{"id":666,"date":"2025-11-01T17:40:41","date_gmt":"2025-11-01T17:40:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/omerimassimo.it\/analisi-dello-studio-sulle-distinzioni-fisiologiche-tra-schermitori-elite-e-non-elite\/"},"modified":"2025-12-03T08:22:17","modified_gmt":"2025-12-03T08:22:17","slug":"analysis-of-the-study-on-physiological-distinctions-between-elite-and-non-elite-fencers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/omerimassimo.it\/en\/analysis-of-the-study-on-physiological-distinctions-between-elite-and-non-elite-fencers\/","title":{"rendered":"Analysis of the Study on Physiological Distinctions between Elite and Non-Elite Fencers"},"content":{"rendered":"

General Information<\/h2>\n

Authors<\/strong>: B. Hekiert, A. Prokopczyk, J. O’Driscoll, P. Guzik
Institutions<\/strong>: Adam Mickiewicz University (Poland), University of Leicester (UK), Pozna\u0144 University of Medical Sciences
Publication<\/strong>: Life 2025, 15, 1622
Date<\/strong>: October 2025<\/p>\n

Context and Objectives<\/h2>\n

The study starts with the premise that fencing is an Olympic combat sport that requires an exceptional combination of technical skills, tactical decisions, and physical conditioning, featuring unique asymmetrical movements and an intermittent activity profile.<\/p>\n

Research Objectives<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

To compare elite and non-elite fencers on:<\/p>\n

\n
\n

Endurance capacity and heart rate responses<\/p>\n

Explosive power<\/p>\n

Explosive acceleration<\/p>\n

Relative lean mass (body composition)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

To examine the relationship between competitive experience and physiological profiles<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Operational Methodology<\/h2>\n

    Participants<\/h3>\n

    Study conducted on 49 Polish male fencers<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Inclusion criteria<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • Active members of the Polish National Team<\/li>\n
    • Medical certification for high-intensity exercise<\/li>\n
    • Informed consent<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Exclusion criteria<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

        \n
      • Acute injuries or illnesses<\/li>\n
      • Use of medications influencing cardiovascular response<\/li>\n
      • Lack of consent<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        Group division<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

          \n
        • Elite (ELI)<\/strong>: n=16, positions 1-25 in the national ranking (33% of the sample)<\/li>\n
        • Non-Elite (NON)<\/strong>: n=33, positions 26-102 in the national ranking<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          Period<\/strong>: Summer 2022, during the national training camp preparation period<\/p>\n

          Test Protocols<\/h3>\n

          1. Fencing Specific Endurance Test (FET)<\/h4>\n

          Test characteristics<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

            \n
          • Modification of the original test by Weichenberger et al. (2012)<\/li>\n
          • Type: Multi-Stage Fitness Test<\/li>\n
          • Performed on a 3.5-meter strip<\/li>\n
          • Replicates typical movements: advances, retreats, lunges<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

            Progressive protocol<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

              \n
            • Initial speed: 3 km\/h<\/li>\n
            • Increments: 1 km\/h every 3 minutes<\/li>\n
            • Maximum duration: 15 minutes<\/li>\n
            • Acoustic signal system to regulate pace<\/li>\n
            • Continuation until voluntary exhaustion or reaching the 15-minute limit<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

              Recorded parameters<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

                \n
              • Total duration completed<\/li>\n
              • Continuous heart rate via chest strap (Polar Team Pro)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                2. Countermovement Jump (CMJ)<\/h4>\n

                Protocol<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

                  \n
                • 4 consecutive vertical jumps with natural arm swing<\/li>\n
                • Starting position: standing, feet hip-width apart<\/li>\n
                • Movement: controlled downward contraction followed by maximal upward propulsion<\/li>\n
                • No pause between jumps<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                  Measurement system<\/strong>: OptoGait (Microgate, Bolzano, Italy)<\/p>\n

                  Measured parameters<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

                    \n
                  • C_time [s]<\/strong>: contact time with the ground<\/li>\n
                  • F_time [s]<\/strong>: flight time<\/li>\n
                  • Power [W\/kg]<\/strong>: power calculated using the formula: Power = (g\u00b2\u00b7F_time\u00b7(F_time + C_time))\/(4\u00b7C_time)<\/li>\n
                  • Peak Power<\/strong>: highest value from the 4 CMJs<\/li>\n
                  • Mean Power<\/strong>: average power of the 4 CMJs<\/li>\n
                  • Rhythm [jumps\/s]<\/strong>: rhythm expressed in jumps per second<\/li>\n
                  • RSI [m\/s]<\/strong>: Reactive Strength Index = (g\u00b7F_time\u00b2)\/(8\u00b7C_time)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                    3. 5-meter Sprint Test<\/h4>\n

