Cardiocirculatory, metabolic, and perceptual responses in elite wheelchair fencing competition

Wheelchair fencing is a sport characterized by intermittent bursts of effort in which the speed of actions is at its maximum. However, there is a lack of literature concerning the evolution of fatigue in this sport when compared to the available information related to the Olympic discipline. The obj...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Martín Ruiz, Julio, Alarcón Jimenez, Jorge, de Bernardo Tejedor, María Nieves, Iglesias, Xavier, Ruiz Sanchis, Laura
Format: article
Publication Date:2024
Country:España
Institution:Universidad Católica de Valencia San Vicente Mártir
Repository:RIUCV. Repositorio de la Universidad Católica de Valencia San Vicente Mártir
Language:English
OAI Identifier:oai:riucv.ucv.es:20.500.12466/4935
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12466/4935
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Heart Rate
Lactate
Paralympic fencing
Perceived Exertion
32 Ciencias Médicas
Description
Summary:Wheelchair fencing is a sport characterized by intermittent bursts of effort in which the speed of actions is at its maximum. However, there is a lack of literature concerning the evolution of fatigue in this sport when compared to the available information related to the Olympic discipline. The objective of this study was to calculate the cardiocirculatory, metabolic, and perceptual values in an international wheelchair fencing competition in order to enhance the resources for specific training for this sport. A total of 16 fencers from categories A (7) and B (9) competed. The participants were monitored for heart rate, blood lactate, and perceived exertion during each phase of the competition. Both heart rate (p = .014) as well as blood lactate (p = .037) and perceived exertion (p = .04) increased more in the direct elimination phase than in the pool phase and stabilized during the final portion of the competition. In conclusion, all the parameters analyzed tended to increase after the pool phase and reached their maximum values during direct elimination bouts. Despite the metabolic values slightly exceeding the aerobic threshold, there is a need to create training strategies to delay fatigue, and thereby prevent coordination errors, as preventing said errors is particularly important in this Paralympic discipline, as it requires heightened accuracy at maximum speeds.