Skilled foil fencers produced a more consistent hip-to-knee-to-ankle sequence during the push-off of an attacking lunge, while also reaching higher ankle-rotation speeds than novices, a study of 15 fencers reported. Peak ankle angular velocity averaged 9.1 ± 2.1 radians per second in the skilled group, compared with 5.4 ± 2.9 radians per second among novices. The comparison was reported as significant at p = 0.02.
That pattern was visible in the timing as well. All seven skilled participants ranked the joints in the same order: hip first, knee second and ankle third. Novices did not all follow that ranking, although both groups showed a general movement from the body's more central joints toward the ankle. Mean hip extension occurred at 80% of push-off in skilled fencers and 84% in novices.
The differences were mostly about forward force
The skilled fencers also lunged farther and sent the foil forward faster. Their average lunge covered 1.15 leg lengths, compared with 0.86 for novices, while peak sword velocity was 3.24 metres per second versus 2.69 metres per second. Both comparisons had reported p-values of 0.02. Movement duration, however, was similar: 0.61 seconds for skilled fencers and 0.67 seconds for novices, with p = 0.46.
Force measurements pointed in the same direction, but mainly along the floor. Normalized horizontal peak force, which adjusts for body weight, averaged 8.48 newtons per kilogram in skilled fencers and 6.95 newtons per kilogram in novices. Horizontal impulse, a measure that combines force with the time it acts, was 2.51 newton-seconds per kilogram versus 1.92 newton-seconds per kilogram. The reported p-values were 0.01 and 0.02. Vertical peak force and vertical impulse were similar between groups.
Across the participants, faster ankle rotation was strongly associated with higher horizontal peak force, with r = 0.81 and a reported p-value of 0.00. Its link with horizontal impulse was weak and not statistically significant, with r = 0.28 and p = 0.31. A correlation shows that measurements varied together; it does not establish that ankle motion caused greater force or that the sequence produced faster sword movement.
What the study actually compared
The study was a descriptive comparison of two observed skill groups. The sample included eight novice and seven skilled foil fencers. To be placed in the skilled group, participants needed regional-level competition or higher, a lunge longer than one leg length and sword velocity above 3 metres per second.
Each participant completed seven target-directed lunges in one day after an auditory signal, with the target set at sternal-notch height. Only successful strikes were analyzed. Motion capture recorded movement at 200 hertz, while synchronized force-plate data were sampled at 1,000 hertz.
For analysis, push-off ran from force onset to take-off and was scaled from 0% to 100%. Force onset was defined when the rear-leg resultant force exceeded 20 newtons, and take-off when it fell below 50 newtons. The researchers used independent t-tests with a significance threshold of 0.05 and Pearson correlations to examine links between ankle motion and horizontal force or impulse. No correction for multiple comparisons was applied.
Why the result needs caution
The pattern did not appear as a statistically significant difference at every joint. Peak elbow and hip angular velocities did not differ significantly between groups, and the higher knee-extension velocity in skilled fencers was also nonsignificant. Reported p-values were 0.21 for elbow, 0.24 for hip and 0.17 for knee.
The authors identify the descriptive design, small sample and differences among the motion-capture systems and software used at different sites as key limitations. The analysis also used a 0.05 threshold without correcting for multiple comparisons. These issues limit how far the findings can be generalized or used to infer cause.
One part of the result also needs clarification. The paper's table reports horizontal impulse as 2.51 newton-seconds per kilogram for skilled fencers and 1.92 for novices, while the abstract gives 1.85 and 1.45. Both versions show a higher value for skilled fencers, but they do not support the same size of difference.
Taken together, the results suggest that skilled fencers in this sample coordinated the rear-leg joints more consistently and generated greater forward-directed output during the lunge. The observational design cannot determine whether one caused the other. The lead leg was omitted after pilot testing suggested little propulsive contribution and high variability, so the study did not provide a full picture of both legs.
Paper data and sources
Original title: An applied paradigm for simple analysis of the lower limb kinematic chain in explosive movements: an example using the fencing foil attacking lunge
Authors: Mulloy F, Mullineaux D, Graham-Smith P, Irwin G
Journal/Repository: International biomechanics
Status: Peer-reviewed
First online: 2026-10-12
DOI: Not available
Original paper · Full text