How to Improve Reaction Time

How to improve reaction time is a question that every athlete and every coach is eager to learn more about. In this blog post, I put a big focus on this topic, as well as on an in-depth explanation of what reaction time is, what the components and types of reaction time are, examples of reaction time, the importance of senses, factors influencing reaction time, the difference between reactions and reflexes, why reaction time matters in sport, and practical ways to train it.

Bigger understanding and knowledge about concepts that make reaction time brings bigger understanding about how we can work on improving it with our athletes, or in everyday life. The application of reaction time is very broad, and it goes beyond the world of sports.

Simply put, reaction time is the amount of time that takes place between when we perceive something until when we respond to it. It is the ability to notice, detect, process, and respond to a stimulus.

Reaction time keeps you safe and it makes sure that your body can move away from potential danger. You will apply the principles of reaction time whether you are competing in a sport, walking on a street, or driving. In all these cases, you will need to react to a sudden visual stimulus, process that information as fast as possible, and then create the “output”, the movement based on the decision that was made in your brain.

---

Key Takeaways

• Reaction time has three components: Sensory input (detecting the stimulus), brain processing (deciding what to do), and motor response (executing the action). Training should address all three, not just the physical movement.
• Visual training is the missing link: Most coaches skip the quality of visual perception and jump straight to speed drills. But if athletes can’t “see fast,” they can’t react fast. Train the input before training the output.
• Simple vs. complex reaction time: Simple reactions (one stimulus, one response) are faster than complex reactions (multiple stimuli, multiple response options). Sport situations are almost always complex, so train accordingly.
• Reactions are voluntary, reflexes are not: Understanding this distinction helps coaches design better training. Reflexes bypass the brain; reactions require cognitive processing. Athletes need to train the decision-making component.
• Sleep, nutrition, and hydration matter: Physical fitness and cognitive sharpness both affect reaction time. Neglecting recovery and nutrition undermines all other training efforts.

---

What is Reaction Time?

Reaction time (also called reaction speed or speed of reaction) is the interval between the onset of a stimulus and the initiation of a response to it. It’s a fundamental measure in psychology and neuroscience, used to measure the speed at which an individual responds to external stimuli.

This process involves several steps: detection of the stimulus by one of the sensory systems, processing of the stimulus by the brain to decide on a course of action, and finally, execution of the response by the motor system. It’s where the complex wiring of our nervous system meets the real world.

Reaction time is a reflection of how quickly and efficiently the brain can process incoming information, make a decision, and then signal the body to respond. This capability is particularly important in sports, especially in handball, where milliseconds can make the difference between a successful save or a missed goal.

The body responds to stimuli through a fast communication system that involves the eyes, brain, and muscles. When the body receives stimuli to which it needs to respond, the eyes send a signal to the brain through neurons in the optic nerve, which has the role of the only neural communication connecting the eyes and the brain. After receiving these signals, the central nervous system processes the information and sends commands to the body’s muscles to execute the appropriate responses. This whole process, from perception to action, happens in a matter of milliseconds.

Understanding reaction time at this level helps coaches design better training programs. Instead of simply telling athletes to “react faster,” we can identify which component of the reaction time chain needs the most work and target it specifically.

---

The Components of Reaction Time

The components of reaction time form a fascinating journey from the initial stimulus to the final action. Here are the main components:

Sensory Input

Everything starts with a stimulus, whether it’s a visual signal, a sound, or a touch. This is the starting line of reaction time. It involves the detection of a stimulus through one of our senses: sight, sound, touch, taste, or smell.

For example, a handball goalkeeper seeing the ball headed towards the goal, or the sound of a starting gun in a running race. The sensory organs carry that information to the brain through the nervous system.

The quality of this sensory input matters enormously. An athlete with sharper visual acuity or better auditory processing will detect the stimulus more clearly and quickly, giving them an advantage before the brain even starts processing.

---

Brain Processing

Once the sensory system picks up the signal, it’s sent to the brain for processing. This is where things get interesting. The brain has to interpret the stimuli, decide on a response, and then send out the necessary commands through the nervous system.

