Written: July 13, 2022
Hello reader,
I recently attended summer nationals for fencing in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Throughout the half week, I was there, I was able to watch several bouts of epee fencers from different age groups. Unfortunately, I could not attend the entire week of epee bouts as I competed in two events. I decided to look on the USA Fencing channel on Youtube where I was able to find the final bout of every event. I want to compare the youngest possible age group (Youth 10 and under) all the way up to the oldest age group (Veteran 80+) My goal with this blog post is to record my observations of the neural efficiency of top-level epee fencers as they get older. Before I continue, I want to define the key terms I will be using to analyze these videos. I believe that these are the key neurological components of fencing. If you have read my previous blogs you may be familiar with some of these terms:
Inhibitory Control – The ability to inhibit or control impulsive (or automatic) responses, and create responses by using attention and reasoning
Impulsivity – Tendency to act without thinking
Compulsivity – Tendency toward repetitive, habitual actions, repeated despite adverse consequences.
Go/No go – The ability to know when to go and not go
Y10: Sangwook Park vs Kenneth Huang
Observations:
- Quick movements with footwork
- Two tempo actions
- Compulsivity on the part of Park who continues attacking with the same blade takes several times
- When at the right distance Huang was often impulsive
Conclusions:
- Not very good at telling go/no go
- Developing inhibitory control
Cadet: Luka Lonkar vs. Alexander Bezrodnov
Observations:
- Alexander showed more compulsivity through his continuous fleche attacks which initially failed but later allowed him to make a comeback
- In turn, Luka became more impulsive with his constant “duck” or counterattacks every time that Alexander closed in the distance, making him more predictable
- Luka’s inhibitory control was tested through Alexander’s constant in and out foot motion and blade takes. In other words, Luka could not be distracted by the other stimuli when trying to hit his short attack targets.
Conclusions:
Both fencers are “younger” but still experienced in the sport of fencing. It is clear that at this level of fencing there is a great deal of inhibitory control displayed from both opponents. They are forced to ignore or respond to preparations (stimuli) and respond how they choose. It was also clear from Bezrodnov that he had a great ability to understand when to go/not go. This speed of decision allowed him to make several successful attacks.
Vet 40: Noah Zucker vs Yasser Eldarwani
Observations:
- Less impulsivity amongst both opponents – the motions are purposeful
- Better inhibitory control on the part of Noah who responds to Yasser’s blade takes and preps
- Less compulsivity – constant change of positioning on the strip and both opponents switch
Conclusions:
The Vet 40 age group was the next age group above Div 1,2,3 where there were slightly older adults. It is quite obvious that their movements are slower than the cadet fencers, which clearly inhibits their ability to go and not go in certain moments. However, the opponents both have better inhibitory control as they respond with attacks and counterattacks well.
Vet 60: Dick Richards vs Rick Watrale
Observations:
- Remarkable movement and speed of footwork
- Though they had the correct moment, their actions from start to finish were slower
- When the distance was correct – touches were scored very neatly
- The bout became more compulsive as it ended within 2 minutes
- Rick’s ability to know when to go and not go allowed him to find the right moments and attack Dick.
Conclusions:
- Greater inhibitory control and accuracy throughout the bout. Though the speed of action is not as fast, the footwork is changing speed on the parts of Dick and Rick. However, after Rick determined a strategy to land his attacks despite his lack of speed, the bout became more compulsive. Meaning that it became repetitive which explains why it ended very quickly.
Vet 80: James Adams vs Richard Dunlop
Observations:
- The slow movement of footwork and lack of timing change
- Faster blade movements to compensate for footwork
- Neither opponent is impulsive or compulsive but tries to find the right moment.
Conclusions:
- Both fencers exhibit a great amount of control in their movements and have a clear idea of when they should perform their respective actions. The actions were not repetitive nor mindless but instead very thoughtful and strategic. However, the one aspect which inhibited them from landing many of their actions was their speed which was slower due to old age. Though their actions were simple, there was less inhibitory control displayed by both opponents. They would often get caught up in each other’s blades and not have an alternative plan.
Overall Conclusion:
Doing this activity of analyzing the bouts at different levels allowed me to observe the differences in inhibitory control as age increased. It was clear that inhibitory control started to develop in the Y10 age group with Park’s two tempo actions and ability to decipher when to go and not go. This only improved in the Cadet group (also Div 1,2,3) which I would consider the peak of a fencer’s career. At this point, they have speed, some degree of inhibitory control, and a solid ability to understand when to go and not go. Though speed decreased as I observed the Vet 40 and 60, inhibitory control improved. Both fencers in the Vet 60 understood when to attack and when to stay back. However, at the Vet 80 level, inhibitory control decreased and most of the actions were 1 tempo. This is because two tempo actions have a certain amount of unpredictability (when it comes to the opponent’s response) which is difficult with a decreased inhibitory control.
After researching, I came across an NIH study that stated that inhibitory processes decline with age. The study looked at people 60 and above but did not specify at what age inhibitory processes reduce. Though the Vet 80 fencers had less inhibitory control than the Vet 40, it would be interesting to compare 80-year-old fencers and 80-year-old non-fencers when it comes to inhibitory control. By doing this project, I may be able to decipher the effect of fencing as one gets older. It is clear that inhibitory control is developed from a young age through adulthood and then declines at a certain age. I speculate that inhibitory control decreases once adults lose their ability to move. The movement aspect of fencing (footwork) creates a lot of unpredictability and when fencers stop moving, they may lose inhibitory control abilities.
Besides this, I came to realize that the best bouts are ones where there is no impulsiveness or compulsiveness. These are the types of bouts that are often close and neither fencer creates a “definitive” lead. It is quite hard to observe a trend in impulsivity or compulsivity with age as it seems more dependent on the situation within the bout. One disclaimer I have to mention is that the fencers I analyzed are only top-level in each age group. Meaning that they may have improved ability compared to the majority of fencers. This is why I plan on doing the same analysis on my own fencing videos from when I started till now (5 years). Additionally, I would hope to observe the female epee fencers and see if there are any new trends or if inhibitory control develops earlier on.
Till next time,