Study by Coach İrem Ülkü Explores How Agility, Flexibility, and Jumps Shape Saber Performance

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — When fencers step onto the strip, we tend to focus on tactics, bladework, and timing. But what about the physical building blocks that make those winning touches possible?

That’s the question fencing coach and researcher İrem Ülkü set out to answer in a new study conducted at the Tim Morehouse Fencing Club in New York. Her work, recently published in the Dede Korkut Journal of Sports Sciences, analyzed how physical characteristics like agility, flexibility, and jumping ability connect to performance in saber.

While USA Fencing has not independently reviewed the study, we found its findings interested and worth sharing with the fencing community.

The study involved 33 competitive male saber fencers, average age 12, who completed a series of performance tests: agility drills, sit-and-reach flexibility assessments, 2-meter lunge speed, and both vertical and horizontal jumps.

The results uncovered three key takeaways for fencers, parents, and coaches:

1. Agility boosts explosiveness. Fencers who excelled in agility drills also posted higher vertical jump scores, showing a direct link between quick footwork and lower-body power.
2. Flexibility can be a double-edged sword. While flexibility supports range of motion, the study found that higher flexibility was associated with slower lunge speed. The takeaway? Stretching is important—but balance is key.
3. Training should be holistic. The research emphasizes the importance of combining flexibility, explosive strength, jumping drills, and balance exercises in training programs for young saber athletes.

Coach Ülkü and her co-author, Barış Baydemir of Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, hope this research encourages coaches to see physical conditioning not as an add-on, but as an essential part of fencing development.

“Agility, balance, and strength work hand in hand with technique and tactics,” the study concludes. “Training programs that integrate these elements can optimize performance and reduce injury risk”.

For the fencing community, the findings serve as a reminder: what happens in the gym is just as important as what happens on the strip.