This process involves several steps:

Perception: Recognizing and interpreting the sensory information. What is this stimulus? Is it relevant? Does it require action?

Decision Making: Deciding on the best course of action based on the interpreted information and past experiences. This step can involve quickly assessing risks, predicting outcomes, or recalling similar situations.

Planning: Planning the motor response that will be executed. This is where the brain prepares the muscles for the action required.

The brain processing phase is often the largest component of reaction time, and it’s also the most trainable through cognitive exercises and sport-specific practice.

---

Motor Response

Once the brain has processed the information and decided on a response, it sends signals through the nervous system to the relevant muscles to perform the action. This could be moving your foot to step on the brake pedal, reaching out to catch a ball, or making a save reaction as a handball goalkeeper.

Each of these components plays a very important role in how we react to the world around us. The efficiency and speed of each component can be influenced by various factors, including individual biology, mental state, level of training or practice, and overall health. Improvements in any of these areas can lead to improvements in reaction time, which is why elite athletes put a lot of attention into training this skill.

---

The Importance of Senses When Working on Improving Reaction Time

Our senses play a very important role in how we interact with the world around us, whether in sports or in everyday life. When it comes to improving reaction time, the importance of our senses can’t be overstated. Senses are our primary ways of receiving information from our environment, processing it, and responding accordingly.

I can’t stress enough how crucial it is to work on sensory input processing. This fact was (and probably still is) a reason why some of my coaching methods were hard to understand for coaches who are not perceiving and understanding some elements of my coaching work through the prism of sensory input processing.

Here are some of the biggest reasons why our senses are so important when working on how to improve reaction time:

Information Gathering

Our senses are the first step in the information-processing cycle. They act as receptors that gather data from our surroundings. For athletes, visual and auditory cues often provide the most important information needed to make quick split-second decisions during competitions.

Improved Awareness

Sensory information helps us to be aware of our environment and any changes within it. This heightened awareness is vital for both athletes and ordinary people to anticipate and react to potential unpredictable challenges or hazards quickly.

Decision Making

The brain uses sensory information to make decisions. For example, a handball goalkeeper uses sight to calculate the trajectory of an incoming ball, hearing to listen for coaches’ or teammates’ information or calls, and touch to control the ball. These sensory inputs are processed almost instantaneously and simultaneously while playing a match.

Improving Precision and Accuracy

Training the senses can lead to more precise and accurate responses. For athletes, fine-tuning their sensory perceptions equals the difference between hitting or missing a target, or for goalkeepers, the difference between saving or receiving a goal. In everyday life, it could be as simple as reacting to a spilled cup of tea or coffee.

Speeding Up Reaction Times

Simply put, fast sensory processing translates to faster reaction times. Athletes often engage in drills that specifically improve their ability to quickly interpret and respond to sensory information. This ability is just as valuable in daily activities, where fast reactions can prevent accidents or injuries.

Adaptation and Learning

Sensory experiences are integral to learning and adaptation. Through repeated exposure to specific stimuli, individuals learn to react more efficiently and effectively. This principle is applied in sports training through repetitive drills that simulate game situations.

Stress Management

The ability to process and react to sensory information calmly under pressure is crucial both in sports and in everyday life. Athletes and ordinary people benefit from being able to maintain self-control and respond effectively in stressful situations. Training which incorporates sensory stimuli can improve this ability.

Safety and Survival

On a fundamental level, our senses are extremely important for our safety and survival. Fast reactions to sensory signals can mean avoiding any kind of danger, whether it’s an athlete avoiding a high-speed object or an individual stepping out of the way of an incoming car or bike.

In conclusion, our senses are at the heart of improving reaction time, serving as the foundation upon which all training and development are built. Recognizing the importance of our senses highlights the potential for targeted training strategies that can benefit us all.

---

Types of Reaction Time

Reaction times can generally be categorized into two main types: simple reaction time and complex reaction time. The distinction between these two types lies in the complexity of the stimulus-response scenario.

Simple Reaction Time

Definition: Simple reaction time involves responding to a single stimulus with a single response. There is only one possible stimulus and one possible action to take, making the situation straightforward.

