Drills to Decrease Reaction Time

Reaction time refers to the amount of time it takes a human to make a physical response when presented with stimuli. Reaction time, for the most part, is genetic.

That said, it is possible to improve your reaction time by keeping physically and mentally fit and training your reactions regularly with drills.

  1. Reaction Speed Drill 1

    • This drill involves participants reacting to an audible stimuli. This is particularly effective for sprinters who require a fast, explosive response upon the sound of the starter's pistol. Participants start from the blocks (in the set position), standing or lying on the ground. A coach or partner stands behind the participants to remove any visual stimuli. When the coach claps or blows his whistle, participants must react as quickly as possible, exploding into a sprint for 30m or another set distance.

    Reaction Speed Drill 2

    • This drill involves a coach or partner standing 5m from the participant. The participant must use the visual cue of his coach or partner releasing a tennis ball from shoulder height and react quickly enough to catch the ball before its second bounce. This is an effective, sport-specific drill for baseball, softball and racket-sport players.

    Reaction Speed Drill 3

    • Soccer or basketball players begin the drill dribbling the ball slowly in a straight direction. When the coach make a audible cue of "left," "right," "forward" or "backward," participants sprint in that direction over a set distance while keeping the ball under control. This drill also works using pointing to train visual reaction speed.

    Overspeed Training

    • Overspeed training involves training at a higher speed than your sport requires. For example, a baseball player may use a pitching machine set to 120mph. His brain begins to adapt to the higher speed, allowing him to process the visual stimuli of a slower pitch more effectively and react faster as a result.