1. Title of Dataset: Injury Patterns and Risk Factors Among Competitive Fencers: A Survey of Competitive U.S. Fencers 2. Author Information a. Principal Investigator Contact Information Name: Professor Lindsay Bottoms Institution: University of Hertfordshire Address: Centre for Research in Psychology and Sports Email: l.bottoms@herts.ac.uk 3. Date of data collection January to April 2024 4. Geographic location of data collection USA 5. Information about funding sources that supported the collection of the data: No authors have any relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose. SHARING/ACCESS INFORMATION 1. Licenses/restrictions placed on the data: CC-BY 2. Links to publication that cite or use the data: Will submit to PlosOne 3. Links to other publicly accessible locations of the data: none 4. Links/relationships to ancillary data sets: none 5. Was data derived from another source? No 6. Recommend citation for this dataset: Holmes, K., Bottoms, L., Rojas, M, Giannakis, P., Poeran, J. and Colvin, A. (2025). Injury Patterns and Risk Factors Among Competitive Fencers: A Survey of Competitive U.S. Fencers. University of Hertfordshire. https://.... DATA & FILE OVERVIEW 1. File list: There is 1 file: Epi_Data.csv 2. Additional related data collected that was not included in the current data package: a. All data included 3. Are there multiple versions of the dataset? No METHODOLOGICAL INFORMATION 1. Description of methods used for collection/generation of data: An online survey was distributed to USA fencing members.491 adult members completed it (3.3% response rate). The survey consisted of 79 multiple choice questions which included demographic information (8 questions), athlete and training characteristics (16 questions), competitive information (3 questions), and information regarding the five (self-reported) most impactful injuries participants had experienced while participating in the sport (52 questions), including questions about injury location, type of injury and mechanism of injury. The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board and Permission from USA Fencing was obtained (Protocol 24-00128). 2. Methods for processing the data: SPSS and excel were both used to process the data. 3. Instrument or software-specific information needed to interpret the data: Excel, R Foundation for Statistical Computing (version 2023.12.1+40) and SPSS v27 4. Standards and calibration information, if appropriate: N/A 5. Environmental/experimental conditions: a. All participants were listed as adult "Competitive Members" within USA Fencing. 6. People involved with sample collection, processing, analysis and/or submission: Holmes, K., Bottoms, L., Rojas, M, Giannakis, P., Poeran, J. and Colvin, A DATA-SPECIFIC INFORMATION FOR: Surface Data Collestion Sheet.csv 1. Number of variables: 121 2. Number of rows: 491 3. Variable list: List variable name, description, unit and value descriptive a. Age, age, years b. Height, height, cm c. Weight, weight, kg d. Education, highest level of education obtained, High sShool, College, Trade School, Graduate School e. Ethnicity, ethnicity, White/Caucasian, Black or African American, Native American or Alaskan Asian or Pacific Islander, Hispanic, Multiple/Other f. Alcohol, number of alcoholic drinks consumed in a week g. Cigarettes, number of packs of cigarettes smoked in a day h. Sleep, average number of hours of sleep a night i. Age_Started, age when subject started fencing, years j. Years_Fencing, years subject has been actively fencing, years k. Age_Specialized, age when subject specialized in fencing, years l. Hand, hand that subject fences with, Right, Left m. Epee, does the subject fence Epee, Epee n. Foil, does the subject fence foil, Foil o. Saber, does the subject fence saber, Saber p. Gender, what division does the subject currently compete in, Male, Female q. Juniors, does the subject compete in the junior event, Junior r. Div_I, does the subject compete in the Div I event, DIV I/Senior s. Div_II, does the subject compete in the Div II event, Div II t. Div_III, does the subject compete in the Div III event, DIV III u. Div_Ia, does the subject compete in the Div Ia event, Div Ia v. Veterans, does the subject compete in the Veterans event, Veterans w. Rating, what is the subject’s current highest letter rating, U, E, D, C, B, A