Example: An example of simple reaction time could be pressing a button as soon as a light appears. There is only one stimulus (the light) and only one response (pressing the button).

Characteristics: The key characteristic of simple reaction time is its minimal decision-making process. The participant does not need to choose between multiple stimuli or responses, which generally results in faster reaction times.

On average, simple reaction time is somewhere between 160 to 200 milliseconds among most people. However, top-level athletes have shown reaction times as low as 130 to 150 milliseconds. This variation accounts for the direct pathway from stimulus detection to response execution, with minimal cognitive processing required.

---

Complex Reaction Time

Definition: Complex reaction time involves choosing between multiple stimuli and deciding on the appropriate response among several options. It requires more cognitive processing to interpret the stimulus and decide on the correct response.

Example: In the context of sports, complex reaction time is very important during matches, where athletes have to quickly process dynamic and complex environmental cues. A handball goalkeeper has to perceive and respond to the movement of the player with the ball, position of other players in attack, position and movement of players in defense, tactical system of the attack, movement of the ball, and then come up with a response that would be the best while attempting to save the incoming shot.

Characteristics: This type involves more sophisticated cognitive processes, including decision-making and response selection. The reaction time for complex tasks can range from 200 to 800 milliseconds or more, depending on the complexity of the decision-making required and the number of potential responses.

---

The Difference Between Simple and Complex Reaction Time

The main difference is in the length of the decision-making process. Simple reaction time tasks require minimal cognitive processing, as the response is straightforward and automatic. In contrast, complex reaction time tasks involve a higher level of cognitive processing, including decision-making and choosing between multiple possible responses, which lengthens the reaction time.

Understanding this distinction is critical for coaches. Since sport situations almost always involve complex reaction time, training should reflect this reality. Simple reaction drills have their place, but they shouldn’t be the only type of reaction training athletes receive.

---

Examples of Reaction Time

Reaction time is a measure of the speed at which an individual can perceive, process, and respond to a stimulus or a task. Here are some examples showing the range of activities where reaction time plays a very important role:

Sports

Starting a Sprint: The time that it takes for a sprinter to hear the starting gun and start running.

Returning a Serve in Tennis: The speed at which a tennis player can see the opponent’s serve, predict its trajectory, and swing their racket to return the ball.

Goalkeeping in Handball (or in Soccer): The goalkeeper’s ability to save a shot involves quickly processing the direction of the incoming ball and moving accordingly.

---

Driving

Reacting to a Stop Light: The time between seeing a stop light change to red and pressing the brakes.

Emergency Braking: How quickly a driver can perceive an obstacle on the road and press the brake pedal to avoid a collision.

Evasive Maneuvers: The reaction time needed to steer away from an unexpected hazard.

---

Daily Life Activities

Catching a Falling Object: The ability to catch an object, like a slipping glass, before it hits the ground.

Responding to a Sound: Turning your head towards the source of a sudden sound reflects auditory reaction time.

Avoiding Obstacles while Walking: Navigating through a crowded street requires constantly adjusting your way in response to moving people and obstacles.

---

Professional and Emergency Situations

Medical Response: The reaction time of a medical professional in responding to changes in a patient’s vital signs can be extremely important.

Firefighting: Firefighters have to quickly assess situations and decide on the best course of action.

Law Enforcement: Officers often need to make split-second decisions in high-pressure situations.

These examples show the importance of reaction time across various fields of life, emphasizing the relevance of cognitive and physical training targeted at sharpening this skill.

---

Factors Influencing Reaction Time

Reaction time is influenced by a variety of factors, each affecting how quickly an individual can respond to stimuli. These factors can be broadly categorized into biological, psychological, and environmental influences.

Biological Factors

Age: Reaction times are generally faster in young adults compared to children and older adults. This is due to the maturation and gradual decline of neural efficiency and motor skills.

Gender: Research shows mixed results regarding the influence of gender on reaction time. Some studies suggest that men may have slightly faster reaction times, especially for visual stimuli. However, the difference is relatively small and can be influenced by the specific type of task.

