Sport Science

The study “A Test for Determining Endurance Capacity in Fencers” (Weichenberger et al., 2012)

October 29, 2025

The study “A Test for Determining Endurance Capacity in Fencers” (Weichenberger et al., 2012) proposes and validates a specific incremental test for fencing – the Fencing-specific Endurance Test (FET) – to assess fencers’ aerobic capacity under realistic conditions comparable to combat.

General Information

Authors: M. Weichenberger, Y. Liu, J.M. Steinacker
Institution: Section of Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Ulm, Germany
Publication: International Journal of Sports Medicine, 2012

Context and Objectives

Fencing is a combat sport with tournaments lasting up to 11 hours, where athletes must face bouts lasting from 3 to 9 minutes. During the bouts, fencers move with repeated asymmetrical steps and changes of direction, covering distances between 250-1000 meters on a 14-meter strip.

Problem: Until now, fencers’ aerobic capacity was tested using non-specific ergometers (treadmill, cycle ergometer), despite the movement patterns in fencing being considerably different.

Study Objectives:

  1. Develop and evaluate a fencing-specific endurance test (FET)
  2. Compare it with conventional tests
  3. Verify if it can distinguish between fencers of different levels

Operational Methodology

Study 1: FET Evaluation

Participants: 28 German athletes (13 females, 15 males)

  • Age: $16.8 \pm 1.3$ years
  • Height: $177.1 \pm 8.5$ cm
  • Weight: $68.8 \pm 10.9$ kg
  • Level: national and international (foil and épée)

Protocol:

  • 4 tests in randomized order with 3 days of recovery between tests
  • Fencing-specific endurance test (FET)
  • Treadmill test (TM)
  • Cycle ergometer test (CE)
  • Fencing bouts (BOU)

Study 2: Level Discrimination

Participants: 39 German male fencers

  • Elite (ELI): 19 international level athletes ($17.9 \pm 1.7$ years, $184.0 \pm 6.3$ cm, $77.7 \pm 8.9$ kg)
  • Non-Elite (NON): 20 national level athletes ($16.4 \pm 1.2$ years, $181.6 \pm 8.1$ cm, $73.1 \pm 9.7$ kg)

Test Descriptions

Fencing-Specific Test (FET)

Characteristics:

  • Performed on a fencing strip (7 meters)
  • Forward-backward movement using fencing-specific steps
  • Maintaining the weapon in the standard position
  • Change of direction at 0 and 7 meters

Incremental protocol:

  • Initial speed: 3 km/h
  • Increments: 1 km/h every 3 minutes
  • Computerized visual and acoustic signals for pacing
  • 30-second pauses for lactate sampling
  • Continuation until exhaustion

Treadmill Test (TM)

  • Initial speed: 6 km/h
  • Incline: 1.5%
  • Increments: 2 km/h every 3 minutes
  • 30-second pauses between levels

Cycle Ergometer Test (CE)

  • Initial load: 50 watts
  • Increments: 25 watts every 3 minutes
  • Measurement every 3 minutes before the increment

Fencing Bouts (BOU)

  • 3 bouts against different opponents
  • Duration: up to 5 touches or 3 minutes
  • Conforming to tournament rules

Measurements

For all tests:

  • Blood Lactate: $20 \mu l$ capillary sample
  • Heart Rate: continuous monitoring
  • Speed/Power: recording at various levels

Main Results

Comparison between Tests and Bouts

Lactate during bouts (BOU):

  • Mean: 1.7 mmol/l
  • Range: 0.9-2.5 mmol/l
  • Indicates intensity in the aerobic range

Heart rate during bouts:

  • Range: 120-194 bpm
  • Mean: $158.69 \pm 15.42$ bpm

Correlations with heart rate in bouts:

  • FET vs BOU: $r = 0.80$ (p < 0.01) - strong correlation
  • TM vs BOU: $r = 0.63$ (p < 0.01) - moderate correlation
  • CE vs BOU: $r = 0.38$ (p < 0.01) - weak correlation

Mean heart rate differences with BOU:

