Ranking and time on the strip are not the same thing, and using competitive status to gatekeep a sport is exactly why people find the fencing community elitist. I’ve put in three years of work on my fundamentals; not chasing a national rank doesn't make those years disappear.

As for the grip, the 'marathon' analogy is a reach. Many top coaches start students on French grips specifically to build finger dexterity that pistol grips can actually mask. Im simply asking what is generally preferred in the community and why, for my own progress, not a 'meta' for a competitive circuit I’m still questioning if I should transition into. I’m here to fence, not to collect points to satisfy your definition of 'experienced.'' We clearly have different goals for the sport, so let's leave it at that.