How do I pick the right pistol grip size and shape for my hand?

The right pistol grip lets your thumb and index finger do the steering while your other three fingers rest lightly around it, with your thumb tip landing close to the guard and no part of your hand straining. Pistol grips come in several sizes, sold as small to large, numbered or color coded, but the labels are not standard between makers, so one brand's medium can feel like another brand's large. That is why the quickest way to find yours is to borrow teammates' weapons for a few bouts each and ask what grip and size each one is. Many clubs also keep a drawer of spare grips to try.

Learn the signs of a bad fit. A grip that is too big makes you stretch your fingers to close them, pushes hard into the middle of your palm, and leaves your thumb sitting back from the guard, so you end up squeezing. A grip that is too small lets your fingers curl past it into your own palm, crowds your knuckles against the guard pad, and the tail stops short of the heel of your hand, so the weapon wobbles. The rules also set a fit check: with your hand in its one fixed position and your thumb fully extended, the thumb tip must be no more than 2 cm from the inside of the guard.

Shape is the second choice, and it is mostly personal. The Visconti is the most common shape and a good all rounder, with a notch on top where the thumb and index finger sit. The Belgian adds a second prong underneath that sits between the middle and ring fingers, which locks more of the hand in and feels very stable to some fencers and cramped to others. Russian grips are plainer and squarer, and there are other variants, including palm grips with a pad that fills the palm instead of a slim tail, which one major maker recommends for small to medium hands. Grips are also made for the left or right hand, so order the right one.

Small adjustments are normal. Many fencers saw a little off a tail that is too long and file the end smooth, since the rules say a handle must not be able to injure anyone. On a foil, a thin wrap of tape can fill out a slightly small grip, but in épée pistol grips may not be covered with any material that could hide wires, so buy the bigger size instead. After any grip change, have your coach or armorer check the blade's cant so the point still lines up with your forearm. If you catch yourself holding the weapon in a death grip, the size may be wrong, or your hand simply needs to relax.