A published review of literature has highlighted that there is at present a lack of published scientific research on the sport of fencing (Roi and Bianchedi, 2008). It has been suggested that further research, including time-motion analysis and evaluation of competitive scenarios, is required to better inform coaches on the physical demands being placed on elite fencers (Bottoms et al., 2011). This study sought to carry out a comprehensive time-motion analysis of elite female foil fencing to understand the demands being placed on fencers in elite competition. A key part of this study was to identify the differences between the various types of bouts; 15-touch, 5-touch and team bouts. A total of 100 international female foil fencing bouts were analysed, based on video recorded by and obtained with the permission of the Singapore Sports Institute. A total of seven movement classifications were used during the data collection, which were consolidated into three categories of varying intensities (Low, Moderate and High) for analysis. The differences between the types of bouts and movement categories were assessed using magnitude-based Cohen`s effect sizes (ES), with modified qualitative descriptors. The results from this study found that high-intensity movement accounted for 6.2 ± 2.5 % of total bout time in elite female foil fencing. These high-intensity movements had a mean duration of 0.7 ± 0.1 s with a mean recovery period between these movements of 10.4 ± 3.3 s. Using the repeated work bouts definition of two or more bouts separated by a recovery of less than 20 s (O`Donoghue et al., 2005), 87% of high-intensity movements would be classified as repeated work bouts. If the high-intensity movements were classified as "work" and the low- and moderate-intensity movements classified as "recovery", these results would equate to a work:recovery ratio of 1:16. The only "large" difference between the bouts was found for the mean duration of the low-intensity movement in the 15-touch bouts compared to the 5-touch and team bouts. All other differences were "moderate", "small" or "trivial". Conclusion: These results demonstrated that similar training plans could be used to physically prepare female fencers for 15-touch, 5-touch and team bouts. Conditioning programmes for elite female foil fencers should consist of primarily anaerobic alactic activities with an additional aerobic component to aid recovery between bouts and ensure that fatigue does not become a limiting factor to performance.
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