If the left side of your brain controls the right side of your body, and the right side of your brain controls the left side of your body, then left-handed people must be the only ones in their right minds.” (W.C. Fields)
At the risk of sounding gauche, or even sinister, Mr. Fields may be right. But if “right” is correct, is “left” wrong? Language and centuries of biased social thinking has made many believe so. It is not just the word right’s implication of correctness that fosters this point of view. The linguistic bias against the left side (and left-handedness) is deeply entrenched in English and many other languages. For example, “gauche,” a word we use to imply something or someone awkward, clumsy, inept, or lacking grace, is French for “left.” The word “sinister” is used for something or someone that is harmful, evil, ominous, or wicked. The word, however, comes from a Latin root word that simply means "on the left side.” Conversely, “dexter” (the Latin for "right") is used in words such as dexterous, and “droit” (the French word for “right”) is found in adroit.
I mention all this because the bias is real and can negatively affect training in swordplay – even today. I have a number of dear friends and colleagues who make a living as teachers and choreographers of swordplay who make all their students train righthanded. No options. What is interesting, is these individuals are all themselves lefthanded. They each have their reasons, and I can see the logic in some of their arguments, but I still believe that the actor wielding the sword should play to their strengths and work in a way that they are comfortable and confident. This may be righthanded or lefthanded, it is not my call to make.
<Plate OOH.A> Plate OOH.A: The Prevention and Correction of Left-Handedness in Children (1936) was published to aid in the proper training of children to overcome the "curse of left-handedness.” Seen as a “disease” and "sinisitral condition" by the author, his booklet was offered to help parents and teachers "realize the seriousness of the handicap.”
Of course, there are exceptions. There always are. If the given circumstances of a script say a character fight with a specific hand, the actor should certainly train to that hand. The need is mandated by the script. A classic example is the characters of Iñigo Montoya and Wesley from the film The Princess Bride. Both characters are scripted to start the fight lefthanded and then switch to their right hands in the middle of their duel. Here, the actors had to train both hands equally because it was required by the script.
Another exception would be if you are training as a stunt double and the actor you are doubling fights with the sword in your non-dominant hand. To get and/or keep the job, you will need to fight competently with that hand. With this, the odds are more likely that the actor is righthanded as studies show that approximately 90% of people are righthanded. Of course, additional studies also suggest that the percentage of lefthanders increase in the performing arts. There is not, however, hard data on what that increase may be.
Be that as it may, it is my belief that no one should be forced to work with their non-dominant hand. Circumstances may dictate it, or the actor may choose to do so, all of which is fine. In most cases it shouldn’t matter which hand holds the sword. It is what is done with that sword that matters. Swordplay for the stage and screen is about the story, about the character and their conflict. If the actor tells that story better with the sword in their left hand, fantastic!
It is for this reason that this companion website has been created. Although the printed text of Actors On Guard breaks down all the techniques to be easily accessible to both the right and lefthanded combatant, the printed illustrations are still primarily righthanded. This was a consideration of cost and not a snub to the lefthander. To keep the size and cost of the printed manuscript manageable, the additional supportive illustrations for lefthanded technique were made available here, online.
Check your rapier and/or dagger before you begin training or rehearsal. Not all prop weapons are designed for either hand. Make sure the weapon with which you are working is intended to be used in the hand with which it is being used.
There is a theory that the lefthanded fencer has a tactical advantage over that of the righthanded fencer. This comes from the fact that both right and lefthanded fencers are apt to train and compete against other righthanded fencers. The lefthanded fencer learns how to work to tactical advantage against righthanded opponents, whereas the righthanded fencer generally has limited experience against a lefthander. Tactically the righthander is at a disadvantage when fencing a lefthander.
What is interesting in this, is that there may be more to the old theory than just tactics. A recent study found that “left-handed fighters have greater fighting success.” In their Scientific Report, Richardson and Gilman studied over 13,800 professional boxers and MMA (mixed martial arts) competitors and found “robust evidence” that both male and female lefthanded fighters are not only strongly overrepresented in professional combat sports, but that they also have a higher percentage of fights won.
Conway, J. W. The Prevention and Correction of Left-Handedness in Children. 1936
Richardson, T., Gilman, R.T. Left-handedness is associated with greater fighting success in humans. Sci Rep9, 15402 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-51975-3