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Reaction Time

Reaction Time
Brain Test

Reaction time is the interval time between the presentation of a stimulus and
the initiation of the muscular response to that stimulus. A primary factor
affecting a response is the number of possible stimuli, each requiring their
own response, that are presented.

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If there is only one possible response (simple reaction time) it will only take a
short time to react. If there are several possible responses (choice reaction
time) then it will take longer to determine which response to carry out.
[2]

Hick (1952) discovered that the reaction time increases proportionally to the
number of possible responses until a point at which the response time remains
constant despite the increases in possible responses (Hick's Law).

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Reaction time itself is an inherent ability, but overall response time can be
improved by practice. Coach and athletes need to analyse the type of skill and
the requirements of their sport and decide where overall response gains can
be made. Consider the following:
Detecting the cue - in a sprint start, focusing on the starter's voice
and the sound of the gun and separating this from background crowd
noise and negative thoughts
Detecting relevant cues - a goalkeeper learning to analyse body
language at penalties
Decisionmaking - working on set pieces and game situations
Change in attention focus - being able to switch quickly from
concentration on the opponent to concentration on the field of play in
invasion games
Controllinganxiety - which slows reaction times by adding conflicting
information
Creatingoptimumlevelsofmotivation - 'psyching up'
Warmup - to ensure the sense organs and nervous system are ready
to transmit information and the muscles to act upon it

Anticipation
Anticipation is a strategy used by athletes to reduce the time they take to
respond to a stimulus e.g. the tennis player who anticipates the type of serve
the opponent will use (spatial or event anticipation). In this case, the player
has learnt to detect certain cues early in the serving sequence that predicts
the potential type of serve. This means the player can start to position himself
or herself for the return earlier in the sequence than usual and thus give
themselves more time to play the shot when the ball arrives. Obviously, there
are dangers for the tennis player in anticipating in this way but the
advantages of getting it right are great.

Factorsinfluencingresponsetime
Response time is the sum of reaction time plus movement time. Factors that
may influence the performer's response are:

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[1]

Gender and age (see diagram - Davis (2000)

Stage of learning
Psychological state
Level of fitness
Number of possible responses
Time available
Intensity of the stimuli
Anticipation
Experience
Health
Body Temperature - colder the slower
Personality - extroverts react quicker
State of alertness
Length of neural pathways

ReactionSpeedDrills
The objective of reaction speed drills is to improve your reaction time to a
stimulus. The drills can include the control of an object (e.g. football or
hockey puck). The cue for the reaction to take place can be visual (movement
of an object) or a specific command (voice) or sound (starter's gun). The cue
should be appropriate to your event or sport - starter's gun for a sprinter. The
following are examples of reaction speed drills to an external stimulus.
Applicable to any event or sport where pure speed over the ground
is important
Starting
position

Lying on the ground on their back or front

Command

Voice or sound

Action

To get up and sprint 20 metre to 30 metre to a

designated point

Notes

The designated point could be the coach who moves

from point to point so that the athlete only has the
sound of the command to initially determine where the
coach is positioned
For sports where a ball is to be controlled by the athlete

Starting
position

Easy running controlling the ball

Command

Voice command of left, right, back or forward

Action

To sprint in the direction of the command for a

designated distance, whilst controlling the ball, and
then return to easy running

Notes

Drill can be repeated 3 or 4 times bringing the athlete

back to the starting point to pass the ball to the next
athlete.

For sprinters to improve their reaction to the starting gun

Starting
position
Command

Standing tall and relaxed

Blow on a whistle or clap of the hands - given from
behind the athlete
The following should all happen together:
1. The right knee is brought sharply up to a
position where the thigh is parallel with the
ground, the lower leg is vertical to the ground
and the foot is dorsi flexed
2. The arms are brought to the sprint position
3. The athlete rises up onto the toes of the left foot

Action

Notes

It is assumed that the right foot is placed in the rear

block of the starting blocks on a sprint start - if it is
the left foot then change the leg action above
For sports where a ball is involved

Starting
position

Use any static position - standing, sitting or lying

down

Command

Coach standing in front drops a ball from shoulder

height

Action

To sprint and catch the ball before its second

bounce

Notes

Need to adjust where the coach stands to make the

exercise most effective

References
1. DAVIS, B. et al. (2000) Physical Education and the study of sport. 4th
ed. Spain: Harcourt. p. 312
2. HICK, W.E. (1952) On the rate of gain of information. Quarterly Journal
of Experimental Psychology, 4, p. 11-26

RelatedReferences
The following references provide additional information on this topic:
PAIN, M. T. and HIBBS, A. (2007) Sprint starts and the minimum
auditory reaction time. Journal of sports sciences, 25 (1), p. 79-86
ECKNER, J. T. et al. (2010) Pilot evaluation of a novel clinical test of
reaction time in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I
football players. Journal of athletic training, 45 (4), p. 327
ASHTON-MILLER, J. A. et al. (2014) U.S. Patent No. 8,657,295.
Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
DEL ROSSI, G. et al. (2014) Practice Effects Associated With Repeated
Assessment of a Clinical Test of Reaction Time. Journal of athletic
training.

PageReference
If you quote information from this page in your work then the reference for
this page is:

 MACKENZIE, B. (1998) Reaction Time [WWW] Available from:

https://www.brianmac.co.uk/reaction.htm [Accessed 22/10/2016]

RelatedPages
The following Sports Coach pages provide additional information on this topic:

Articles on Speed Training

Books on Speed Training
Fartlek Training
Speed Training

AdditionalSourcesofInformation
For further information on this topic see the following:
BEASHEL, P. and TAYLOR, J. (1996) Advanced Studies in Physical
Education and Sport. UK: Thomas Nelson and Sons Ltd.
BEASHEL, P. and TAYLOR, J. (1997) The World of Sport Examined. UK:
Thomas Nelson and Sons Ltd.
BIZLEY, K. (1994) Examining Physical Education. Oxford; Heinemann
Educational Publishers
DAVIS, B. et al. (2000) Physical Education and the Study of Sport. UK:
Harcourt Publishers Ltd.
GALLIGAN, F. et al. (2000) Advanced PE for Edexcel. Oxford;
Heinemann Educational Publishers
McARDLE, W. et al. (2000) Essentials of Exercise Physiology. 2nd ed.
Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins

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