                    Protocol<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

                      \n
                    • Starting position: en garde (staggered feet, knees bent, armed arm ready)<\/li>\n
                    • Distance: 5 meters<\/li>\n
                    • Detection: electronic timing<\/li>\n
                    • Signal: acoustic whistle<\/li>\n
                    • 3 trials, best time recorded<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                      4. Body Composition<\/h4>\n

                      Measurement<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

                        \n
                      • Instrument: TANITA MC-580 S MA (segmental bioimpedance analysis)<\/li>\n
                      • Time: morning, fasting, 7:30 AM<\/li>\n
                      • Frequencies used: 6.25 kHz, 50 kHz<\/li>\n
                      • Current: 25 VA<\/li>\n
                      • Accuracy: error < 1%<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                        Main parameter<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

                          \n
                        • Relative lean mass<\/strong>: lean mass (kg) normalized to total body weight<\/li>\n
                        • Used as a practical proxy for skeletal muscle mass<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                          5. Heart Rate (HR)<\/h4>\n

                          Measurement points<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

                            \n
                          • Pre-FET HR<\/strong>: after 10 minutes of warm-up, before the FET<\/li>\n
                          • End-FET HR<\/strong>: at the end of the FET<\/li>\n
                          • HRR1<\/strong>: 1 minute after the end of the FET (Heart Rate Recovery)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                            Test Sequence<\/h3>\n

                            Temporal order<\/strong> (in a single morning session):<\/p>\n

                              \n
                            1. 5-meter sprint test<\/li>\n
                            2. 1-hour break<\/li>\n
                            3. CMJ<\/li>\n
                            4. 1-hour break<\/li>\n
                            5. FET<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                              Statistical Analysis<\/h3>\n

                              Methods used<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

                                \n
                              • Shapiro-Wilk test<\/strong>: verification of distribution normality<\/li>\n
                              • Mann-Whitney U test<\/strong>: comparisons between groups for unadjusted variables<\/li>\n
                              • Quantile regression<\/strong>: comparisons adjusted for age and BMI<\/li>\n
                              • Spearman’s correlation (rho)<\/strong>: associations between experience and parameters<\/li>\n
                              • ROC analysis<\/strong> with AUC: discriminative power of parameters<\/li>\n
                              • Youden’s index<\/strong>: determination of optimal cut-offs<\/li>\n
                              • Significance: p < 0.05<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                                Main Results<\/h2>\n

                                Demographic Characteristics<\/h3>\n
                                \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
                                Parameter<\/th>\nNon-Elite (n=33)<\/th>\nElite (n=16)<\/th>\np-value<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
                                Age (years)<\/td>\n17.0 (15.6-18.2)<\/td>\n21.0 (19.2-24.9)<\/td>\n<0.0001<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
                                Height (cm)<\/td>\n179.0 (174-183)<\/td>\n183.5 (180.3-188)<\/td>\n0.0019<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
                                Weight (kg)<\/td>\n69.0 (62.7-77.6)<\/td>\n79.6 (72.8-82.0)<\/td>\n0.0026<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
                                BMI (kg\/m\u00b2)<\/td>\n21.4 (19.5-24.0)<\/td>\n23.5 (21.6-24.3)<\/td>\n0.0901<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
                                Experience (years)<\/td>\n9.0 (7.0-10.0)<\/td>\n13.0 (10.0-16.5)<\/td>\n<0.0001<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n

                                FET Performance and Heart Rate<\/h3>\n
                                \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
                                Parameter<\/th>\nNon-Elite<\/th>\nElite<\/th>\np-value<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
                                FET Duration (min)<\/td>\n12.4 (12.1-13.3)<\/td>\n15.0 (14.3-15.0)<\/td>\n<0.0001<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
                                Pre-FET HR (bpm)<\/td>\n127.0 (114.5-132.5)<\/td>\n118.5 (110.5-125.8)<\/td>\n0.046<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
                                End-FET HR (bpm)<\/td>\n198.0 (192-208)<\/td>\n196.5 (191.8-201.5)<\/td>\n0.2625<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
                                HRR1 (bpm)<\/td>\n161.0 (144-169.5)<\/td>\n149.0 (140.5-157.8)<\/td>\n0.0386<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
                                RPE (Borg scale)<\/td>\n9.0 (9.0-10.0)<\/td>\n8.5 (8.0-9.0)<\/td>\n0.001<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n

                                Key Result<\/strong>: 56.25% (9\/16) of elites vs 6.06% (2\/33) of non-elites completed the full 15 minutes (p<0.0001)<\/p>\n

