Reaction Time

If you have been keeping up with anything I do, you know that I am working on my masters in Human Movement (aka- sports medicine). One topic that we recently covered is reaction time. “Big deal” you say, “I work on that all the time.”
What I find interesting is that every study done (let me know if you want the sources) has determined that reaction time can not be improved. What can be improved is movement time by improving anticipation skills. In other words, you are going to become faster by learning the skills needed for your particular activity, for me it’s martial arts, and learning how to react to your opponent’s movements. Learn the body mechanics and what it looks like when someone is kicking or punching, or getting ready to commit to a takedown. How do the hips and shoulders move, how is the weight placed - front or rear foot, do the hands move up or down, in what direction does the knee face; learning these things will be far more beneficial in increasing over all response time (reaction time + movement time) than working on just one component.