Improving Reaction Time

Ravag3 · Post by **Ravag3** » Sat Jan 07, 2006 10:37 am

Hey guys,

Usually, I buzz in quickly enough, but there are certain questions where everyone knows the answer. On those questions, I am NEVER able to be the first one to buzz in.

Are there any ways I can improve my reaction time?

radiantradon · Post by **radiantradon** » Sat Jan 07, 2006 1:18 pm

Practice.

Practice, practice, and more practice.

I'm afraid there really isn't a "secret" to buzzing in faster, you just have to do it and try not to neg too much in the process. If you know the answer, don't waste time by second guessing yourself, but then again the question might be a hose. Just be confident.

For me, a really fast buzz (with the hand-held buzzers) is more of a reflex in the forearm and bicep instead of a reflex in the thumb.

bigtrain · Post by **bigtrain** » Sat Jan 07, 2006 1:43 pm

I think the secret to buzzing faster is to know more. A greater amount of knowledge means that you can more frequently assume you'll know the answer and be able to buzz quicker.

zwtipp · Post by **zwtipp** » Sat Jan 07, 2006 2:48 pm

A lot of it is about timing. If you know the key clue is coming up in a question, like "...Name this country with capital at..." you can time it so the reader says the clue as you buzz. Yes the reader is supposed to stop when you buzz, but most finish the word they're on, and many will read a word or two more. So once you figure out the timing of a reader you have a bit of an advantage right there. But as everyone says...practice, practice, practice!

Lapego1 · Post by **Lapego1** » Sat Jan 07, 2006 3:37 pm

Another thing I've noticed is that some of the people who can buzz the fastest on buzzer races are those that play a lot of video games. It's not proven, but it'd be interesting to test the correlation.

mlaird · Post by **mlaird** » Sun Jan 08, 2006 1:45 am

Lapego1 wrote:Another thing I've noticed is that some of the people who can buzz the fastest on buzzer races are those that play a lot of video games. It's not proven, but it'd be interesting to test the correlation.

Warioware MegaMicrogame$. Period.

I honestly think, though, that the reflex time does not matter nearly as much as confidence. If you are resigned to a fate of not knowing anything, you're never going to get a tossup, not even the easiest of buzzer beaters. When you are sitting upright, and listening to every question like you are an expert in the subject of it, you are much more likely to recognize the giveaway clue quickly. Moral of story: don't be a slouch!

Ravag3 · Post by **Ravag3** » Sun Jan 08, 2006 6:35 pm

How do you guys hold the buzzers?

For hand-helds, I hold it upside-down so the top of the buzzer is on the table. I hold it this way because I think it lets me press down faster; my whole hand pressing the buzzer into the table will probably be faster than my thumb pressing the buzzer.

What do you guys think?

NotjustoldWASPs · Post by **NotjustoldWASPs** » Sun Jan 08, 2006 8:50 pm

mlaird wrote:Moral of story: don't be a slouch!

Counterpoint: Dan Wright from the beast that was TJ A last year.

Lapego1 · Post by **Lapego1** » Sun Jan 08, 2006 11:51 pm

Ravag3 wrote: For hand-helds, I hold it upside-down so the top of the buzzer is on the table. I hold it this way because I think it lets me press down faster; my whole hand pressing the buzzer into the table will probably be faster than my thumb pressing the buzzer.

I think it's just as easy to train your thumb to react as quickly as your entire hand if you were to use your thumb for buzzing often enough. For me personally, holding the buzzer upside-down in the past has resulted in unintentional buzzes. However, if it works for you, then you should keep using it, as long as you're always aware of the amount of pressure you can put to hold the buzzer on the table without buzzing in by accident.

harpersferry · Post by **harpersferry** » Thu Feb 09, 2006 9:17 pm

I think there is little to do with reaction time except in obvious "buzzer-beaters." Good anticipation will trump a fast finger. I prove this using the example that in a reaction time experiment with a class, one of you top scorers had the slowest times, while another had fast reaction, though he usually has fewer tossups. And how you hold the buzzer doesn't seem the issue unless you can't hit it without thinking about it.

thepowerofche · Post by **thepowerofche** » Fri Feb 10, 2006 12:32 am

The LD 50 for caffeine is 13 grams. I recommend 12 if you're over 150 pounds. Nothing beats chemicals in terms of lightning speed.

dtaylor4 · Post by **dtaylor4** » Fri Feb 10, 2006 12:48 am

Which is why I brought a thermos of coffee with plenty of sugar to every tournament. After I started doing this, my ppg went up by about 20-30 just off of buzzer races.

NatusRoma · Post by **NatusRoma** » Fri Feb 10, 2006 6:25 am

thepowerofche wrote:The LD 50 for caffeine is 13 grams. I recommend 12 if you're over 150 pounds. Nothing beats chemicals in terms of lightning speed.

Yes, that's all well and good for you and me, but what about those who don't want to turn to drugs?

DrakeRQB · Post by **DrakeRQB** » Fri Feb 10, 2006 10:23 am

NatusRoma wrote:
thepowerofche wrote:The LD 50 for caffeine is 13 grams. I recommend 12 if you're over 150 pounds. Nothing beats chemicals in terms of lightning speed.
Yes, that's all well and good for you and me, but what about those who don't want to turn to drugs?

Not DRUGS... just "performance enhancers."