The Phase of The Menstrual Cycle (for women): Research results show that both auditory reaction time and visual reaction time were longer during the menstrual phase and shorter during the luteal phase. This pattern suggests that reaction times are influenced by hormonal fluctuations across the menstrual cycle.

Physical Fitness: Individuals who are physically fit or engage in regular physical activity tend to have faster reaction times, likely due to better overall neural and cardiovascular health.

Genetics: There is evidence to suggest that reaction time has a genetic component, with some individuals naturally predisposed to faster processing speeds. Research suggests that between 20% to 50% of the variance in reaction time performance among individuals can be attributed to genetic factors.

---

Psychological Factors

Attention and Focus: The level of attention or focus directly impacts reaction time, with distractions leading to slower responses.

Fatigue and Sleep Deprivation: Lack of sleep or fatigue significantly impairs reaction time, affecting cognitive processing and motor response.

Stress and Anxiety: Moderate levels of stress or arousal can improve reaction times by heightening sensory alertness. However, excessive stress or anxiety can impair performance, leading to slower responses.

---

Environmental Factors

Stimulus Type: Reaction times can vary depending on whether the stimulus is visual, auditory, or tactile, with auditory stimuli often eliciting faster responses than visual ones.

Complexity of the Task: Complex tasks with multiple stimuli and possible responses require more cognitive processing, leading to slower reaction times.

Practice and Familiarity: Regular practice or familiarity with a specific task can significantly improve reaction times due to the learning and automation of responses.

---

The Difference Between Reactions and Reflexes

To fully understand the concept of reaction time, it’s important to understand the difference between reactions and reflex actions.

In the handball world, I have heard very often many coaches interchangeably using terms “fast reaction” and “fast reflexes,” as if these two terms have the same meaning. But they really don’t have the same meaning.

Reflexes are involuntary, used to protect the body, and are faster than a reaction. Reflex actions bypass the brain and involve direct communication between the spinal cord and muscles.

Reactions are voluntary responses to stimuli. Reactions require the brain to evaluate the importance of the stimulus and determine the most effective response strategy.

You may be wondering how a knee reflex arc and a handball goalkeeper dealing with an incoming ball are different. Are both not reflexes? While it may seem that a handball goalkeeper dealing with an incoming ball is a simple, fast protective reflex, it is actually a sequence of hundreds of thousands of neurons working together to produce a conscious decision about what action to take. The choice of whether the goalkeeper will catch, rebound, or save the incoming ball is what makes it a reaction.

---

Reflexes

• Involuntary: Reflexes are automatic, involuntary responses to specific stimuli. They don’t require conscious thought to occur.
• Fast: Because reflexes bypass the brain and are handled by the spinal cord, they happen incredibly quickly.
• Simple Pathway: The pathway of a reflex, often called the reflex arc, is straightforward. It goes from sensory nerves directly to the spinal cord and then to the muscles.
• Protective Role: Reflexes primarily serve a protective function, such as blinking to protect the eyes or withdrawing a hand from a hot surface.

---

Reactions

• Voluntary: Reactions are voluntary responses that involve conscious thought. Unlike reflexes, you decide how and when to respond.
• Slower: Reactions are slower than reflexes because they involve more complex processes.
• Complex Pathway: The pathway for a reaction involves the brain. It encompasses perception, decision-making, and then the execution of a response.
• Versatile: Reactions are more versatile and adaptable than reflexes. They can be improved and modified with practice and learning.

---

Why is Reaction Time Important in Sport?

The importance of reaction time for athletes can’t be overstated, as it often dictates performance excellence across a wide range of sports. Here are a few main reasons:

Competitive Edge

In many sports, the line between winning and losing can be very thin. Athletes with superior reaction times can get a decisive advantage, whether it’s making a split-second decision during a soccer match, reacting to a starting signal in track and field, or responding to an opponent’s move in martial arts.

Improved Decision Making

Quick reaction times are closely related to an athlete’s ability to make fast decisions. In dynamic and complex game situations, athletes often need to assess multiple factors and choose the best course of action in a fraction of a second.

