Attentional Characteristics of Fencers: a Comparison with Swimmers and Non-Athletes and their Pedagogical Implications

The aim of this study was to identify the attentional profile of fencers, comparing them to non-athletes and swimmers. Three groups of subjects were studied (N=90; Mage=21.3; SD=4.1): thirty-seven fencers (20 female, 17 male), twenty-one swimmers (10 female, 11 male); thirty-two non-athletes (16 female, 16 male). Results of the alertness test (warning condition) showed swimmers were overall faster than non-athletes. In the no-warning condition, results of the alertness test showed a significant interaction between group x gender: in particular, it was the group of female non-athletes in the condition in which the warning signal was not present who recorded higher reaction times than the other groups. In the divided attention (only in the visual task), and the go/no-go tests, the fencers showed faster reaction times than the swimmers and the non-athletes, while the latter groups did not differ from each other. In the vigilance test, only the gender factor was significant: overall, males showed greater speed than females. In conclusion, our data show that fencers, compared to swimmers and non-athletes, possess better management of visual attention and a better ability to manage situations in which a response must be inhibited, suggesting that these differences affect more selective aspects of attention.