Effects of caffeine supplementation on physical performance and technical action scouting in volleyball: a randomized crossover clinical trial
Voleyball; Caffeine; Sports Performance
Introduction: Volleyball is a team sport that presents predominantly anaerobic physical demands and depends on specific physical characteristics, such as a greater number of ballistic movements during the game, especially in decisive moments. Safety is presented as a nutritional strategy and ergogenic resource to maximize the performance of athletes, with an adequate level of confidence in the literature. Its popularity in the sports context may be related precisely to the visualization of results in different dosages, but further elucidation is still needed regarding its potential within team sports and its consistency. Objective: to analyze the effects of acute caffeine supplementation and its reproducibility on physical performance and technical skills in volleyball athletes. Materials and methods: randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. 24 volleyball players will ingest a 6mg/kg caffeine capsule or a placebo capsule and will undergo the following tests: pre- and post-match lactate analysis, pre- and post-match vertical jump test, heart rate monitoring at one time during all matches and a simulated match with 3 mandatory sets of 25 points. The match will be filmed and analyzed in relation to technical actions afterwards, in order to classify the actions as positive, neutral and negative. It is expected to find improved results both in physical performance assessed by vertical jump as well as in technical actions in all supplemented matches compared to placebo, supporting the idea of consistency of the ergogenic effect of caffeine in volleyball.