Match Performance Analysis of Women's Épée in the 2017-2019 World Fencing Championships

Épée preserves the original dueling nature of fencing and is the only discipline that allows double hits. However, there is still limited understanding of how specific techniques are used in different contexts, such as bout rounds, piste areas, and score statuses (leading, tied, or trailing). To address this gap, this study analyzed the performance of elite female épée fencers during the top 16 to final bouts of the 2017-2019 world championships using notational analysis of videos from the International Fencing Federation's official YouTube channel. This dataset included 1,840 scoring events across 45 matches, involving 38 fencers. Three- or two-way mixed-design ANOVAs, as well as two-way repeated measures ANOVAs were conducted to investigate the effects of these factors and their interactions for both winners and losers. Results highlighted the second round as a crucial scoring phase. Winners strategically focused on achieving more single hits (than double hits), attacking in the first two rounds and counterattacking in the third. When leading, winners often lured their opponent toward their side of the piste to maintain control, while becoming more aggressive-advancing into the central or even the middle area of the opponent's side to score with attacks-when temporarily tied or trailing. In contrast, losers frequently scored in the central and middle areas of both sides. When temporarily leading, they displayed no clear preference for specific techniques or areas of the piste. These findings provide valuable insights for coaches to design more effective training sessions and offer targeted feedback during competitions to enhance fencers' performance.