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Test and Improve your Reaction Time!

• February 12th, 2015
• Camilla Chapman

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It's important - essential even - to have fast reaction times in sport; in athletics for example, you need to be quick when you hear the starter's gun to get the jump on your opponents. Let's take Usain Bolt and his reaction time in the London 2012 Olympic 100m final - his reaction time was 0.165 seconds, whilst his rival Yohan Blake reacted in 0.179 seconds. Neither are particularly quick but Bolt's reaction was enough to win him the gold medal!

The definition of reaction time is the ability to respond quickly to a stimulus. Simply reaction time is the time taken between a stimulus and a movement, and players can either see by where the ball is or by a player's position, listen for a player or referee's call or sense a player's position and their choices.

There are simple tests which can determine how quick your reactions are, and will provide an accurate result to your reaction time. One simple test can be the coin catching test. Put your elbow in front of you, with your palm facing up by your ear. Place a coin at the end of your elbow, as close as you can. Quickly lower your elbow and grab the coin before it touches the ground; you can get someone to time how quick you can grab it, and calculate the average after a few goes.

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Quickness Drills

Having a quick reaction time is a natural ability, but it can be developed through training to be improved on. You can work on areas to develop, such as detecting cues of the opposition's behaviour early and anticipating their next move. Develop your decision making by simulating game situations, working on set plays and creating an instinct of which player will do what.

There are a number of small drills you can do to improve your reaction time, and get you ready in your next fixture. Here's a few drills you can try today, to get those speedy reactions:

More Reaction Drills