Loturco et al.

, J Athl Enhancement 2015, 4:3

http://dx.doi.org/10.4172/2324-9080.1000199

Journal of Athletic
Enhancement

Research Article

A Comparative Study of
Specific Reaction Time in Elite
Boxers: Differences between
Jabs and Crosses
Irineu Loturco1*, Emerson Franchini2, Cesar Cavinato Cal Abad1,
Ronaldo Kobal1, Saulo Gil1, Felipe Romano4, Lucas A Pereira1,
Carlos Ugrinowitsch3 and Cleiton A Libardi6

Abstract
Objective: Reaction time (RT) is the ability to react to a stimulus
in the shortest time possible. Despite its importance in boxing
performance, no study has investigated specific RTs in boxers
executing different fighting techniques. This study compared the
RT presented by elite boxers to perform two types of punches (i.e.,
jabs and crosses).
Methods: Twenty-two athletes, members of the Brazilian national
team, were positioned in front of a body opponent bag (BOB). A
trigger-light device was positioned behind the BOB and connected
to a sensor attached to the athletes gloves. After a visual stimulus,
the boxers were required to hit the BOB as quickly as possible.
Athletes performed ten attempts at each type of punch and the six
best results were considered for further analysis.
Results: Statistically significant differences were noted between
jabs and crosses (p<0.001).
Conclusion: Our data indicate that boxers are able to react faster
when performing jabs than when performing crosses.
Keywords
Sports training; Fighters; Combat sports; Martial arts; Boxing;
Punch; Neuromuscular

Introduction
Reaction time (RT) plays an important role in combat sports
performance and can be defined as the time taken by athletes to
react to a given stimulus [1-3]. In boxing, the RT depends on a visual
stimulus, caused by the opponents action (i.e., retreat, attack or
defense). During a combat, at the same time as a boxer is defining an
attack strategy, they must be aware of the adversarys movements in
order to defend themselves and/or counterattack [1,4].
Ashker [5] has already reported that boxing winners are more
efficient than losers at performing offensive skills directed to the head
or body, total, lead and rear hand punches, boxing combinations
and defensive techniques. Davis et al. [6] indicated that the athletes
ability to use a defensive movement to start a counterattack is crucial
for success in boxing competitions.
*Corresponding author: Irineu Loturco, NAR - Nucleus of High Performance
in Sport, So Paulo, SP, 05686-001, Brazil, Tel: +55-11-3758-0918; E-mail:
irineu.loturco@terra.com.br
Received: January 01, 2015 Accepted: July 25, 2015 Published: July 31, 2015

International Publisher of Science,

Technology and Medicine

a SciTechnol journal
The importance of RT in combat sports is widely recognized in
sport science. For instance, it has been suggested that fighters (e.g.,
karate and kung-fu athletes) with shorter values of RT have higher
success rates in competitions [2,7], which could be associated with
a superior and faster ability to react to the opponents actions,
producing an effective attack or counterattack. A similar study in
boxing revealed that the finalists (in a boxing tournament) presented
significantly faster RTs than those who failed to reach the finals [8].
In that study, the winners were predicted using pre-competition
measures of processing speed, through the use of a computerized
cognitive assessment. Thus, it would be important for the coaches to
know whether different punching conditions affect boxers RT.
Additional studies have analyzed and compared the RT presented
by boxers of different genders and classes/backgrounds. For example,
Bianco et al. [1] instructed the athletes to react immediately to a
visual stimulus, by pressing one digit of the computer keyboard.
The outcomes demonstrated that men and women presented
similar RTs. Another study showed that, when compared with less
experienced boxers, professional boxers presented longer simple
RTs, with no difference regarding the cognitive tasks performed
with higher levels of complexity [9]. For the authors, a conceivable
explanation for this occurrence could be found in an improved
capacity of the professionals to better evaluate the external stimuli
before programming a targeted motor response. However, the results
of these studies may be biased since the boxers were asked to respond
to a stimulus using nonspecific boxing movements. Reilly et al. [10]
stated that RT requires a high degree of specificity in order to achieve
optimal physiological and neuromuscular responses. Some authors
have suggested the use of specific tests to assess RT in combat athletes
[11], since this ability can be affected by the movement performed in
response to a stimulus [12]. It would be particularly useful to evaluate
elite boxers, who have accumulated years of specific boxing training,
regularly performing the same punching techniques.
In other combat sports, RT seems to vary according to the
movement used to react to a stimulus [3,12]. For instance, the RTs
presented by karate athletes to execute punches were shorter than
the RTs presented to execute kicks (450 3.5 and 763 4.2 ms,
respectively) [12]. Understanding the RT presented by elite boxers
when executing different types of techniques may be helpful for
developing training programs to improve this ability during combats.
Additionally, by analyzing different types of boxing punches, it would
be possible to speculate about the influences of training practices on
the specific boxers RT. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to
compare the specific RT presented by elite boxers when performing
different punching techniques (i.e., jabs and crosses).

