How to Improve Reaction Speed
Whether you want to improve your reaction time in a competitive sport or react with superhero speed while gaming, working on your reflexes is a great habit to keep up throughout your life. It’s a fun one, too: you can start by just playing brain and video games for mental flexibility, then move on to working your body with ball and agility drills. You can even work with a sports specialist to create a particular training regimen. Get ready to start impressing friends, family and yourself with your cat-like reflexes!Get a game console and some action video games and play for 30 minutes a day. The fast-paced 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.[1]
- In case you needed even more motivation to play video games, studies say that 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.There are a number of sites online that offer brain training. Mix it up to avoid training the same way over and over again, or your mind will adapt, and you’ll lose your edge. Instead, try some “old-fashioned” brain training methods, such as playing cards or a computer game.[2]
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- 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. Pick your friends’ and family members’ phone numbers so you can work on your reflexes and memorize their contact information at the same time.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 and learn how to keep your cool under pressure, a good skill no matter how fast your reflexes get to be.[3]
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- Try playing some online games where you have to make quick decisions. The timer in these games will force you to think faster in order to maintain a high score.This one almost feels like a game: time yourself as you read 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. Soon you’ll be cutting down on both your reaction times and your study sessions.[4]
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- 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. Remember to erase the marks when you’re done if others want to enjoy the book!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. Enjoy the burst of flavor, too!
- 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.
Recognize the importance of speed.As coaches always say: get your head in the game! Sit and think about how you need to be fast and accurate in your upcoming task. It helps to visualize the task at hand before you begin and 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.[5]
- Reminding yourself that you are in control can also lower the possibility of mistakes born out of nervousness, such as jumping the starting line.
- 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.
- 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. Remember to erase the marks when you’re done if others want to enjoy the book!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. Enjoy the burst of flavor, too!
