THE STUDY OF THE AGE-RELATED DYNAMICS OF THE REACTION TIME TO VISUAL STIMULI IN SCHOOLCHILDREN

A fast reaction to visual stimuli is important for the success of any athlete. A fast reaction time enables a quick response in key situations. We have studied how age, sport engagement, moderate physical activity and lateralization affect the simple reaction time to visual stimuli in schoolchildren between the ages of 9 and 13. The reaction time to visual stimuli was statistically significantly shorter in older children compared to younger ones. The sport club basketball players who had been training and playing basketball for several years had a statistically significantly shorter reaction time to visual stimuli compared to schoolchildren of the same age from a rural environment who did not engage in sports. Moderate physical activity and lateralization did not significantly affect the reaction time values. The simple reaction time to visual stimuli was used in this study to evaluate the speed and explosive abilities of young basketball players. By training certain movements, we managed to improve their reaction time and thus influence the quality of their game. Integrating training of these skills into sport clubs and schools would affect the improvement of basketball performance and the prevention of injury.