Lafeková et al. - Caffeine Improves the Motor Components of Agility in Amateur Soccer Players: Limits of Perceptual-Cognitive Enhancement
Description
Sixteen male amateur soccer players (23.5 ± 4.0 years) completed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial. Participants ingested 300 mg of caffeine (~3.7 mg·kg⁻¹; CAF) or placebo (PLA). Thirty to 45 minutes after ingestion, they performed a countermovement jump (CMJ), drop jump (DJ), and three Y-shaped agility tests: planned agility, reactive agility to a light stimulus, and reactive agility to a human stimulus. Findings suggest that a moderate caffeine dose enhances motor components of agility performance but provides limited perceptual-cognitive benefits in amateur soccer players. Coaches may consider caffeine supplementation to support motor-dominant tasks but not perceptual-cognitive proesses before training or match.