FENCING IN HOT WEATHER – UPDATED GUIDELINES

Updated guidelines for clubs, coaches, event organisers and participants on how to maintain hydration and stay cool during hot weather.

As the summer months draw to a close, in some parts of the country temperatures are (finally!) rising. Fencing, an indoor sport, is not often affected by adverse weather, but the nature of the sport and the layers of kit required, means that extra precautions need to be taken during hot weather.

Supported by the BF Medical Committee, we have been working on Updated Hot Weather Guidelines. These includes guidelines for Clubs, Coaches, Competition Organisers on their responsibilities to ensure suitable environments for the activities they are providing and guidelines for individual participants on the actions they can take to maintain hydration and stay cool.

As a reminder, the guidance for individual participants (including parents/guardians of U18s) is as follows:

When participating in fencing in hot weather participants are encouraged to take individual action to help ensure that they remain hydrated and stay cool.

Where they are participating in organised activity (club, camp, competition) they should follow the advice of the organisers to mitigate the risks of heat exhaustion.

It is especially important that younger fencers are guided to stay hydrated, as they may not be able to monitor the signs of heat exhaustion and dehydration as easily. Parents/guardians are responsible for supporting this – e.g. by ensuring that children bring with them water/electrolytes/high water content food.

1. Stay hydrated – take extra water to sessions and make sure it is actually consumed and refilled in the sessions.
2. Add electrolytes to your water, and/or eat high water content foods like watermelon. Electrolytes are also found in most sports drinks.
3. A cold towel at the back of the neck can help to cool you down.
4. Loosen or remove your clothing to reduce overheating when you are not actively fencing. Change t-shirts when they get saturated and consider moisture wicking/breathable t-shirts.
5. Adapt your training session e.g. by changing the session content, reducing the time you remain in full kit, taking regular breaks.
6. Do cool down/stretches as normal – you should still warm up and cool down to avoid injury.

Clubs, Coaches and Event organisers can find more information about their responsibilities and mitigation actions in the BF Hot Weather Guidelines.

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