Reaction time and muscle activation patterns in elite and novice athletes performing a taekwondo kick.

Fractionated reaction time can be used to determine distinct epochs known as pre-motor, response and movement times (MTs) of a reaction time task. The purpose of this study was to compare elite and novice athletes performing a taekwondo kick in terms of the fractionated reaction time and electromyography (EMG) activation patterns of the muscles of the striking lower limb and the lower back. We hypothesised that the pre-motor time, response time (RT) and MT would be the shorter for elite athletes compared to novices.