Incredibly important yet extremely trivial question...

[Shodan]

Last night, I was at class (karate) and a Heated Debate occurred. Four of us were there, opinion was divided exactly halfway (so two each, basically). Each sided absolutely convinced that they were right.

So I'm turning it over to the Mumsnet jury (who I may or may not reference, depending on the answer . Here's the burning question:

In the diagram shown, imagining that the fists are yours and you were describing how the fists were placed, would you say that:
A) The left fist is in front or
B) The right fist is in front ?

As said both are right depending on perspective

Well this is what my friend and I graciously said in the end. The Bs wanted to argue further, saying that theirs was the only correct answer, so we put on mitts and hit them.

Only kidding. We told them they were wrong but would be kind and adjust accordingly

I’ve a feeling I’ll be ruminating over this throughout the night!

Oh shit I can now see another option - if my arms are crossed against my body then I would see it as R being in front.

Exactly.

However, if this is a picture for checking other people are doing it right, then Left is in front.

Conventionally, front would be the outermost fist.

The left is in front from the perspective of the illustration.

Question is: is it a picture of how I should be arranging my own fists from my perspective, or is it a picture of how my hands should look to someone else?

YES! And YES! to Ninkanink

Friend and I think you should answer according to how it looks from one's own perspective.

Hang on, what am I talking about. Question was clarified in OP!

In the diagram shown, imagining that the fists are yours and you were describing how the fists were placed, would you say that:

If the fists are above my waist, right is in front.

If this is a block below my waist and I am looking down at my hands, left is in front.

I can't see why anyone would argue about this We've argued about far smaller issues- how a fist is exactly placed on a hip, how feet are exactly placed in a stance...

We're kind of perfectionist about karate. Plus, we enjoy a healthy debate

We've argued about far smaller issues- how a fist is exactly placed on a hip, how feet are exactly placed in a stance...

We're kind of perfectionist about karate. Plus, we enjoy a healthy debate

Start using "inner hand" and "outer hand"!

Looking at my own fists left. However if someone is stood looking direct at me it would be the right. It's perception.

‘Humility openness and peace’ the guiding principles of karate. Perhaps those could be the topic of your next class argument !

The right arm is in front.

When I did ballet (badly) the front foot for a crossed position like third, fourth or fith is further from the body towards the stage.

Right

Start using "inner hand" and "outer hand"!

Excellent plan! I shall propose it next time.

Humility openness and peace’ Well I guess we've got one of the three down pat None of the arguments are serious, we're all 'family' (very good friends) and we wouldn't ever argue thus in front of lower grade students. But occasionally we have a quiet class when it's just us and then we can be freer in our openness...

Right

I would say it's definite B, as in the right arm is in front.

The way I see it is if you had two pairs of socks on you would say the top one was the front one even though the bottom one was closer to the skin of the foot but OP you would probably say the bottom sock was the front in your argument. Same concept with two T shirts. Always the top one is the front as it is shown as the front like if a pic was taken you would see that shirt first. Sorry this is probably rambling 😂🤣 but it makes sense to me have had a strong gin though

Do you know, thanks to this thread, I have just figured out that this could be a small source of confusion closer to home. Our prevailing usage is that front=outermost, but I think there's a few people who see front to be the one that's nearest your eyes. This explains a lot!

Right

LEFT!!

If they are my arms from my own view, right is in front.

Left

So, moving this in a tangential direction (because I'm losing)- if you were at the back of a line of, say, four cars, and you said "The car in front has those silly lights on it", would you be referring to the car directly in front of you, or the car at the head of the queue?

(because I'm losing)

Always shift the battleground!

"The car in front has those silly lights on it"

I say the answer is prepositions, present or implied!

That kind of sentence is usually short for "the car in front of me". So, it's the car directly in front of me.

If I meant the car at the head of the queue, I would say, "the car at the front [...]"

If two other people are standing with one arm each as shown then A would be right.

Ermigerrrrddd! How did I miss this?

So many permutations...

Right - if they are mine - the right cost would be in front facing outwards