Playing sports, be it professionally or as a fitness hobby, is a captivating experience. The thrills and spills, the wins, the exertion, elation and despair, victories and defeats all add to the charm. While on the playing field, the player remains focused on one thing — performing to the best of their abilities. It is not just about victories, most sportspersons say, level of competition notwithstanding. And to perform well, many factors need to work in unison — teamwork and synergy to start with in team sports. And, on an individual level (within the team framework or in individual sports) comes fitness, skill, creativity, speed, quick reflexes and reaction time.
From an athlete sprinting the 100-metre race, where a quick reaction to the starting gun and the milliseconds gained or lost in it, to players on the basketball court, whose dribbling and changing of direction or reacting to passes, quick reflexes make that fine difference between victory and defeat, injury and a brilliant move.
Whether in individual or team sports, one needs to react quickly to a stimulus while playing, be it to score, win a race, defend, dodge or avoid injuries. Athletes and sportspersons train and prime their reflexes to be quick and reduce reaction time. This training can and should be incorporated by anyone. Quick reflexes can also make a difference in your daily life, such as while driving or crossing the road in peak traffic.
Quick reflexes and reaction time in sports
Reflexes and reaction time complement each other. However, they are two different attributes.
“Though quick reflexes and reaction time are usually thought to be the same, they are entirely different,” says Shivani Ranjit, a sports and exercise scientist from Chennai. “Quick reflex is an innate involuntary process, in which one reacts to a stimulus or signal automatically without thinking. Reaction time is how long it takes to perceive and respond to the stimulus.”
Ramji Srinivasan, former strength and conditioning coach of the Indian cricket team and the founder and director of Sports Dynamix, Chennai, says, “In many sports, such as racing, cricket, basketball, football, tennis, table tennis and boxing, the ability to react quickly to an opponent’s movements or a changing situation is crucial. Having quick reflexes and faster reaction time is essential for many sports— it directly impacts an athlete’s performance.”
How quick reflexes help prevent injuries
Quick reflexes are highly influenced by the surrounding environment and type of stimulus.
“There are three diverse types of stimuli. One is the visual stimulus,” begins Ranjit. “Another is called kinesthetics, which is the person’s awareness of their body position in space. The third one is auditory. Not knowing how to react to these stimuli can affect the chances of scoring or heighten the chances of injury.”
Once a stimulus is perceived, the signal is transferred to the spinal cord and then back to the muscles. Thus, the time taken for the signal to reach the brain to take a decision is reduced. In this way, having quick reflexes shortens the reaction time and helps avoid sports injuries.
“The likelihood of an injury resulting from a given external force or load is increased if the apt neuromuscular response is delayed by as little as 4 to 6 milliseconds,” adds Srinivasan. “Thus, quick reflexes and reaction time is most critical to avoid concussions and impact injuries. Proper firing of the neuromuscular process and kinesthetics is the key to avoiding injuries.”
But sometimes, a sudden movement of a body part in response to a quick reflex can also lead to an injury. “Experienced players will know exactly how to move their body, but there are chances that they could get an injury as well if the position, such as a tackle, goes wrong, or if one is probably just pushing oneself a little too much,” adds Ranjit.
Exercises to train quick reflexes
Quick reflexes and reaction time can be built and maintained through consistent training. Several drills or exercises can be done to work on this. Athletes who prioritise improving their reflexes and shortening reaction time perform better and are less prone to injuries.
“Exercising, in general, improves quick reflexes,” says Ranjit. “Most of the time, the drill or exercise chosen is entirely specific to the athlete and the sport involved. It can begin with drills that work on proprioception/balance, like standing on one leg or on an uneven surface. One can eventually proceed to routines that make athletes change directions midway while running without letting them know in advance which direction they must turn, to get the quick reflexes working.”
Drills exposing oneself to various types of stimuli while training and honing the reaction to them help improve reaction time. One can also use drills requiring quick decision-making.
“Reaction time drills, in which the individual practices reacting quickly to stimuli, sensory training, which involves exposing athletes to a variety of stimuli, decision making training, which involves practising making quick and accurate decisions in response to different situations and neurofeedback training that involves real-time monitoring of brain activity and feedback, are important ways of training quick reflexes,” says Srinivasan.
Mental preparation, physical fitness and proper rest and sleep are other aspects that have a bearing on reflexes and reaction time.
Takeaways
- Quick reflexes are actions performed as a reaction to a specific stimulus or signal. On the other hand, reaction time is the time taken to respond to the stimulus.
- Quick reflexes and faster reaction time play a significant role in improving the performance of the athlete or sportsperson and reducing the possibility of injuries.
- Exercise works on improving quick reflexes, but there are specific drills to improve them. These drills/exercises depend on the type of sports the individual is involved in.
