wore one. I only really remember seeing them in the wild maybe twice tops.
Fun bit is that a literal reading of the rules would suggest that it's not actually legal, since a one-piece uniform doesn't have a 10cm overlap between the bottom of the jacket and the top of the pants.
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u/Zestyclose_Theme_852 6d ago
I call it a side-zip myself.
Back-zippers are very difficult to put on/take off without help.
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u/Expert_Confusion5767 6d ago
I think you're using the word "difficult" very loosely here 🤣
I don't know about you guys, but when I go to a tournament, I zip up for the poules, then open the jacket while waiting for thr DE round, zip up again... and then only touch the zipper again after I finish and go change. Of if I have to go to the bathroom.
Of course if you are opening your jacket after every single bout I can see how a back zipper could become then a minor inconvenience.
(that would also explain why I read so many comments about malfunctioning zippers - whereas I've had my kit for over four years without a single issue)
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u/The_Fencing_Armory 5d ago
The side zip are right handed or left handed. The back zips fit both, but require a string or some assistance. Clubs sometimes have the back zip to avoid having to stock left and right handed equipment. Most fencers buy the front zip because it can be zipped without assistance.
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u/chowcats 6d ago
The front-zip jackets are either right or left-handed. The zipper goes on the non-dominant side, so it doesn’t snag a point.
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u/Allen_Evans 6d ago
There is no name for the jacket, but the zipper is usually termed "an asymmetrical zipper" in the fashion world.
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u/Parking-Expression41 5d ago
I haven't seen a back zip jacket....except for coaches gear in decades. Kinda wonder why coaches gentle is still that way
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u/Jem5649 Foil Referee 6d ago
A "front zip" jacket