The effects of pre-task music on choice visual reaction time in elite taekwondo athletes

Objectives: The effects of music on sport performance mainly involved endurance or resistance exercises overlooking possible effects on reaction time, which is deemed essential in martial arts for a proficient performance. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of the exposure to pre-task music on choice visual reaction time in elite taekwondo athletes.

Design: Repeated measure study design.

Methods: Reaction time and mean Heart Rate (HR_mean) were recorded in twenty young taekwondo athletes (17.5 ± 2.5 years old) while performing a roundhouse kick in response to different visual stimuli after three warmup conditions: listening to self-selected music (SM), research-selected music (RM) or no music (CC). Moreover, Feeling Scale (FS), Felt Arousal Scale (FAS) were recorded before (T₀) and after warmup (T₁) in each testing session.

Results: SM and RM elicited significantly faster reaction times compared to CC (-3.3 % and -5.2 %, respectively). No significant difference in reaction time was observed between SM and RM. The FS and FAS scores were significantly higher at T₁ compared to T₀ in the SM and RM conditions, whereas no difference between T₀ and T₁ was observed in the CC condition. No difference was observed for HR_mean between SM, RM and CC conditions.

Conclusions: Listening to SM and RM during the warmup improved choice visual reaction times in elite taekwondo athletes. These results suggest the use of music as a performance-enhancing strategy prior to combat competition or training in martial arts.