Improve Reaction Speed

Whether you are driving in poor conditions or playing a competitive sport, it is important to develop your reflexes. To increase your reaction speed, start by playing brain and video games for mental flexibility. Develop your body by working on ball and agility drills. You can even work with a sports specialist to create a particular training regimen. Make sure to eat right, exercise, and sleep well, too.

Steps

Improving Your Physical Reaction Time

  1. Test your speed. You can get a timer and test your speed on a variety of tasks. How long does it take you to catch a falling object? How long does it take you to make a decision given certain information? Or, more intangibly, how many balls do you drop or miss in a certain sport? Try to keep the variables as similar as possible in order to get the best results.[1]
  2. Try ball drills. If you are practicing for a sport, get the ball for that sport and play a game of catch, kick, or another sport-related drill. You could also get creative and use the ball for a different sport. Try to add additional partners, if needed, to make it more challenging. For example, if you are a baseball catcher, have your partner throw the ball behind you and then see how fast you can turn around and retrieve it.[2]
    • You could even try out juggling. As the balls fly through the air this forces you to act quickly in order to catch them. Practicing regularly can decrease your response time and increase your speed.[3]
    • You can also use a reaction ball. This is a small ball with six sides that will move in unpredictable ways when bounced or thrown.[4]
  3. Try agility drills. Place some cones at a distance apart and run between them as fast as you can. Switch up the position of the cones or run in a different way to mix things up. If you are playing a sport, ask your coach to suggest some specific agility drills that you can do.[5]
  4. Perform eye exercises. Your eyes can also lag behind the rest of your body when it comes to reaction speed. To get them up to speed, choose two similar objects and place one nearby and another at a distance. Rotate between the two, trying to read each of them. You can also ask your eye doctor for other exercises.[3]
    • You can also discuss eye agility training with a sports vision specialist. To find a doctor near you, go to the American Optometric Association’s website and do a doctor search.[3]

Increasing Your Mental Speed

  1. Practice making quick decisions. In your everyday life, try to consciously speed up your decision making. If you feel yourself delaying or taking too much time, tell yourself, “faster, faster,” until you make a final move. Repeating this process will also help you to get used to the stress associated with quick decisions. You will learn how to keep your cool.[6]
  2. Learn to speed read. Time yourself reading single pages to see how long it takes to make it through. Then, see if you can cut down the seconds while still comprehending the material. Do this with a variety of types of reading to keep your mind flexible. You can also take a speed reading course online or at a local college.[7]
    • Another way to practice speed reading is to glance through a page and mark out a single letter at a time. So, take a pencil and cross out every “a” on a single page. Do the same with other letters until you feel your speed increasing.
  3. Play brain games. There are a number of sites online that offer brain training. However, be careful that you don’t simply train the same way over and over again, or your mind will adapt and you’ll lose your edge. Instead, try old fashioned brain training methods, such as playing cards or a computer game.[8]
    • You can also look at a sequence of numbers and try to memorize them. Then, see how long you can remember the numbers and write them back down correctly.
  4. Play video games. Get a game console and some action video games and play for 30 minutes a day. The fast placed nature of the gaming can increase your brain’s ability to process information. The gaming environment may also force you to get used to making quick decisions based on limited information.[9]
    • People who play action video games show an up to 25 percent speed increase in decision making when compared to people who do not play.
  5. Chew something. Get a pack of gum and chew it when you know you need to be quick. Or, grab a handful of sunflower seeds. It has been suggested that chewing stimulates the muscles in your mouth and jaw, which then send additional blood and activity up to your brain. You only need to chew for 10 seconds for an initial effect to occur and you’ll get a boost for at least 15 minutes.[10]
    • The benefits of this step are often not viewable to the naked eye and are measured in milliseconds of difference. However, for athletes in particular, shaving down even small amounts of time can have a positive effect.
  6. Recognize the importance of speed. This is essentially the process of getting your head in the game. Sit and think about how you need to be fast and accurate in your upcoming task. Mentally go through all of the preparations that you have done. Approaching a task in a calm, precise manner can help you to harness your stress nerves and put them to good use.[11]
    • Reminding yourself that you are in control can also lower the possibility of mistakes born out of nervousness, such as jumping the starting line.
  7. Minimize distractions. If you are working on something that requires concentration and speed, try to eliminate all other things that might grab your attention. If you are driving in bad conditions and need to react quickly, then you might turn off the radio and talk less with the car’s passengers.[12]

