International Journal of Human Movement and Sports Sciences Vol. 12(6), pp. 963 - 982
DOI: 10.13189/saj.2024.120608
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On the Biomechanics of the Foil "Flick" - Kinematical Comparison of the Execution in Non-elite and Elite Fencers

Nikolay Nikolov ¹, Teodora Koynova ^2,*, Nikolay Kolev ², Nikolay Natchev ^2,3
1 Department of Theory and Methods of Teaching Sports, Faculty of Education, Shumen University, Bulgaria
² Department of Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Shumen University, Bulgaria
³ Department of Evolutionary Zoology, Vienna University, Austria

ABSTRACT

Fencing is the only discipline, which was part of all modern Olympic games. Elite fencing is a sport demanding high-end physical performance, top motor control and coordination. In the present study, we investigated the kinematics of execution of a special technique in foil fencing – the flick. This is a rather complex motoric system including the movement of the upper body, the shoulder, the elbow, the wrist and proper bending of the blade. The physics of the flick was described in detail in previous experiments based on the use of a rather bendable "model" foil. In the present study, we investigate the kinematical patterns in six fencers (two elite male fencers, two female fencers and two under-15 male fencers) when using competition foils. We used high speed videography by 1000 fps and calculated a total of 43 variables for every run. The main goal of the investigation was to study the motorics of the anatomical structures of the fencer and the blade in a situation simulating a real encounter. On the base of our calculations, we were able to understand which elements of the execution of the flick are crucial for its successful implementation. In addition, we developed an operational test algorithm for the evaluation of the quality of every single trial. It may be used by trainers to quantify the skills of their students in performing foil flick.

KEYWORDS
Biomechanics, Training, Performance, Metrics, Movement Coordination, Kinematical Analysis

Cite This Paper in IEEE or APA Citation Styles
(a). IEEE Format:
[1] Nikolay Nikolov , Teodora Koynova , Nikolay Kolev , Nikolay Natchev , "On the Biomechanics of the Foil "Flick" - Kinematical Comparison of the Execution in Non-elite and Elite Fencers," International Journal of Human Movement and Sports Sciences, Vol. 12, No. 6, pp. 963 - 982, 2024. DOI: 10.13189/saj.2024.120608.

(b). APA Format:
Nikolay Nikolov , Teodora Koynova , Nikolay Kolev , Nikolay Natchev (2024). On the Biomechanics of the Foil "Flick" - Kinematical Comparison of the Execution in Non-elite and Elite Fencers. International Journal of Human Movement and Sports Sciences, 12(6), 963 - 982. DOI: 10.13189/saj.2024.120608.