Improved Defensive Actions

For sports involving direct competition, such as handball, basketball, football, or tennis, a fast reaction time is essential for defensive moves and decisions. Athletes need to quickly interpret their opponents’ actions to block, stop, or counterattack effectively.

Anticipation and Prediction

A part of reaction time is the ability to anticipate and predict the opponent’s next move. This predictive capacity allows athletes to prepare and react more quickly than they would if only reacting to the action as it happens.

Injury Prevention

Fast reaction times can also play a very important role in injury prevention. Being able to quickly respond to potential dangers can help athletes avoid injuries or lower their severity.

Specialized Skills Improvement

Certain sports require specialized reaction skills, where milliseconds can determine success. For example, a handball goalkeeper’s ability to save a penalty kick, or a sprinter’s start off the blocks.

Training and Improvement

Recognizing the importance of reaction time, athletes and coaches can incorporate specific drills and technologies in their training designed to improve this aspect of performance.

Integration with Other Physical Attributes

It’s important to note that reaction time doesn’t operate in isolation. It works best when integrated with other physical attributes such as agility, balance, and coordination.

---

How to Improve Reaction Time in Sport

Improving reaction time in sports is essential for athletes across all disciplines. Here are several ideas and strategies that can help:

Visual System Training

A very important first step that most coaches skip is to work on the quality of the perception of our senses. In almost every sport, our actions will be initiated by visual information, which is the beginning of the whole reaction time process loop.

Too often we simply assume that, in order to improve reaction time, we need to work on different drills that combine speed, cognitive load, and sport-specific movements. But unless we work on how fast our athletes can SEE the visual stimuli, we are missing the first and most important step in reaction time improvement.

Cognitive Training Tools

Tools like the NeuroTracker, which use 3D multiple object tracking, can significantly improve cognitive functions, including reaction times. By working with these tools, athletes can improve their visual tracking abilities, attention span, and spatial awareness.

Practice with Different Stimuli

Training sessions should include drills that require athletes to respond to different stimuli (visual, auditory, or tactile, or combinations of them). This variety helps the brain and body learn to respond quickly to a range of signals.

Practicing Specific Movements

Through repetition, the brain becomes more efficient at processing and executing specific tasks. Repeated practice of a specific movement improves the neuromuscular coordination required for that movement. This leads to faster and more accurate execution without the need for conscious thought.

Improving Overall Physical Fitness

Overall physical fitness, including cardiovascular health, strength, and flexibility, plays a very important role in reaction times. A well-conditioned body can respond more quickly and efficiently to cognitive commands.

Mental Imagery and Visualization

Visualizing various game scenarios and reacting to them in your mind can prepare you for real-life situations. This mental practice helps improve neural pathways involved in reaction time.

Focus and Concentration Drills

Exercises that require intense focus, like catching a ball dropped without warning or responding to visual cues, can sharpen concentration skills.

Sleep and Nutrition

Adequate rest and proper nutrition are foundational to improving reaction times. Sleep optimizes brain function and reaction time, while a balanced, healthy diet makes sure your body has the necessary fuel for faster responses.

Proper Hydration

Proper hydration is very helpful in improving reaction time for athletes. Even mild dehydration can lead to fatigue, reduced endurance, and a decline in motor coordination, all of which can slow reaction time.

Eye-Hand Coordination Exercises

Specific eye-hand exercises can include catching a tennis ball off a wall, juggling, or playing catch with varying sizes of balls. These drills can improve coordination between visual input and physical response.

Meditation and Mindfulness

Practices that improve present-moment awareness can improve an athlete’s ability to stay focused and ready at all times.

Regular Competition Practice

Regularly placing yourself in competitive scenarios can prepare you for the pressures and speeds of real game situations.

---

The Importance of Reaction Time for Handball Goalkeepers

Overall research on reaction time indicates that practicing reaction time tasks leads to an increase in processing speed. This is what we are going after in handball goalkeeping. We want to work with our goalkeepers on improving processing speed, because the success of every goalkeeper depends on how fast they perceive the visual stimuli based on which they need to create the movement.

