Aim
You shorten the time until your foot stands in the right place after a signal. This time is called stepping reaction time.
Equipment in the practice
- Four to six reaction lights on the floor
- The device app for time windows and results
- A chair with a backrest
Equipment at home
- Four to six coloured sheets of A5 paper, or adhesive dots
- A second person who calls out a colour
- A chair with a backrest or a clear wall
Setting up
- Place the targets on the floor in a half circle in front of you.
- The distance from your standing position to each target is about one stride, so 50 to 70 centimetres.
- Place the chair with the backrest towards you, within reach of one hand.
- Clear rugs, cables and stools out of the area.
How to do it
- Stand in the middle, feet hip width apart.
- The second person calls out a colour.
- Step onto that target with whichever foot is closer to it.
- Place the whole foot down before you come back.
- Return to the middle and stand still for a moment.
- Twenty signals make one round. Do three to four rounds with one minute of rest in between.
Three levels
Level 1: standing safely
Four targets in a half circle in front of you. One hand rests on the backrest. The second person announces the colour and gives you two seconds.
Level 2: standing free
Six targets, two of them beside you. Your hand is free. The time window is one second.
Level 3: under time pressure
Six targets, two of them behind your standing line. The next signal comes while you are still returning. Practise this level only with a second person in the room.
If you practise on your own
Label six cards with the colours and place them face down on a table beside you. Turn one card over, step to the target, come back and turn over the next. There is less time pressure this way, and the decision remains.
Safety
- Place the targets so that you never step across another target.
- Coloured paper slides on smooth floors. Tape the corners down or use adhesive dots.
- Level 3 makes you step backwards. That direction is the least stable. Start it with your hand on the backrest.
Duration and dosage
Eight to ten minutes. Two to three times a week. Only move up a level once you hit about four out of five signals correctly in two consecutive rounds.