Abstract
The aim of this study was to validate a new test of change of direction (COD) for fencer athletes and to establish its relationship with selected measures of physical fitness. Thirty-nine fencer athletes participated to this study (age: 20.8 ± 3.0 years). They performed the new specific fencing COD test (SFCODT) on two separate occasions to establish its reliability. In addition, assessment of COD, jumping ability (i.e., squat jump, countermovement jump, five jump test), sprint time (e.g., 5-m, 10-m and 20-m), isokinetic concentric and eccentric quadriceps, and hamstring force tests were assessed. To establish SFCODT’s construct validity, two subgroups were identified based on their international and national fencing results: High- vs. low-ranked fencer athletes. Reliability, validity, and sensitivity of the SFCODT were established from the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), typical error of measurement (TEM), smallest worthwhile change (SWC), and receiving operator characteristic (ROC) analysis. The ICC of SFCODT was excellent at >0.95, and the TEM was < 5%. Based on the usefulness analysis, the ability to detect small performance changes can be rated as “good” in fencer athletes (SWC > TEM). SFCODT was very largely associated with the COD test and moderate to very large associated with jumping ability, sprint time, and isokinetic strength. High-ranked fencer athletes were better than low-ranked fencer athletes on SFCODT (p < 0.01). The area under the ROC curve was 0.76. In conclusion, the SFCODT is a highly reliable, valid, and sensitive test. Therefore, the SFCODT could be used by practitioners to evaluate specific CODS performance in fencer athletes.
Highlights
Fencing is an open-skilled combat sport between two athletes who fence each other using one of three types of weapons, each contested with different rules
specific fencing COD test (SFCODT) was very largely associated with the change of direction (COD) test and moderate to very large associated with jumping ability, sprint time, and isokinetic strength
The independent sample t-test revealed a significant difference between women and men for vertical and horizontal jumps, 5-m, 10-m, and 20-m sprints, COD, and isokinetic strength peak torque
Summary
Fencing is an open-skilled combat sport between two athletes who fence each other using one of three types of weapons (i.e., foil, sabre, and epee), each contested with different rules. Fencing activity is intermittent and involves a series of high-intensity actions (e.g., attack), with changes of direction (COD) (mainly back and forth displacements and lunges) interspersed by low-intensity movements with various recovery durations [1]. It is worth noting that the lunge represents the most common form of attack in fencing [1,2,3]. These lunges are commonly delivered after numerous feints and/or changes of direction typically used to escape an opponents’ hit [3,4]. Public Health 2020, 17, 4545; doi:10.3390/ijerph17124545 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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