This is why I prefer using a lot of different reaction stimuli and inputs in my coaching work with goalkeepers. After working on the main elements of proper basic technique, all other exercises that I use will often have elements of reaction time and information processing speed.

Everything that a handball goalkeeper does in the goal depends on, and starts with, visual input. In general, visual input overrides everything else. In my coaching, it’s not even needed to explain how extremely important visual training is.

If we are speaking about improving goalkeeper reaction time, you will get the fastest and best results by improving the quality of the visual input and the speed of the decision-making process. Put simply, if you train your goalkeepers to “see faster” and decide what to do about what they saw, then their output (movement) will be faster.

In general, most coaches are working on improving the output quality, which is the movement quality. But observed from the “brain hierarchy,” the output quality depends on the input quality, which is the visual input quality.

Here are a few reasons why reaction time is important for handball goalkeepers:

Saving Shots

Handball is known for fast and strong shots, which give goalkeepers only fractions of a second to react. Fast reaction time enables goalkeepers to respond quickly and save shots that often come from close range with very little warning.

Anticipation and Prediction

A big part of a goalkeeper’s success is their ability to anticipate the shooter’s intentions. Fast reaction times are connected with cognitive skills like anticipation and prediction of shot direction.

Split-Second Decision Making

Goalkeepers constantly make split-second decisions, not just about saving shots but also about positioning and all other parts of the goalkeeper game.

Adaptability to Play Patterns

Handball is a dynamic sport with tactical patterns changing quickly. Goalkeepers with fast reaction times can adapt more quickly to these changes.

Penalty Shots

During penalty shots, the goalkeeper has a very short time to react. Success in these high-pressure situations often depends on reaction time and the ability to read the shooter’s body language.

Injury Prevention

Fast reactions also contribute to injury prevention. Being able to quickly respond to unexpected situations can help avoid collisions and other injuries.

Confidence and Psychological Edge

Knowing they can rely on their reaction time gives goalkeepers confidence. A goalkeeper who consistently stops shots can mentally disturb shooters, affecting their accuracy.

---

Training for Reaction Time With Handball Goalkeepers

Acknowledging the importance of reaction time, goalkeepers need specialized training designed to improve their reflexes and decision-making abilities. Drills can be situation-specific and include fast or unexpected saves from different positions and angles, exercises to improve hand-eye coordination, cognitive exercises with different levels of challenges, or simulations to improve anticipation and prediction skills.

In the context of handball, where every millisecond counts, a goalkeeper’s reaction time can be the difference between a save and a goal. It’s a skill that requires continuous work, development, and training.

---

Results of Study “Domain-Specific and Unspecific Reaction Times in Experienced Team Handball Goalkeepers and Novices”

Based on the comprehensive study titled “Domain-Specific and Unspecific Reaction Times in Experienced Team Handball Goalkeepers and Novices,” this research investigates how expertise in team handball affects the speed of internal perceptual-motor processing. Conducted by Fabian Helm, Mathias Reiser, and Jörn Munzert from the Department of Psychology and Sport Science at Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Germany, the study examines reaction times among experienced team handball goalkeepers compared to novices.

The study found that goalkeepers demonstrated significantly faster reaction times in domain-specific tasks, suggesting a pronounced expertise advantage. This advantage was attributed to the goalkeepers’ ability to recall stored perceptual-motor representations, improving their internal processing speed.

The study expresses the importance of motor experience in refining the efficiency of perceptual-motor processing, particularly for tasks within an athlete’s domain of expertise. It suggests that the advantages granted by specific training include not only improved anticipatory capabilities but also improved basic internal processing speeds for sport-relevant actions.

Video – Reaction Speed in Specific Goalkeeper Movements

In the video below, you can see one of my favorite goalkeeper specific combo drills for working on reaction speed, while also covering the work on goalkeeper technique – save reactions for high and low shots.

In the first part of the video goalkeepers are doing footwork drill “in and out” while moving forward, then they are reacting on audio stimuli (whistle) and performing 360 degrees rotation in jump, thus activating vestibular system. Just after the landing they have to immediately respond to the visual stimuli – shown direction of my hand.