x. Level, what is the highest level of competition the subject has reached, Recreational, Local, Regional, National, Satellite, World Cups/Grand Prix, Pan Am Championships/World Championships, Pan Am Games, Olympic Games y. Number_of_Comps, on average how many competitions does the subject participate in a year, number z. College_Fencing, did the subject compete in collegiate fencing, Club, Div III, Div II, Div I aa. Grip, what grip does the subject use, Saber, French, Pistol Visconti, Pistol Belgian, Pistol K Grip, Pistol unknown subtype, Other ab. Hours_Bouting, how many hours a week does the subject bout in training, hours ac. Hours_Footwork, how many hours a week does the subject to footwork, hours ad. Hours_Lessons, how many hours a week of lessons does the subject take, hours ae. Hours_Drills, how many hours a week of drills does the subject participate in, hours af. Hours_Target, How many hours a week of target practice does the subject participate in, hours ag. Cross_Training, does the subject cross train, Yes, No ah. Lifting, does the subject lift for cross training, Lifting ai. Running, does the subject run for cross training, Running aj. Swimming, does the subject swim for cross training, Swimming ak. Yoga, does the subject do yoga for cross training, Yoga al. Cycling, does the subject cycle for cross training, Cycling am. Hours_Cross_Training, how many hours of cross training does the subject participate in a week, hours an. Injured_While_Fencing, has the subject ever been injured while fencing, Yes, NO ao. Number_of_Injuries, how many fencing injuries has the subject had (if the subject has had more than 5, only the 5 most severe were reported), number ap. Injury_1_Body_Part, what body part was injured, Head, Neck, Shoulder, Upper arm, Elbow, Forearm, Wrist, Hand, Finger, Upper back, Lower back, Hip, Abdomen, Hamstring, Groin, Quadriceps, Knee, Shin, Calf, Ankle, Foot, Toe, Other aq. Injury_1_Body_Side, what side of the body was injured, Right, Left, Center ar. Injury_1_Injury_Type, what type of injury was received, Concussion, Disc issue, Dislocation, Ligament tear/rupture, Tendon tear/rupture, Tendonitis/Tenosynovitis, Bursa issue, Meniscal tear, Neuropathy, Fracture, Bony contusion, Puncture/laceration/cut, contusion, Other as. Injury_1_Mechanism, what was the mechanism of the injury, Overuse, Fall, Acute action/accident during bout, Collision with opponent, Direct hit from opponent’s tip, blade, bell guard, Other at. Injury_1_Weapon_Part, if the injury was inflicted by a weapon, what part of the weapon caused it, Bell guard, Tip, Blade, N/A au. Injury_1_CompvPrac, if the injury was acute did it occur in practice or competition, Practice, Competition av. Injury_1_Time_Off, how much time the subject took off from fencing because of the injury, months aw. Injury_1_Treatments, what treatments/interventions did the injury require, Physical therapy, Injection, Medication, Casting/bracing, Surgery, None, Other ax. Injury_1_Recovery, out of 100, what % was the subject able to recover from the injury, percentage ay. Injury_2_Body_Part, what body part was injured, Head, Neck, Shoulder, Upper arm, Elbow, Forearm, Wrist, Hand, Finger, Upper back, Lower back, Hip, Abdomen, Hamstring, Groin, Quadriceps, Knee, Shin, Calf, Ankle, Foot, Toe, Other az. Injury_2_Body_Side, what side of the body was injured, Right, Left, Center ba. Injury_2_Injury_Type, what type of injury was received, Concussion, Disc issue, Dislocation, Ligament tear/rupture, Tendon tear/rupture, Tendonitis/Tenosynovitis, Bursa issue, Meniscal tear, Neuropathy, Fracture, Bony contusion, Puncture/laceration/cut, contusion, Other bb. Injury_2_Mechanism, what was the mechanism of the injury, Overuse, Fall, Acute action/accident during bout, Collision with opponent, Direct hit from opponent’s tip, blade, bell guard, Other bc. Injury_2_Weapon_Part, if the injury was inflicted by a weapon, what part of the weapon caused it, Bell guard, Tip, Blade, N/A bd. Injury_2_CompvPrac, if the injury was acute did it occur in practice or competition, Practice, Competition be. Injury_2_Time_Off, how much time the subject took off from fencing because of the injury, months bf. Injury_2_Treatments, what treatments/interventions did the injury require, Physical therapy, Injection, Medication, Casting/bracing, Surgery, None, Other bg. Injury_2_Recovery, out