                                CMJ Performance (Jump)<\/h3>\n
                                \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
                                Parameter<\/th>\nNon-Elite<\/th>\nElite<\/th>\np-value<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
                                C_time (s)<\/td>\n0.40 (0.27-0.53)<\/td>\n0.31 (0.24-0.44)<\/td>\n0.0511<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
                                F_time (s)<\/strong><\/td>\n0.56 (0.54-0.58)<\/td>\n0.62 (0.59-0.65)<\/strong><\/td>\n<0.0001<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
                                Peak Power (W\/kg)<\/strong><\/td>\n30.20 (27.59-38.45)<\/td>\n42.84 (36.40-48.17)<\/strong><\/td>\n0.0002<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
                                Mean Power 4 CMJ (W\/kg)<\/strong><\/td>\n27.74 (25.71-33.16)<\/td>\n39.53 (35.39-44.54)<\/strong><\/td>\n<0.0001<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
                                Rhythm (jumps\/s)<\/td>\n1.10 (0.92-1.24)<\/td>\n1.09 (0.94-1.23)<\/td>\n0.7087<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
                                RSI (m\/s)<\/strong><\/td>\n0.85 (0.72-1.28)<\/td>\n1.50 (1.07-1.73)<\/strong><\/td>\n0.001<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n

                                5-meter Sprint and Body Composition<\/h3>\n
                                \n\n\n\n\n\n\n
                                Parameter<\/th>\nNon-Elite<\/th>\nElite<\/th>\np-value<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
                                5m Sprint (s)<\/td>\n1.09 (1.06-1.13)<\/td>\n1.10 (1.02-1.16)<\/td>\n0.8895<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
                                Relative lean mass (%)<\/strong><\/td>\n59.9 (54.9-64.6)<\/td>\n67.6 (65.2-71.6)<\/strong><\/td>\n0.0004<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n

                                Important Note<\/strong>: No significant difference in sprint, but notable difference (+7.7%) in relative lean mass<\/p>\n

                                Adjusted Analysis (Quantile Regression)<\/h3>\n

                                Estimated Median Differences (EMD) after adjustment for age and BMI<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

                                \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
                                Parameter<\/th>\nEMD<\/th>\nSE<\/th>\np-value<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
                                FET Duration (min)<\/strong><\/td>\n+1.84<\/strong><\/td>\n0.45<\/td>\n<0.0001<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
                                F_time (s)<\/strong><\/td>\n+0.05<\/strong><\/td>\n0.02<\/td>\n0.0050<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
                                Peak Power (W\/kg)<\/strong><\/td>\n+10.38<\/strong><\/td>\n4.23<\/td>\n0.0140<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
                                Mean Power 4 CMJ (W\/kg)<\/strong><\/td>\n+10.92<\/strong><\/td>\n3.99<\/td>\n0.0062<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
                                Pre-FET HR (bpm)<\/td>\n+0.39<\/td>\n6.87<\/td>\n0.9550<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
                                HRR1 (bpm)<\/td>\n-13.34<\/td>\n8.04<\/td>\n0.0970<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
                                C_time (s)<\/td>\n-0.11<\/td>\n0.08<\/td>\n0.1583<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n

                                Interpretation<\/strong>: Differences in FET and CMJ remain robust even after controlling for age and BMI<\/p>\n

                                Correlations with Competitive Experience<\/h3>\n

                                Significant Spearman correlations<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

                                \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
                                Variable<\/th>\nRho<\/th>\np-value<\/th>\nStrength<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
                                FET Duration<\/strong><\/td>\n0.62<\/strong><\/td>\n<0.0001<\/td>\nStrong<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
                                Relative lean mass<\/strong><\/td>\n0.55<\/strong><\/td>\n<0.0001<\/td>\nMedium-Strong<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
                                F_time<\/strong><\/td>\n0.49<\/strong><\/td>\n0.0003<\/td>\nMedium-Strong<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
                                Body weight<\/td>\n0.48<\/td>\n0.0005<\/td>\nMedium<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
                                Height<\/td>\n0.44<\/td>\n0.0015<\/td>\nMedium<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
                                Mean Power 4 CMJ<\/strong><\/td>\n0.42<\/strong><\/td>\n0.0029<\/td>\nMedium<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
                                BMI<\/td>\n0.38<\/td>\n0.0067<\/td>\nMedium<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
                                Peak Power<\/td>\n0.37<\/td>\n0.0081<\/td>\nMedium<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
                                RSI<\/td>\n0.35<\/td>\n0.0139<\/td>\nMedium<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
                                Pre-FET HR<\/strong><\/td>\n-0.50<\/strong><\/td>\n0.0003<\/td>\nMedium (Inverse)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
                                RPE<\/td>\n-0.39<\/td>\n0.0056<\/td>\nMedium (Inverse)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n