Methods
Subjects
Twenty-two elite boxers from the Brazilian national team (16
men and 6 women; age: 24.3 4.4 years; height: 171.1 7.9 cm and
body mass: 65.1 12.0 kg) volunteered to participate in this study.
To be included in the study, the athletes were required to be in a
good general health state, as attested by previous and recent ( 1
month) medical screening, and present no musculoskeletal disorders.

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Citation: Loturco I, Franchini E, Cal Abad CC, Kobal R, Gil1 S, et al. (2015) A Comparative Study of Specific Reaction Time in Elite Boxers: Differences
between Jabs and Crosses. J Athl Enhancement 4:3.

doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.4172/2324-9080.1000199
Any symptom related to musculoskeletal injury that could affect the
boxers performance during the tests was cause for exclusion of the
participant. No participant was excluded from the investigation.
The athletes were tested during the competitive phase of training,
two weeks prior to the 2012 Pre-Olympic Qualifying Boxing
Tournament. Nine of these athletes (6 men and 3 women) qualified
for the London 2012 Olympic Games, including three medal winners.
The study was approved by an Institutional Review Board for the
use of human subjects. After being informed of the inherent risks
and benefits of participating in the study, subjects signed a written
informed consent form.

Experimental procedures
Athletes wore specialized boxing garments and gloves during the
tests. They were positioned in front of the body opponent bag (BOB)
and instructed to position the guards according to their personal
preferences (i.e., athletes could freely decide the front/back hand);
all athletes positioned their dominant hand as the backhand. A light
sensor (Smart Speed, Fusion Sport, and AUS) was positioned behind
and above the BOBs shoulder, in a position determined by the visual
field of each boxer. The sensor emitted visual signals at random time
intervals of between 2 and 6 seconds. The light sensor was connected
to a movement sensor, attached with Velcro to the athletes gloves
(Smart-Shoxx, Fusion Sport, and AUS). The sensors had a wireless
connection to a pocket-pc, which automatically recorded the data.

Warm-up protocol
Prior to performing the tests, subjects were instructed to warm
up for 15 minutes. Warmup included general and specific exercises

executed under the supervision of strength and conditioning coach.

The general exercises consisted of a 5-min self-paced run followed by
5-min of active lower and upper limb stretching and boxing specific
movements (i.e., jabs and crosses executed at moderate intensity
speed for 5-mins). After the warm-up, the athletes rested for an
interval of 5-min.

Reaction time specific testing

Boxers were instructed to react as quickly as possible to a light
signal (Figure 1). Due to the position of the light sensor (properly
positioned behind the head of the BOB), the athletes were required to
execute both jabs and crosses targeting the head of the BOB. The RT
was automatically calculated by the device and represented the time
interval between the onset of the light signal and the first movement
of the athletes wrist. Ten attempts at jabs and ten attempts at crosses
were allowed. The anticipatory responses (RT<100 ms) and the
atypically slow responses (RT>1000 ms) were discarded. The six best
attempts for each punch technique were averaged and considered
for further analysis. The intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs)
were used to indicate the relationship within each punch condition
(i.e., jabs and crosses), across the six retained repetitions. The ICCs
for the RTs assessed in jabs and crosses were equal to 0.93 and 0.91,
respectively.

Statistical analysis
Data are presented as mean standard deviation. Normality was
checked via the Shapiro-Wilk test. The independent Student t-test
was used to compare the RT differences between men and women.
As RT did not differ between genders, men and women were grouped

Figure 1: Reaction time specific testing.

Volume 4 Issue 3 1000199

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Citation: Loturco I, Franchini E, Cal Abad CC, Kobal R, Gil1 S, et al. (2015) A Comparative Study of Specific Reaction Time in Elite Boxers: Differences
between Jabs and Crosses. J Athl Enhancement 4:3.

doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.4172/2324-9080.1000199
and a dependent t-test was used to test for differences between RT
in jabs and crosses. Effect size calculations (Cohen's d) were used
to determine the meaningfulness of the observed differences. The
significance level was set at p<0.05.

Results
Table 1 presents the comparisons of RT (in jabs and crosses)
between men and women elite boxers. No differences were observed
in the RT between the genders, for either punching technique. Figure
2 shows the comparisons of the RT between jabs and crosses in all
athletes (men and women) analyzed together. The RT presented by
elite boxers to perform jabs was significantly shorter (t=5.10, df=21,
p<0.001, effect size=5.60) than the RT presented to perform crosses.

Discussion
This is the first study that compared the RT presented by boxers
executing different punching techniques after reacting to a visual
stimulus. The main finding of the present study was that elite boxers
react faster when they are executing jabs than when they are executing
crosses.
It appears that the RT really plays an important role in boxers
performance, being able to discriminate between finalists and nonfinalists in a boxing tournament [8]. Importantly, this particular
ability has also been investigated in other combat sports. In karate,
experienced athletes presented shorter RTs than beginners when
executing a non-specific test [2]. In that study, the fighters had to
respond as quickly as possible to a visual stimulus by pressing a key,
using the right hand for head blows and the left hand for trunk blows.
Lee et al. [7] reported that RTs to execute a ballistic extension of the
finger were shorter in karate athletes than in sedentary subjects (146
11 and 176 12 ms, respectively). However, these investigations
did not use specific fighting movements to assess the RT, which can
compromise the practical applications of these findings in combat
sports.
Neto et al. [3] have already used specific combat actions to
evaluate RT in kung-fu practitioners while executing two specific
Table 1: Comparison of the RT in jabs and crosses between men and women.
RT Jabs (msec.)