  • FET: 3.4 bpm (limits: -8.2 to 14.9 bpm)
  • TM: 20.4 bpm (limits: -7.2 to 47.9 bpm)
  • CE: 31.2 bpm (limits: -8.3 to 70.8 bpm)

Heart Rate at Different Lactate Levels

At the same lactate concentration, heart rate was significantly higher in the FET compared to the other tests:

Lactate FET TM CE
2 mmol/l 165.1 bpm $149.7 \text{ bpm}^*$ $135.9 \text{ bpm}^\#$
3 mmol/l 176.6 bpm $166.0 \text{ bpm}^*$ $150.5 \text{ bpm}^\#$
4 mmol/l 183.2 bpm $174.3 \text{ bpm}^*$ $160.3 \text{ bpm}^\#$
Max 192.6 bpm 193.0 bpm $183.2 \text{ bpm}^\#$

*p < 0.01 vs CE; #p < 0.01 vs FET

Maximum Values

Parameter FET TM CE
Max HR $192.6 \pm 9.1$ $193.0 \pm 9.8$ $183.2 \pm 10.9$
Max Lactate $7.2 \pm 2.0$ $9.6 \pm 2.9$ $8.8 \pm 1.9$
Max Speed $8.1 \pm 0.9$ km/h $13.1 \pm 1.7$ km/h –
Rel. Max Power – – $3.2 \pm 0.4$ W/kg

Level Discrimination

Elite fencers (ELI) showed significantly higher speeds than non-elites (NON) at all intensities:

Parameter NON ELI Significance
Speed at 2 mmol/l $5.03 \pm 0.87$ km/h $5.86 \pm 1.07$ km/h p < 0.05
Speed at 3 mmol/l $5.87 \pm 0.63$ km/h $6.62 \pm 1.13$ km/h p < 0.05
Speed at 4 mmol/l $6.26 \pm 0.75$ km/h $7.02 \pm 1.31$ km/h p < 0.05
Maximum Speed $7.44 \pm 0.73$ km/h $8.40 \pm 1.07$ km/h p < 0.01

Correlations between Tests

Performance in conventional tests correlated weakly with the FET:

  • CE-FET at 2 mmol/l: $r = 0.30$ (p < 0.05)
  • TM-FET at 2 mmol/l: $r = 0.31$ (p < 0.05)
  • TM-CE: $r = 0.72$ (p < 0.01)

Study Conclusions

  1. The FET is specific: it reproduces the physical load of fencing bouts better than conventional tests
  2. Ecological Validity: the strong correlation ($r = 0.80$) between FET and real bouts demonstrates that the test accurately simulates the physiological demands of fencing
  3. Discriminative Capacity: the FET effectively distinguishes between elite and non-elite fencers
  4. Superiority over conventional tests: treadmill and cycle ergometer tests show significantly lower heart rates at the same metabolic intensity
  5. Practical Applicability: the test is well-accepted by coaches and athletes

Practical Implications

REFERENCE VALUES FOR TRAINING

These values are useful for:

  • Customizing aerobic training intensity
  • Monitoring the progress of specific aerobic capacity
  • Predicting competitive potential
Lactate Threshold Mean HR (FET) Mean Speed (FET)
2 mmol/l $165 \pm 13$ bpm 5.03–5.86 km/h (NON–ELI)
3 mmol/l $177 \pm 10$ bpm 5.87–6.62 km/h
4 mmol/l $183 \pm 10$ bpm 6.26–7.02 km/h
vMAX $\sim 193$ bpm 7.4–8.4 km/h

Application:

  • Set interval training close to v@Lac3 and v@Lac4 values to improve specific endurance
  • Monitor individual response (HR/lactate) to calibrate loads
  • Use vMAX to test specific aerobic level and compare it over time
  • The FET allows for a more accurate assessment of fencing-specific endurance
  • It can be used to monitor the effects of specific training
  • Useful for training periodization and programming
  • Allows for the identification of specific aerobic capacities needed for competition

Limitations

  • Competition bouts were not examined
  • Limited sample, especially for female athletes
  • Need for future studies to verify the predictive capacity for competition success