Reflexes are the automatic movements a body performs in reaction to an object or event. As such, reflex sports, also known as reaction sports or response sports, focus on honing the muscular movements that come naturally in a given competitive situation. Sports that rely heavily on reflex actions to move an object include tennis, baseball, and hockey. Other sports might require a quick reflex to move away from an object, such as martial arts. Different sports might also emphasize the importance of reflexes in facilitating movement, and these reflex sports range from swimming to weightlifting.
Many different types of reflexes are part of the human body. Reflexes in sports tend to deal with skeletal muscle contractions. The more visceral reactions produced by reflexes in cardiac and glandular muscle can also manifest in nearly any type of sport.
Sports that involve use of a ball are often prominent reflex sports. In these athletic events, the moving ball acts as a stimulus that provokes the body into action. For example, when a high-speed object is moving toward an individual, one natural response might be to hold out a hand to fend off the object. In tennis, this automatic action is made into a sport when a racquet is placed into the hand, and baseball operates in a somewhat similar manner. Although the sport utilizes a puck rather than a ball, hockey is also reliant on the ability of a player to hit an incoming object.
Other reflex sports rely on the instinctive urge of the skeletal muscles to jerk away from an incoming object. Martial artists and boxers, for example, must have quick reflexes in order to avoid getting struck by punches, chops, or kicks. In somewhat of a reversal, soccer or hockey goalies must jerk their body towards the object in order to stop its motion.
Reflexes can alter the length of muscles, making the individual's grabbing and gripping capacity stronger. This response is evidenced when an individual drops an object and quickly catches it with his or her hand before it can reach the floor. Some sports are reliant on this type of reflex action, such as competitive weightlifting. In these displays, the weightlifter may quickly have to move the weight from the shoulders to in front of the body without dropping the object. Some studies even indicate that weightlifters have the quickest reflexes of any athletes.
Since reflex messages must travel a faster path from brain to muscle, many premiere athletes in timed sports are elite because of their quick reflexes. Sports that begin with a timed start, such as track events and swimming, are extra reliant on athletes with reflexes that can push them from the start line split seconds before their competitors. In such events, these micro-advantages can often make the difference between victory and last place.
Reflex fitness equipment uses the methods of reflex sports to condition the body. For example, reaction balls are thrown against a wall, allowing an individual’s reflexes to improve as the ball is caught from different angles. Further, spring mats help build leg reflexes by exposing the lower limbs to unpredictable movements.
