Abstract
This study investigated low-dose caffeine ingestion, conditioning activity (CA) effects on psycho-physical performances in young taekwondo athletes. In a randomized, double-blind, counterbalanced, crossover design, 20 athletes (10 males; 17.5 ± 0.7 yrs) performed taekwondo-specific agility test (TSAT), 10 s/multiple frequency speed of kick test (FSKT-10s/FSKT-mult) after ingesting 3 mg·kg−1 caffeine (CAF) or placebo (PL) 60 min before performing standard warm-up without (NoCA) or with CA (3 × 10 vertical jumps above 40 cm), resulting in four experimental (PL + NoCA, CAF + NoCA, PL + CA, and CAF + CA) and one control (warm-up session without CAF or CA) conditions. Mood/physical symptoms (MPSS), subjective vitality (SVS), and feeling (FS) scales were analyzed post-to-pre for all conditions. Ratings of perceived-exertion and perceived-recovery status were determined after tests. For TSAT, CAF + CA induced better performance compared with all conditions (p < 0.001). For FSKT-10s and FSKT-mult, CAF + CA induced better performance compared with all conditions (p < 0.001). For MPSS, FS, CAF + NoCA induced higher scores than PL + NoCA and PL + CA (p = 0.002, 0.009 for MPSS; p = 0.014, 0.03 for FS). For SVS, PL + CA elicited lower scores than PL + NoCA and CAF + NoCA (p = 0.01, 0.004). Sex comparisons resulted in better performances for males for TSAT (p = 0.008), FSKT-10s (p < 0.001), FSKT-mult (p < 0.01), MPSS (p = 0.02), SVS (p = 0.028), and FS (p = 0.020) scores. Caffeine and conditioning activity are two efficient performance-enhancing strategies, which could synergistically result in greater psycho-physical performances.
Highlights
Taekwondo is a combat sport characterized by brief and intense actions interspersed by long, low-intensity movements [1]
Taekwondo-Specific Agility Test The results showed a significant condition effect (F4,36 = 35.376; p < 0.001; ηp2 = 0.96), with CAF + conditioning activity (CA) condition resulting in better performance compared with PL + NoCA, CAF + NoCA, PL + CA, and the control conditions
PL + CA condition elicited better performances compared with PL + NoCA, CAF + NoCA, and control conditions
Summary
Taekwondo is a combat sport characterized by brief and intense actions interspersed by long, low-intensity movements [1]. The high-intensity actions performed during 2 min rounds require a high level of agility, quick reactions, and a high capacity to kick powerfully at a limited scoring area and under strict time constraints [2]. To prepare taekwondo athletes to handle the competition demands, coaches and sport scientists are increasingly employing different performance optimization strategies. Among the most proposed strategies in the field of athletic performance is the use of caffeine (CAF) as an ergogenic aid, which has been widely introduced to improve explosive exercise performances [3]. CAF exerts its effect via blocking the adenosine A1 and A2a receptors, which reduces fatigue level, improves neurotransmission, and increases motor unit firing rates [5]. CAF enhances muscle contraction throughout calcium ion mobilization [6] and phosphodiesterase inhibition [4]
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