Name: RODRIGO FREIRE DE ALMEIDA
Type: PhD thesis
Publication date: 23/12/2020
Advisor:
Name |
Role |
|---|---|
| LUCAS GUIMARÃES FERREIRA | Advisor * |
Examining board:
| Name |
Role |
|---|---|
| LUCAS GUIMARÃES FERREIRA | Advisor * |
| NATALIA MADALENA RINALDI | Internal Examiner * |
| RODRIGO LEAL DE QUEIROZ THOMAZ DE AQUINO | External Examiner * |
Summary: The football game and its complexity basically comprise tactical-technical activities, in which all the demands of the match or training requirements, from the players, strong answers to overcome the challenges faced by the game. These environmental demands tend to disturb the decision-making patterns of the players, influencing the tactical principles performed in situations of high levels of fatigue. Strategies have been used in an attempt to mitigate the deleterious effects of high levels of fatigue that can be achieved in games. In this sense, nutritional ergogenic resources are highlighted for their great use. Among the most used, is caffeine. The effects of acute caffeine intake on cognitive function and decision-making ability during the soccer game are not fully understood. In this sense, the objective of this thesis was to investigate the effects of acute caffeine intake by soccer players on the possible cognitive deficit and decision-making ability. For that, professional soccer players were subjected to two different experiments, evaluating the effects of caffeine on 1) selective attention and inhibitory control (using the Stroop test) before and after playing reduced games; and 2) decision-making ability (using the FUTSAT program) when playing reduced football games. In each experiment, the athletes performed the experimental protocol on 3 occasions. The first requested familiarization with the experimental protocol. Then, in a randomized way, with a cross-design and double-blind control, protocols were performed under three conditions: 1) Rest and before caffeine or placebo ingestion (Study 1); 2) 60 minutes after ingesting a solution containing caffeine (5 mg / kg-1 of body weight) (Studies 1 and 2), and 3) 60 minutes after ingesting a placebo solution (Studies 1 and 2). In the first study, in the Stroop Test, there were improvements in terms of reaction speed, however, which was not corroborated in precision. However, in the second study, there were improvements in the accuracy of tactical performance in both the offensive and defensive conditions for players in the caffeine condition. It is possible to conclude that the acute intake of moderate dosage of caffeine improves the tactical behavior of soccer players. This directly implies the important effect that a moderate dosage of caffeine has on the specific performance of soccer players, resulting in better reaction times and greater tactical effectiveness.
Keywords: Ergogenic Resources; Decision-making; Fatigue; Executive functions; Fundamental Tactical Principles.
