Do Elite Taekwondo Athletes Invest Time for Better Choices? Analysis of Anticipatory Behavior Through a Perception–Action Coupling Task

This study examined whether elite Taekwondo athletes invest additional time to make better decisions under uncertainty by using a perception–action coupling task with temporal occlusion. Eighteen elite and 18 amateur Taekwondo athletes completed an embodied choice task in which they observed an opponent’s kicking action and executed a corresponding motor response. Three temporal occlusion levels were used to manipulate the amount of visual information available (T1, T2, and T3). Reaction time, prediction accuracy, and decision confidence were analyzed using linear mixed-effects models. Descriptive results showed that amateurs became slightly faster from T1 to T3, whereas elites were slower at T1 but fastest at T3. Elites also showed substantial improvements in prediction accuracy and decision confidence as visual information increased, whereas amateurs showed only modest changes in accuracy and a gradual decline in confidence. The linear mixed-effects models revealed significant effects of group, occlusion level, and their interaction for reaction time and prediction accuracy, and a significant Group × Occlusion interaction for decision confidence. These findings suggest that elite Taekwondo athletes do not simply react faster; rather, they strategically delay their responses under high uncertainty and respond more efficiently once decisive kinematic cues become available. The results support the applicability of the embodied choice framework to one-to-one combat sports and highlight the importance of training perceptual timing and anticipatory skill in Taekwondo.