Sport experience and visual motor reaction time of boxers.

Adequate evaluation of the situation and timely reaction are crucial for the performance in sports such as boxing. There are few studies on the visual motor reaction time of boxers. The aim of this study was to evaluate the visual motor reaction time of boxers during a complex dynamic cognitive task, depending on their sport experience. This study included 20 male boxers, all right-handed. They were divided into two groups according to their boxing experience: 1-3 years (mean age of 21.2 ± 5.45 years) and more than 5 years (mean age of 24.4 ± 6.92 years). The boxers did not have any significant differences in their anthropometric measurements. They were instructed to press as fast as possible buttons that were flashing red or green in random order and position with their dominant and non-dominant hand, depending on the color of the button. Hits were analyzed as "jab" (forward) or "cross" (diagonal) according to the arm movement required to reach the button. The visual motor reaction times of the group with more than 5 years of experience were shorter than those of the other group. The "jab" hits were faster than the "cross" ones in both groups. Sport experience had greater effect on the "jab" reaction times than on the "cross" ones. In both groups of boxers, the visual motor reaction times with the dominant hand were shorter than those with the non-dominant hand. Owing to the specific training of boxers, their automatic reaction abilities during a task-specific cognitive load increase more prominently for the "jab" hits. Despite sport experience, the effects of hand laterality on the visual motor reaction times are preserved. Greater experience in boxing significantly shortens the overall response time and leads to specific differences in the motor response of the performing arm depending on the stimulus/target position. The developed methodology is suitable for assessing the progress and selection of athletes as well as for developing better training programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]