Taking Care of Your Body

  1. Exercise. To stay mentally and physically quick, you must take care of yourself. Exercise at least three times a week, more if possible. Exercise increases blood flow to your entire body, including your brain. [13]
  2. Eat right. Eat healthy, balanced, and consistent meals. Eating right gives your body the fuel needed to perform at its best. Eggs and spinach, for example, are super foods for the brain. They both contain the amino acid tyrosine, which has been shown to increase reaction speeds.[14]
    • Conversely, drinking alcohol or using illegal substances can slow your reaction speeds down.
  3. Get enough sleep. If you are tired, you will probably respond to any external stimuli in a sluggish way. Make sure to get at least eight hours of good, solid, undisturbed sleep a night. This will allow you to stay alert for longer periods.[15]
  4. Drink caffeine. It is very tempting to down a cup of coffee whenever you need speed and focus on a task. However, this can backfire. Caffeine can help to boost your response times, but it must be used in a controlled way. Stick to one cup prior to working on a task requiring quick responses. Otherwise, you might get jittery and less focused.[16]
  5. Monitor your medications. Some medications can slow down your response time and reflexes. Or, you may even experience dizziness or blurred vision. If you need a high reaction speed, make sure to talk to your pharmacist or your doctor about how your medications might impact your abilities.[12]
    • This is an especially important step to follow if you are about to drive a motor vehicle. Even in good conditions, you’ll want to have sharp reflexes.

Tips

  • Play some reaction games when you first wake up. This is a good time to play when it will help you wake up and your brain is in a suggestive, pliable state.
  • A brief period of exposure to bright light may also help to increase reaction speed.[17]

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-428903/How-improve-reaction-times.html#ixzz4aaTW4AzF
  2. ↑ http://www.active.com/softball/articles/how-to-improve-your-catcher-s-reaction-time-878388
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 https://www.outsideonline.com/1959876/4-easy-drills-improve-hand-eye-coordination
  4. ↑ http://www.mightyfighter.com/top-7-exercises-on-how-to-improve-reflexes/
  5. ↑ http://www.coreperformance.com/daily/play-better/3-drills-to-improve-your-reaction-time.html
  6. ↑ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-428903/How-improve-reaction-times.html#ixzz4aaTtrp4f
  7. ↑ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-428903/How-improve-reaction-times.html#ixzz4aaU7k7Gx
  8. ↑ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-428903/How-improve-reaction-times.html#ixzz4aaUGZ9JK
  9. ↑ http://www.futurity.org/video-games-speed-up-reaction-time/
  10. ↑ http://bodyodd.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/03/06/17181918-chewing-gum-improves-your-reaction-time-study-suggests?lite
  11. ↑ https://breakingmuscle.com/learn/what-determines-reaction-time-and-how-to-improve-it
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 http://seniordriving.aaa.com/understanding-mind-body-changes/reaction-time/manage-slower-reaction-times/
  13. ↑ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-428903/How-improve-reaction-times.html#ixzz4aaTeTdWu
  14. ↑ http://www.menshealth.co.uk/food-nutrition/healthy-eating/eat-spinach-eggs-to-boost-reaction-time
  15. ↑ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-428903/How-improve-reaction-times.html#ixzz4aaU1XC6i
  16. ↑ http://www.livescience.com/54309-caffeine-improves-reaction-time.html
  17. ↑ https://www.cnet.com/news/mood-lifting-bright-light-improves-reaction-time/
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