Reaction time analysis in professional table tennis: gender differences and key determinants

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of study was to identify the factors influencing the visuomotor reaction time of elite male and female
players and to assess the magnitude of sex-based differences in reaction times.
Methods: The study involved 64 participants: 44 elite Polish table tennis players (female n=17, male n=27) athletes;
female and male students as the control group (n=20). Data on socioeconomic status, physical activity and subjective
physiological state were collected using an author-designed questionnaire. Anthropometric data were collected. Reaction
time was measured using the Piórkowski’s apparatus. The analyses included Chi2 tests, Student’s t-tests for independent
samples, Spearman’s rank correlation and multiple regression analyses.
Results: Significant differences were found in the number of points scored between female table tennis players and female
students (137 vs 126 P= .013) and between female and male table tennis players (137 vs 129, P= .023), while no significant
differences were observed among male participants. Gender differences were identified in the urbanization of residence
(P= .034), participation in additional sports disciplines (P= .013), and anthropometric features such as body height, body
mass and Waist to Hip Ratio (P= .001). Among female athletes, moderate negative correlations were found between speed of
reaction and training session duration (R= -.559) and body height (R= -.489), suggesting shorter training sessions and lower
body height may enhance reaction time. No significant associations between reaction time and the analyzed variables were
observed among male athletes.
Conclusions: The analyses revealed differences in place of residence, participation in additional sports disciplines, hunger
perception, and somatic build between female and male athletes. The study demonstrated that certain factors influence
reaction time. Appropriate training duration combined with adequate intensity can improve the reaction time of athletes.
The obtained results may serve as a foundation for further research and observations of table tennis players.