Development of a Mobile Phone App for Measuring Striking Response Time in Combat Sports: Cross-Sectional Validation Study

BACKGROUND: TReaction is a mobile app developed to determine strike response time at low cost and with easy application in combat sports. However, the validity and accuracy of the response time obtained by the TReaction app has not yet been evaluated. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to test the validity and reliability of the TReaction app in measuring motor response time in combat sports. METHODS: A total of two athletes performed 59 strikes to assess the response time upon visual stimulus using the TReaction app simultaneously with a high-speed camera. Accuracy of the measure was verified using a computer simulator programmed to discharge visual stimuli and obtain the response time. Pearson correlation, Student t test for dependent samples, and the Bland-Altman analysis were performed. Accuracy was verified using the intraclass correlation coefficient. Effect size (g) and the typical error of measurement (TEM) were calculated. The significance level was set at P<.05. RESULTS: No significant difference (P=.56) was found between both systems. The methods presented a very strong correlation (r=0.993). The magnitude of differences was trivial (g<0.25), and TEM was 1.4%. These findings indicate a high accuracy between the computer screen and the mobile app measures to determine the beginning of the task and the response time. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that the TReaction app is a valid tool to evaluate the response time in combat sports athletes.