Document Type : Original Article

Authors

• Adel Najafi Babadi ¹
• Hamed Teimouri Korani ²
• Mohammad Fashi ²

¹ Department of Biological sciences in Sport, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran, Iran

² Department of Biological Sciences in Sports, Faculty of Sport Sciences and Health, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Purposes:
Caffeine is recognized as an ergogenic supplement, but its effects on the performance of blind professional athletes have been less investigated. This study aimed to evaluate the acute effects of caffeine on throwing accuracy, reaction time, agility, and cardiovascular endurance in blind professional athletes.
Materials and Methods:
In this randomized, double-blind, cross-over and placebo-controlled study, 12 Blind male professional athlete (mean age 16.6 years) were randomly assigned to either caffeine (3 mg/kg body weight) or placebo groups. Performance tests were conducted 60 minutes after supplementation, with data analyzed using paired t-tests.
Results:
Caffeine consumption showed no significant effect on throwing accuracy (p=0.241), but significantly improved reaction time (p=0.02), agility (p=0.04), and cardiovascular endurance (p=0.018). Additionally, maximal oxygen consumption increased while perceived exertion decreased.
Conclusion:
Although caffeine didn't affect throwing accuracy, it can be effectively used as a supplement to enhance reaction time, agility, and endurance in blind professional athletes.

Keywords

• caffeine
• blind athletes
• sports performance
• throwing accuracy
• cardiovascular endurance