Taekwondo practitioners exhibit faster simple reaction times compared to physically inactive individuals

BACKGROUND: In martial arts like Taekwondo, reaction time (RT) is essential for both offensive and defensive actions. Despite its importance, most studies on RT in martial arts have focused primarily on visual and auditory stimuli, leaving a gap in the literature regarding the somatosensory pathway, which is also relevant in certain sports. AIM: This study aimed to compare RT across different sensory pathways (visual, auditory, and somatosensory) between Taekwondo practitioners and physically inactive individuals. METHODS: Nineteen Taekwondo practitioners (8 women; 21.6±4.8 years old) and twenty physically inactive individuals (11 women; 22.2±2.8 years old) underwent RT tests using equipment that emitted an auditory, visual, and somatosensory stimuli. Simple Reaction Time (SRT) and Choice Reaction Time (CRT) tests involved 20 stimuli per sensory stimulus. Two-way ANOVAs, with group and sensory stimulus as factors, were used to compare RT. RESULTS: ANOVA revealed a main effect of group (p=0.043), with Taekwondo practitioners showing shorter SRT than inactive individuals. ANOVA also revealed a main effect of sensory stimulus for the STR (p< 0.001). The auditory stimulus demonstrated a shorter RT compared to visual (p= 0.018) and somatosensory stimuli (p< 0.001). No significant results were found for CRT. INTERPRETATION: Taekwondo practitioners exhibited superior SRT across all sensory pathways compared to physically inactive individuals. Additionally, the auditory pathway produced the fastest responses compared to visual and somatosensory pathways.