Examination of Visual Reaction Times in Female Taekwondo Athletes After Fatigue

Taekwondo is a combat sport characterized by high-intensity actions and rapid decision-making, making visual–motor reaction time an important component of performance. Despite its relevance, research examining reaction times under resting and fatigued conditions in young taekwondo athletes remains limited. The present study aimed to compare the visual–motor reaction times of female taekwondo athletes during resting and post-fatigue conditions. Seventeen healthy female athletes (age: 18.82 ± 1.13 years; height: 165.82 ± 5.35 cm; body weight: 57.18 ± 5.07 kg) voluntarily participated. Following a taekwondo-specific warm-up, visual–motor reaction tests were performed using the FitLight™ system (Fitlight Sports Corp., Canada) for both dominant and non-dominant hands, with three trials administered for each hand; the best score was used for analysis. Athletes then completed a fatigue protocol based on a validated taekwondo match simulation model, after which post-fatigue measurements were conducted ten minutes later. Reaction time data were analyzed using a 2×2 repeated-measures ANOVA. Findings revealed no significant differences between resting and post-fatigue reaction times, nor between dominant and non-dominant hands. These results suggest that acute fatigue induced by a taekwondo match simulation protocol may not substantially influence visual–motor reaction performance in young female taekwondo athletes.