At the beginning they reacted to the side and height (high or low saves) that I showed.
In the next option, they reacted to the opposite side, but the same height (high or low saves).
In the last, more complex version, they are reacting to the opposite side and height of save reaction from the one I showed.

Always pay attention that they are performing correct basic goalkeeper technique when making any of the save reactions, and another thing to keep in mind-try to get them to keep their hands in basic stance while making 360 degrees rotation in jump (very often they will put their hands down just before the jump).

Additional important thing, if speaking about brain based coaching, is that you want to get them to perform 360 degrees rotation in jump while turning to both sides. Meaning: to the left and then also to the right side. There is always dominant side to which they will turn most of the times, and you want to work also on non dominant one.

Always remember the importance of the intentional coaching!

 

 

 

 

Video – Reaction Speed With TestYou Brain Training System

Speed of decision making or brain speed is very valuable skill for handball goalkeepers! It’s not only important to make a fast reaction, it’s important to be able to decide what to do about the incoming visual stimuli and then to perform the output – movement!

Many goalkeepers struggle with this, so very often you will notice that your goalkeeper is fast and it can react fast, which is great, but on top of this skill you should add the work on the speed of decision making! In this way, you will create high level goalkeepers.
Please, consider this really important starting point: this kind of work comes only AFTER you have worked on all segments of proper basic goalkeeper technique with your goalkeepers. Meaning – there is no point in teaching your goalkeeper to react fast in a wrong way, with wrong technique!

In my coaching work, after working on elements of proper goalkeeper technique, after theory and goalkeeper tactics, and after proper work on different physical aspects of goalkeeper game, I like to put a big focus on the speed of decision making, on the speed of information processing in the brain – on the brain speed.

There are countless ways for how you can effectively work on these aspects, and in this video you can see only one of the ways with the TestYou brain light semaphore training system. The goalkeepers in the video are not reacting fast only on any light or color on semaphores that lights up. They are reacting on some of the 250 different symbols in different colors, while disturbing colors and symbols are also lighted up.

In the second exercise this whole process is more challenging because of the addition of an audio stimuli, on which the goalkeeper has to make 180 degree jump turn, and then see which hand and direction the other goalkeeper has shown, and to react to the opposite side than the one that is shown.

 

 

 

Video – Speed of Decision Making in Handball Goalkeeper Training

Being fast is important in handball goalkeeping. Being fast to see the game, being fast to “read” a shooter, being fast to see the shot, being fast to properly position and react on the shot.

The question is – how do we train to become fast in all these mentioned segments? Does your speed training end only on physical level? Do you ever dive into levels of a proper brain training?

Trying to move fast in certain exercises in training does not always equal improving the speed. The speed of movement comes after fast receiving and understanding of the visual input which precedes the action. For us in handball goalkeeping, everything depends on the speed of perceiving and understanding the visual input. How fast are you able to see (or to “read”) what kind of shot is coming will have a direct impact on how fast you will be able to react on that shot.

It’s very important to understand how to train inputs which will result in a faster output – movement. During the same time it’s important to learn and to improve how to use your own body in the most efficient way to perform the needed movement. Please, keep that in mind and explore different approaches and ways for how to train properly the quality of visual input, and then also how to train your brain to see faster, to process the information faster, and to create the output – movement faster.

 

---

Stay in Touch
Do you have any coaching challenges you’d like me to address? Let me know what topics you struggle with most in goalkeeper coaching by filling out this form.

Never miss an update
Subscribe to my newsletter to receive updates about my online and in-person projects, research papers, creative projects (blog posts, books, e-books), and new online programs.

My Online Video Courses:
– Level 1 Video Course for Coaches
– Level 2 Video Course for Coaches
– Sliding Technique Video Course
– Agility Ladder Drills Video Collection – 102 drills

Subject to Copyright
Unauthorized use and/or duplication of any content from this website without express written permission from this site’s owner is strictly prohibited. All content (including text, data, graphics files, images, illustrations, videos, and sound files) contained in www.vanjaradic.fi is copyrighted unless otherwise noted and is the property of Vanja Radic Coaching. If you wish to cite or use any content from my website, please contact me first to obtain permission.

---