Impacts of Season Phases and Training Variables on Mental Fatigue in Real-World Elite Fencing.

Abstract

Purpose: Mental fatigue (MF) is increasingly implicated in elite sports, yet its characteristics and impact in real-world fencing, a highly perceptual-cognitive demanding domain, are underexplored.

Methods: A 4-week single-blind, longitudinal study monitored 31 (7 épée, 13 foil, and 11 sabre; 15 females) elite fencers' daily MF across training and competition phases before, during, and after a national championship. Subjective MF on a visual analog scale and reaction time (from 3-min Psychomotor Vigilance Test) were measured daily in the morning (baseline) and after training or competition. Self-reported individualized training variables (session rating of perceived exertion, duration, and detailed training workload demands) were collected posttraining. One-way repeated-measures analyses of variance assessed daily MF on a visual analog scale and reaction-time changes across phases. Linear mixed-effect models examined the impact of training load and specific training workloads on MF.

Results: Analysis of 93 match days and 440 training days revealed that MF on a visual analog scale increased after fencing activities compared with baseline, peaking on match days (+19.34 AU, P < .001), which aligned with an impaired reaction time (+76.43 milliseconds, P < .01). On training days, overall training load (estimate = 0.02), as well as the contributions of tactical (estimate = 0.26) and physical (estimate = 0.12) workload demands, positively predicted the MF increase (all P < .001), whereas environmental demand (estimate = -0.13, P = .022) mitigated the MF elevation.

Conclusions: The study highlights the prevalence of MF in elite fencers and its subsequent impact on reaction performance on competition days. The association with specific training structures provides insights for coaches and athletes to actively manage MF and optimize performance throughout a season.