Determinants of Olympic Fencing Performance and Implications for Strength and Conditioning Training

Abstract

Fencing is one of only a few sports that have featured at every modern Olympic games. Despite this, there is still much the sport science team does not know regarding competition demands and athlete physical characteristics. This review aims to undertake an analysis of the current literature to identify what is known, and questions that must be answered to optimize athlete support in this context. In summary, fencing is an explosive sport requiring energy production predominately from anaerobic sources. Lunging and change-of-direction speed seem vital to performance, and strength and power qualities underpin this. In the elimination rounds, fencers are likely to accumulate high levels of blood lactate, and so high-intensity interval training is recommended to reduce the intolerance to and the accumulation of hydrogen ions. Injury data report the hamstrings as a muscle group that should be strengthened and address imbalances caused by continuous fencing in an asymmetrical stance.

The physiological demands of elite epée fencers during competition

“…This is the first study within epée showing blood lactate concentration changes over a competition. The results from this study and previous research highlights the importance of the alactic energy systems during fencing performance (Bottoms et al, 2011;Turner et al, 2014).…”

“…Fencing is characterised by an intermittent nature, which places an importance on the phosphocreatine system and glycolysis (Roi & Bianchedi, 2008;Turner et al, 2014). Work to rest ratios have been reported in the literature as 1:1 and 8s:10s for men's epée, and 2:1 for women's epée (Aquili et al, 2013;Bottoms, Sinclair, Gabrysz, Szmatlan-Gabrysz, & Price, 2011;Roi & Bianchedi, 2008), with an effort lasting around 15 seconds in epée (Roi & Bianchedi, 2008).…”

Physical Characteristics Underpinning Repetitive Lunging in Fencing

“…The correlations herein, between a sport specific speed endurance test and various 1996), and the associations here may act to further support fencing as an anaerobic power-based sport (Wylde, Frankie, & O'Donoghue, 2013;Guilhem, Giroux, Chollet, & Rabita, 2014;Turner, et al, 2014). That said, no measures of aerobic capacity were taken to further qualify this statement, but given that the TG contained elite athletes in the middle of the competitive season, this was not possible.…”

Neuromuscular Screening to predict young fencers’ performance

“…strength, power and inter-limb coordination, underline fencing movements such as steps, bounces and lunges highlighting the importance of these dynamic characteristics on fencer's performance (27). lunging in fencing performed under ideal circumstances is characterized by the ability to forcefully activate, in sequence, elbow extensors of the armed hand preceding the relative activation of the hip, knee, ankle flexors and extensors muscles, thus decreasing the opponent's time to defend (17,29).…”