Efeito da suplementação de cafeína sobre a relação esforço/pausa e distribuição dos ataques em lutas simuladas de Taekwondo

Abstract

Taekwondo is an intermittent sport. During the fight there are high intensity moments (attacks) interspersed by low intensity moments (steps) and referrers’ pauses. Caffeine improves athletic performance in intermittent activities, changes the energy distribution in multiple sprints, and improving skills on intermittent sports. If there is effect of caffeine in Taekwondo, the athletes will attack more in early stages of the fight; it would increase the total attacks of full fight, then the athlete’s chance of winning increase. To Contribute with hypothesis discussion this dissertation presents two papers: a review about effects of caffeine on intermittent exercise; the second is a experimental paper, 10 Taekwondo athletes with 7 years or more of sport practice. The subjects were supplemented with 5 mg caffeine/ kg body mass or ingested placebo substance, both athletes on same condition (placebo vs placebo or caffeine vs caffeine). 45 minutes after supplementation, athletes performed the first reaction time test. 60 minutes after supplementation, athletes performed the first fight (3-2min. rounds). 10 minutes after first fight, athletes performed the second reaction time test. 15 minutes after second reaction time test, athletes performed the second fight. Immediately before second fight the athletes performed the third reaction time test. The main results of this study showed that caffeine supplementation decreased the reaction time on the first test, the attack number was largest in second fight, the first round of the fight became more intense than others and first fraction of first round was had the greatest number of attack, the blood lactate level at end of the rounds 2 and 3 was greatest than control situation. In conclusion caffeine had effect on Taekwondo athletes, reducing the time that the athlete reacts to a visual stimulus, and changes the fight strategy, became early stages of the fight more intense.