Validity and Reliability of a New Test of Change of Direction in Fencing Athletes

The aim of this study was to validate a new test of change of direction (COD) for fencer athletes and to establish its relationship with selected measures of physical fitness. Thirty-nine fencer athletes participated to this study (age: 20.8 ± 3.0 years). They performed the new specific fencing COD test (SFCODT) on two separate occasions to establish its reliability. In addition, assessment of COD, jumping ability (i.e., squat jump, countermovement jump, five jump test), sprint time (e.g., 5-m, 10-m and 20-m), isokinetic concentric and eccentric quadriceps, and hamstring force tests were assessed. To establish SFCODT’s construct validity, two subgroups were identified based on their international and national fencing results: High- vs. low-ranked fencer athletes. Reliability, validity, and sensitivity of the SFCODT were established from the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), typical error of measurement (TEM), smallest worthwhile change (SWC), and receiving operator characteristic (ROC) analysis. The ICC of SFCODT was excellent at >0.95, and the TEM was < 5%. Based on the usefulness analysis, the ability to detect small performance changes can be rated as “good” in fencer athletes (SWC > TEM). SFCODT was very largely associated with the COD test and moderate to very large associated with jumping ability, sprint time, and isokinetic strength. High-ranked fencer athletes were better than low-ranked fencer athletes on SFCODT ( p < 0.01). The area under the ROC curve was 0.76. In conclusion, the SFCODT is a highly reliable, valid, and sensitive test. Therefore, the SFCODT could be used by practitioners to evaluate specific CODS performance in fencer athletes.