2022, Volume 18
The fencing endurance test is associated with a ranking position in the national classification and body composition analysis in elite female fencers
Bartosz Hekiert1, Adam Prokopczyk2, Marek Sokołowski2, Jarosław Klimczak3, Przemysław Guzik4
1Department of Physical Education and Sport, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
2Department of Sports and Defence Education, Poznan University of Physical Education, Poznań, Poland
3Department of Tourism and Recreation, , University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Olsztyn, Poland
4Department of Cardiology-Intensive Therapy, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poznań, Poland
Author for correspondence: Bartosz Hekiert; Department of Physical Education and Sport, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland; email: barhek@amu.edu.pl
Full text
Abstract
Background and Study Aim: Fencing Endurance Test (FET) examines physical activities like aerobic capacity, motor skills, speed-agility, interval backward and forward movement, and endurance in fencers. Competitive experience is reflected by the ranking position in the national classification. Such experience depends on various features of physical activities and usually impacts body composition. This study aimed is the answer to the question: whether FET results are correlated with ranking position in the Polish National Fencing Team and body composition in elite Polish female fencers.
Material and Methods: Thirty-four youth to senior female athletes from Poland's National Fencing Team were studied in the preparatory period. The average age of studied female fencers was 18.59 ±4.57 years. Their body weight was 59.55 ±7.70 kg, muscle mass 44.87 ±5.61 kg, water mass 31.49 ±2.39 kg, and fat content 20.53 ±2.91%. During FET, each fencer moved forward and back on a section of 3.5-metre length, maintaining the typical fencing position and footwork at speed increasing between 3 km/h and 7 km/h. FET was stopped if the teste was exhausted or after 15 minutes. Total body impedance analysis measured body composition (Tanita MC-580 S MA, Tanita, Japan), and heart rate for the maximal intensity of the physical effort was monitored by the Polar Team Pro (Polar, Finland) system. Depending on the data distribution, parametric Pearson or nnonparametric Spearman correlation was used in statistical analysis.
Results: The mean FET duration was 11.87 ±1.43 min, during which they achieved 95.99 ±4.38% of the age-predicted maximal heart rate. FET negatively and significantly correlated with the ranking position (r = −0.76; p<0.001) and positively with body weight (r = 0.38; p = 0.028), muscle mass (r = 0.47; p = 0.005), water mass (r = 0.37; p = 0.031), and the relative to age-predicted maximal heart rate (r = 0.39; p = 0.023). No correlation was found between FET and fat content.
Conclusions: FET correlates with competitive experience, body composition, and the intensity of physical effort in top national female fencers. Whether FET should be routinely used for fencers monitoring of the specific endurance requires further investigation.
Key words: combat sports, motor simulation, division of the combat sports, Polish National Fencing Team