![]() ![]() In Figure 2, I schematically represented the physiological processes that occur between the starting signal and the application of force to the blocks.ġ) At a distance of 1 m between the blocks and the athlete, the signal will take about 3 ms to reach the athlete’s ear. Theoretically, it should be possible to respond to the start signal within 100 ms. Is it theoretically possible to respond to the start signal within 100 ms? Green indicates a positive horizontal force, red indicates a negative (braking) horizontal force. In this figure, the force threshold is 10% higher than the force that is exerted on average during the PT phase to prevent small fluctuations in the force leading to the crossing of the threshold and hence disqualification. There has been a false start if the time between the start signal and exceeding of the FTH is less than 100 ms. The period of total reaction time (TRT) is the time between the start signal and exceeding of the force threshold (FTH). In this phase, the athlete has already built up pre-tension to be able to quickly respond to the start signal. ![]() Graphs of the horizontal (top) and vertical (bottom) force during a block start and ground contact phase of the next step. The question that arises is therefore whether it is possible to respond to the start signal within 100 ms.įigure 1. Furthermore, the response time in this study was not measured in a race situation, while athletes in a race situation may respond faster due to increased arousal and motivation. It is possible that elite sprinters react faster than sub elite sprinters, so the lower limit of 100 ms may not be correct for use at international top matches. However, no elite sprinter was investigated in this study. The 100 ms limit is based on research from the 1990s in which the total response time of eight male Finnish sprinters was investigatedĪ limit of 100 ms should, on the basis of these results, ensure that most correct starts are not incorrectly labeled false, while most real false starts are disqualified. The average response time between the start signal and reaching a value of 110% of the force exerted on the starting blocks in the ‘ready’ position was 121 ms with a standard deviation (typical variation) of 14 ms for the front leg and 119 ms with a standard deviation of 11 ms for the rear leg (Figure 1). The 100 ms limit is based on research from the 1990s in which the total response time of eight male Finnish sprinters was investigated. If this force rises above a predetermined threshold within 100 ms after the start signal, the system registers a false start (Figure 1). The total reaction time of 100 ms that is used as the lower limit for a correct start is ideally controlled by measuring the force that is exerted on the starting blocks. ![]() Rule 162 from the international athletics federation (IAAF) states that someone has made a false start when the starting blocks register a total response time of less than 100 ms. Although this was a clear false start, there are some instances in which is it much harder to tell whether there was indeed a false start. Can fast starters be incorrectly disqualified with this limit?Īt the 2011 world championships, Usain Bolt made a false start and was therefore disqualified.How are false starts detected in a sprint start? ,.Why is the minimum response time set to 100 ms for an athletic start?.In this blog I will answer the following questions (for more details, see the freely availble Dutch article here): This 100 ms limit has led to many discussions, with some individuals believing that this can lead to an incorrect disqualification of fast starters. In athletics, a sprinter is disqualified when he or she initiates the start movement within 100 ms after the start signal. Is it possible to react within 100 ms after the gun signal in a sprint start? ![]()
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