At One Place

Time a goalkeeper has on a penalty

Time a goalkeeper has on a penalty
400 ms–600 ms
Physical limit — the time available, not a human figure

A well-struck penalty reaches the goal in under half a second, and a dive to the corner takes about 600 milliseconds from a standing start. The arithmetic says the keeper must commit before the ball is struck, which is exactly what they do — they are reading the run-up, the plant foot and the hips, not the ball. This is why a penalty taker who waits for the keeper to move wins, and why the rules restrict how much the keeper may move first.

The numbers

Typical
450 ms
Range
400 ms to 600 ms
What it is
Physical limit — the time available, not a human figure
What is measured
Ball flight time from 12 yards at a typical struck-penalty speed.

Why this is a physical limit

This is how long the event gives you, not how long a person takes. It is here because comparing the two is the only way to see whether reacting is possible at all.

Where it sits against everything else

Reflexes at the top, reactions in the middle, design values off the end of the scale.

Vestibulo-ocular reflex — Reflex 10 ms
Knee-jerk (patellar) reflex — Reflex 22 ms
Latency added by your screen and mouse — Physical limit 35 ms
Blink reflex — Reflex 40 ms
Withdrawal reflex — Reflex 90 ms
Time a jab takes to land — Physical limit 110 ms
Sprint start reaction — Reaction 140 ms
Simple tactile reaction time — Reaction 155 ms
Simple auditory reaction time — Reaction 170 ms
Professional gamer reaction time — Reaction 190 ms
Formula One start reaction — Reaction 200 ms
Simple visual reaction time — Reaction 250 ms
How reaction time changes with age — Reaction 250 ms
What sleep loss does to reaction time — Reaction 300 ms
What alcohol does to reaction time — Reaction 320 ms
Recognition reaction time — Reaction 340 ms
Choice reaction time — Reaction 380 ms
Time to hit a 95 mph fastball — Physical limit 400 ms
Time a goalkeeper has on a penalty — Physical limit 450 ms
Time to play a 90 mph delivery — Physical limit 500 ms
Driver reaction to an expected event — Reaction 850 ms

Sport

What Typical Range Kind
Time a jab takes to land 110 ms 80 ms–150 ms Physical limit
Sprint start reaction 140 ms 120 ms–180 ms Reaction
Formula One start reaction 200 ms 150 ms–300 ms Reaction
Time to hit a 95 mph fastball 400 ms 375 ms–425 ms Physical limit
Time to play a 90 mph delivery 500 ms 450 ms–550 ms Physical limit

Common questions

How long is time a goalkeeper has on a penalty?
Typically 450 ms, with a real range of 400 ms to 600 ms. Ball flight time from 12 yards at a typical struck-penalty speed.
Is that a reflex or a reaction?
Physical limit — the time available, not a human figure. This is how long the event gives you, not how long a person takes. It is here because comparing the two is the only way to see whether reacting is possible at all.

Related pages

Sources

  1. Typical range compiled from manufacturer specifications — At One Place

How these figures are compiled and checked