Effect of Gender and Anthropometrics on the Kinematics of the Lunge in Young Foil Fencers (Lunge Kinematics in Young Fencers)

Knowledge of the kinematics of young fencers is important when teaching fencing, but it has been minimally investigated in the literature, especially in young subjects, and further research is needed. Our aims were to assess whether anthropometric factors or kinematic factors are more closely related to lunge performance (speed and range of motion) in young fencers and to investigate gender differences in relation to kinematics. Fifteen fencers participated in this study (8 females and 7 males; age 12.9 ± 2.7 years, height 157.4 ± 15.1 cm, weight 49.7 ± 11.7 kg). Lunge kinematics and anthropometrics were collected with a 10-camera optoelectronic system. Descriptive statistics, bivariate correlation, t-test, and simple regression were performed. Peak lunge velocity was mainly correlated with posterior knee extension (r = 0.56, p = 0.031). The lunge distance and mean hip velocity were mostly correlated with the fencers’ height (r = 0.85, p = 0.000 and r = 0.76, p = 0.001) and fat-free mass (r = 0.79, p = 0.000 and r = 0.73, p = 0.002). Young fencers use a lower limb-driven strategy to perform the lunge, while adults are reported to use an upper limb-driven strategy for the lunge attack. Linear and angular velocities and ranges of motion were lower in young fencers in comparison to those of adults. Based on these results, we suggest a different approach to teaching the lunge action in young foil fencers. The implications of our study are that when teaching the lunge technique to this age group, a different approach for males and females is not required, and that strength is not a discriminant physical quality for the correctness of performance.