                                NON-significant correlations<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

                                  \n
                                • 5m Sprint: rho = 0.09, p = 0.5239<\/li>\n
                                • End-FET HR: rho = -0.26, p = 0.0694<\/li>\n
                                • HRR1: rho = -0.10, p = 0.4833<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                                  ROC Analysis – Discriminative Power<\/h3>\n

                                  Parameters with AUC > 0.80 (excellent discrimination)<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

                                  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
                                  Parameter<\/th>\nAUC<\/th>\np-value<\/th>\nOptimal Cut-off (Youden)<\/th>\nSensitivity\/Specificity<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
                                  F_time (s)<\/strong><\/td>\n0.899<\/strong><\/td>\n<0.0001<\/td>\n\u22650.581<\/strong><\/td>\nHigh\/High<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
                                  FET Duration (min)<\/strong><\/td>\n0.878<\/strong><\/td>\n<0.0001<\/td>\n\u226514.3<\/strong><\/td>\nHigh\/High<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
                                  Mean Power 4 CMJ (W\/kg)<\/strong><\/td>\n0.860<\/strong><\/td>\n0.0001<\/td>\n\u226534.93<\/strong><\/td>\nHigh\/High<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
                                  Experience (years)<\/strong><\/td>\n0.856<\/strong><\/td>\n<0.0001<\/td>\n\u226510<\/strong><\/td>\nHigh\/High<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
                                  Peak Power (W\/kg)<\/strong><\/td>\n0.837<\/strong><\/td>\n0.0001<\/td>\n\u226532.05<\/strong><\/td>\nHigh\/High<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n

                                  Parameters with AUC 0.70-0.80 (good discrimination)<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

                                  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n
                                  Parameter<\/th>\nAUC<\/th>\np-value<\/th>\nOptimal Cut-off<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
                                  RSI (m\/s)<\/td>\n0.793<\/td>\n0.0010<\/td>\n\u22650.85<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
                                  RPE (points)<\/td>\n0.767<\/td>\n0.0026<\/td>\n\u22648<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n

                                  Parameters with poor discriminative power (AUC \u2248 0.5)<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

                                    \n
                                  • Relative lean mass: AUC = 0.526, p = 0.7735<\/li>\n
                                  • 5m Sprint: AUC = 0.513, p = 0.8814<\/li>\n
                                  • CMJ Rhythm: AUC = 0.534, p = 0.7012<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                                    Study Conclusions<\/h2>\n

                                    Key Findings<\/h3>\n
                                      \n
                                    1. Superior endurance in elites<\/strong>:\n
                                        \n
                                      • Median difference: +1.84 minutes in FET<\/li>\n
                                      • Over half of elites complete 15 minutes with residual capacity<\/li>\n
                                      • Suggests the need to extend the test to 20 minutes for elites<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
                                      • Superior explosive power in elites<\/strong>:\n
                                          \n
                                        • +10.4 W\/kg peak power<\/li>\n
                                        • Flight time +0.05 seconds<\/li>\n
                                        • Significantly higher RSI<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
                                        • Optimized body composition in elites<\/strong>:\n
                                            \n
                                          • +7.7% relative lean mass<\/li>\n
                                          • Correlated with years of training (rho = 0.55)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
                                          • No difference in linear acceleration<\/strong>:\n
                                              \n
                                            • 5m Sprint similar between groups<\/li>\n
                                            • Suggests that pure acceleration is not discriminatory<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
                                            • Experience as a key factor<\/strong>:\n
                                                \n
                                              • 4 years median difference (13 vs 9 years)<\/li>\n
                                              • Medium-strong correlations with physiological parameters<\/li>\n
                                              • All athletes completing the 15 min have $\\ge 10$ years of experience<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                                                General Information Authors: B. Hekiert, A. Prokopczyk, J. O’Driscoll, P. GuzikInstitutions: Adam Mickiewicz University (Poland), University of Leicester (UK), Pozna\u0144 University of Medical SciencesPublication: Life 2025, 15, 1622Date: October 2025 Context and Objectives The study starts with the premise that fencing is an Olympic combat sport that requires an exceptional combination of technical skills, tactical […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":636,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[18],"class_list":["post-666","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sport-scienze","tag-paper"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/omerimassimo.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/666","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/omerimassimo.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/omerimassimo.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/omerimassimo.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/omerimassimo.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=666"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/omerimassimo.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/666\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":669,"href":"https:\/\/omerimassimo.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/666\/revisions\/669"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/omerimassimo.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/636"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/omerimassimo.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=666"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/omerimassimo.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=666"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/omerimassimo.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=666"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}