Often times I see novice fencers fencing with the pistol grip. When I talk with their parents the typical reply is “every other kid in their class are using pistol grip so my child doesn’t want to be not cool”.
Kids tend to believe that once they hold a pistol grip this shows that they are better fencers than they are, more advanced and cool.
This is especially true for foil, where after some level or age you could not find a fencer with French grip, so kids will want to belong to the pistol grip camp. And oftentimes parents and coaches give in to the social pressure the children apply to them.
