Quick Overview
A peer-reviewed study from Aristotle University and the University of Colorado tested extra EMS in 16 skilled martial arts athletes.
Eight added 15 NMES sessions over five weeks. Eight kept normal training. Light sensors timed the roundhouse kick. Reaction time fell from 468 to 425 ms, about 9%. Execution time fell from 868 to 817 ms, about 6%. Controls did not improve. Max force stayed similar.
In Sports Biomechanics, the evidence suggests EMS can benefit combat sports training. Other sports and trained groups may also gain from extra stimulus.
Read the full post for the protocol, numbers, and what it means.
We always provide direct links to the original research at the end of every article so you can review the evidence yourself.
Elite Fighters Got Faster Kicks After Adding EMS to Training, Study Finds
Picture a skilled fighter waiting for a flash of light.
Then the kick explodes toward the target.
In combat sports, that tiny gap of time can decide a bout.
A research team wanted to know if extra EMS training could shrink that gap.
EMS here means neuromuscular electrical stimulation, also called NMES.
They tested it on a classic move: the roundhouse kick.
The work was led by scientists at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece.
That university sits in a country with a long record of careful science.
A co-author was Roger M. Enoka from the University of Colorado in the United States.
The paper was published in Sports Biomechanics by Taylor & Francis.
That is a well-known academic publisher.
The study was peer reviewed and released in 2023.
Purpose of the study
The team asked whether extra EMS sessions could help martial arts athletes kick faster.
They also checked if knee strength would stay the same.
They wanted evidence, not guesswork.
Sixteen highly skilled martial arts athletes took part.
Each had trained for at least five years.
Some fought professionally.
Some were national-team members.
A computer randomly split them into two groups of eight.
Both groups kept their normal combat sports training.
That training ran about five days a week.
A usual session lasted 90 minutes.
It included footwork, pads, drills, and sparring.
One group also received EMS.
They completed 15 extra sessions across five weeks.
That was three sessions each week.
EMS was applied to the preferred kicking leg.
It was used during strong isometric quadriceps contractions.
The EMS work sat on top of their usual training.
In other words, they did more targeted stimulus, not less.
Current rose across the program as athletes could tolerate more.
Evoked force moved from about 60% toward about 80% of their max effort.
Researchers timed the roundhouse kick with a light-sensor system.
Reaction time was the wait from the light until the foot left the ground.
Execution time was the flight of the kick toward the target.
They also measured peak force and rate of force development on a leg-press setup.
What the numbers showed
The EMS group got quicker.
Average reaction time fell from 468 milliseconds to 425 milliseconds.
That was a drop of about 9%.
Average execution time fell from 868 milliseconds to 817 milliseconds.
That was a drop of about 6%.
The control group did not show those gains.
Their kick times stayed almost the same.
Max force and rate of force development did not rise in either group.
The extra speed showed up in the sport move itself.
That is the bright finding.
These were already highly trained fighters.
Normal training alone did not shrink the times.
Adding EMS sessions did.
Why this matters for martial arts and combat sports
A roundhouse kick must start fast and land fast.
Shorter reaction time means a quicker first move.
Shorter execution time means the kick arrives sooner.
In striking sports, those milliseconds add up.
The study focused on martial arts athletes.
The same kick appears in taekwondo, karate, Muay Thai, and mixed striking work.
So the evidence speaks most clearly to combat sports training.
Why other sports and other people may care
This paper did not test every sport.
It did point to a wider training idea.
Earlier EMS research cited in the paper found gains in other athletic tasks.
Those tasks included jumping in basketball and volleyball.
They also included sprint and kick-related work in soccer.
The same logic is simple.
Many sports need a fast first burst.
A punch, a first step, a jump, or a strike all reward speed.
If extra EMS can help elite kickers move sooner, other power sports may also benefit from the same extra stimulus.
The athletes in this study were already strong and skilled.
That makes the result more interesting, not less.
If extra EMS can still sharpen a well-trained kick, less specialised trainees may also have room to gain.
People who already lift, sprint, or practice skill work could treat EMS as add-on training.
The study does not prove that for every group.
It does support a hopeful reading: more targeted stimulus can still help.
The bright side
The extra EMS work did not replace martial arts practice.
It sat beside it.
Fighters kept their pads, drills, and sparring.
Then they added short EMS sessions three times a week.
That is the useful message.
More focused training stimulus sat on top of a full combat routine.
Kick timing improved.
Max force did not fall.
The authors were careful.
They noted limits, including a small sample and a short five-week block.
They also noted that strength did not rise.
The win was speed of the kick, not a bigger isometric score.
Still, the data are clear on the measured task.
Reaction time improved by about nine percent.
Execution time improved by about six percent.
Those changes came after 15 EMS sessions in skilled martial arts athletes.
This is sports-performance research, not medical advice.
It does not claim EMS treats injury or disease.
It shows that adding EMS to serious training was linked with faster kicks in this trial.
For coaches and athletes, the story is simple.
Elite fighters already trained hard.
The group that added EMS kicked sooner.
That is a bright result for people who want extra speed in combat sports.
It also gives other sports a reason to look closely at the same extra training tool.
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