of 100, what % was the subject able to recover from the injury, percentage bh. Injury_3_Body_Part, what body part was injured, Head, Neck, Shoulder, Upper arm, Elbow, Forearm, Wrist, Hand, Finger, Upper back, Lower back, Hip, Abdomen, Hamstring, Groin, Quadriceps, Knee, Shin, Calf, Ankle, Foot, Toe, Other bi. Injury_3_Body_Side, what side of the body was injured, Right, Left, Center bj. Injury_3_Injury_Type, what type of injury was received, Concussion, Disc issue, Dislocation, Ligament tear/rupture, Tendon tear/rupture, Tendonitis/Tenosynovitis, Bursa issue, Meniscal tear, Neuropathy, Fracture, Bony contusion, Puncture/laceration/cut, contusion, Other bk. Injury_3_Mechanism, what was the mechanism of the injury, Overuse, Fall, Acute action/accident during bout, Collision with opponent, Direct hit from opponent’s tip, blade, bell guard, Other bl. Injury_3_Weapon_Part, if the injury was inflicted by a weapon, what part of the weapon caused it, Bell guard, Tip, Blade, N/A bm. Injury_3_CompvPrac, if the injury was acute did it occur in practice or competition, Practice, Competition bn. Injury_3_Time_Off, how much time the subject took off from fencing because of the injury, months bo. Injury_3_Treatments, what treatments/interventions did the injury require, Physical therapy, Injection, Medication, Casting/bracing, Surgery, None, Other bp. Injury_4_Recovery, out of 100, what % wat the subject able to recover from the injury, percentage bq. Injury_4_Body_Part, what body part was injured, Head, Neck, Shoulder, Upper arm, Elbow, Forearm, Wrist, Hand, Finger, Upper back, Lower back, Hip, Abdomen, Hamstring, Groin, Quadriceps, Knee, Shin, Calf, Ankle, Foot, Toe, Other br. Injury_4_Body_Side, what side of the body was injured, Right, Left, Center bs. Injury_4_Injury_Type, what type of injury was received, Concussion, Disc issue, Dislocation, Ligament tear/rupture, Tendon tear/rupture, Tendonitis/Tenosynovitis, Bursa issue, Meniscal tear, Neuropathy, Fracture, Bony contusion, Puncture/laceration/cut, contusion, Other bt. Injury_4_Mechanism, what was the mechanism of the injury, Overuse, Fall, Acute action/accident during bout, Collision with opponent, Direct hit from opponent’s tip, blade, bell guard, Other bu. Injury_4_Weapon_Part, if the injury was inflicted by a weapon, what part of the weapon caused it, Bell guard, Tip, Blade, N/A bv. Injury_4_CompvPrac, if the injury was acute did it occur in practice or competition, Practice, Competition bw. Injury_4_Time_Off, how much time the subject took off from fencing because of the injury, months bx. Injury_4_Treatments, what treatments/interventions did the injury require, Physical therapy, Injection, Medication, Casting/bracing, Surgery, None, Other by. Injury_4_Recovery, out of 100, what % wat the subject able to recover from the injury bz. Injury_5_Body_Part, what body part was injured, Head, Neck, Shoulder, Upper arm, Elbow, Forearm, Wrist, Hand, Finger, Upper back, Lower back, Hip, Abdomen, Hamstring, Groin, Quadriceps, Knee, Shin, Calf, Ankle, Foot, Toe, Other ca. Injury_5_Body_Side, what side of the body was injured, Right, Left, Center cb. Injury_5_Injury_Type, what type of injury was received, Concussion, Disc issue, Dislocation, Ligament tear/rupture, Tendon tear/rupture, Tendonitis/Tenosynovitis, Bursa issue, Meniscal tear, Neuropathy, Fracture, Bony contusion, Puncture/laceration/cut, contusion, Other cc. Injury_5_Mechanism, what was the mechanism of the injury, Overuse, Fall, Acute action/accident during bout, Collision with opponent, Direct hit from opponent’s tip, blade, bell guard, Other cd. Injury_5_Weapon_Part, if the injury was inflicted by a weapon, what part of the weapon caused it, Bell guard, Tip, Blade, N/A ce. Injury_5_CompvPrac, if the injury was acute did it occur in practice or competition, Practice, Competition cf. Injury_5_Time_Off, how much time the subject took off from fencing because of the injury cg. Injury_5_Treatments, what treatments/interventions did the injury require, Physical therapy, Injection, Medication, Casting/bracing, Surgery, None, Other ch. Injury_5_Recovery, out of 100, what % wat the subject able to recover from the injury, percentage 4. Missing data codes: There are no missing data codes. The cells are just blank 5. Specialised formats or other abbreviations used: cm = centimetres kg=kilogram