RT Crosses (msec.)

Men

368.0 84.7

423.9 56.7

Women

320.2 49.7

419.3 58.0

techniques (i.e., palm strikes and punches). Although these authors

did not perform statistical analysis to evaluate the RT differences,
we used the data collected in this investigation to compare through
a dependent t-test the RT of each skill (251.84 46.84 and 273.00
63.17 ms, for palm strikes and punches, respectively). In contrast
to our results, no significant differences were observed between the
techniques (p=0.34). These conflicting results might have occurred
due to methodological differences between the studies. Actually, Neto
et al. [3] assessed the RT using a sound stimulus to trigger the athletes
responses, which is quite different from a real combat situation, when
the athletes have to react to a visual stimulus before performing an
attack and/or counterattack.
In accordance with the results of Bianco et al. [1], we observed
that male and female boxers presented similar RTs, even when
executing specific punching techniques. Additionally, the data
presented herein indicate that elite amateur boxers react faster to
perform jabs than to perform crosses. Due to the characteristics
of the boxing training methodology, it is highly plausible that this
difference could be influenced by the specific combat drills prescribed
by coaches during the technical sessions, where boxers are frequently
stimulated to initiate an attack or counterattack using jabs (instead
of crosses). Possibly, after repeated years of training practice, this
training routine produces expressive physical and neuromuscular
adaptations, capable of influencing the RT of elite boxers. This fact
may be relevant when interpreting the RT responses described in this
investigation.
We acknowledge that the present study is limited by
the low number of women in the sample, which could have
affected the identification of statistically significant differences
between the genders. In addition, the inclusion of other specific
boxing performance assessments (such as punching impact or
punching acceleration) could have led to distinct results for each
gender.

Conclusion
In conclusion, the results reported herein demonstrated that the
RT presented by elite boxers might differ according to the punch/
technique executed (i.e., jabs or crosses). Since it has been established
that RT is crucial for successful performances in combat sports, it
is very recommended that coaches prioritize goal-oriented tasks
to develop this ability in elite fighters, in order to maximize their
training responses and level of competitiveness. This intervention
may be useful to improve the ability of elite fighters to react faster and
specifically, in accordance with the punch or movement executed.
References
1. Bianco M, Ferri M, Fabiano C, Giorgiano F, Tavella S, et al. (2011) Baseline
simple and complex reaction times in female compared to male boxers. J
Sports Med Phys Fitness 51: 292-298.
2. Mori S, Ohtani Y, Imanaka K (2002) Reaction times and anticipatory skills of
karate athletes. Hum Mov Sci 21: 213-230.
3. Neto OP, Bolander R, Pacheco MT, Bir C (2009) Force, reaction time, and
precision of Kung Fu strikes. Percept Mot Skills 109: 295-303.
4. Borysiuk Z, Waskiewicz Z (2008) Information Processes, Stimulation and
Perceptual Training in Fencing. J Hum Kinet 19: 63-82.

Figure 2: Jab and cross reaction times presented by Brazilian elite boxers.
Note: *Shorter than crosses (p<0.001)

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5. Ashker SE (2011) Technical and tactical aspects that differentiate winning

and losing performances in boxing. J Perform Analysis Sport 11: 356-364.
6. Davis P, Wittekind A, Beneke R (2013) Amateur boxing: activity profile of
winners and losers. Int J Sports Physiol Perform 8: 84-91.

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Citation: Loturco I, Franchini E, Cal Abad CC, Kobal R, Gil1 S, et al. (2015) A Comparative Study of Specific Reaction Time in Elite Boxers: Differences
between Jabs and Crosses. J Athl Enhancement 4:3.

doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.4172/2324-9080.1000199
7. Lee JB, Matsumoto T, Othman T, Yamauchi M, Taimura A, et al. (1999)
Coactivation of the flexor muscles as a synergist with the extensors during
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Comparison of baseline neuropsychological testing in amateur versus

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10. Reilly T, Morris T, Whyte G (2009) The specificity of training prescription and
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12. Layton C (1993) Reaction + movement-time and sidedness in Shotokan
karate students. Percept Mot Skills 76: 765-766.

Author Affiliation
1

Top

NAR - Nucleus of High Performance in Sport, So Paulo, SP, Brazil

Martial Arts and Combat Sports Research Group, School of Physical Education
and Sport, University of So Paulo, SP, Brazil
3
School of Physical Education and Sport, University of So Paulo, So Paulo,
SP, Brazil
4
Brazilian Boxing Confederation, Brazil
5
Department of Physical Education, Center of Biological and Health Sciences,
Federal University of So Carlos, So Carlos, SP, Brazil
2

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