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Caffeinated chewing gum improves the batting and pitching performance of female softball players: a randomized
Yi-Jie Shiu1, Feng-Yin Chen2, Che-Hsiu Chen2
1Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan (ROC).
Background:
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of caffeinated chewing gum on female softball pitching and hitting performance in trained female softball fielders and pitchers.
Methods:
Twenty-four trained female softball players (10 pitchers and 14 fielders) were divided into a caffeine chewing gum trial (CAF) or a placebo trial (PLA) in a single-blind, randomized, crossover experimental design. Two pieces of gum containing 100 mg of caffeine (CAF) or without caffeine (PLA) were chewed for 10 minutes and then spit out, followed by a 15-minute warm-up. The physical tests included grip strength and countermovement jump (CMJ). The softball-specific tests included pitching or hitting. The two trials were separated by seven days.
Results:
The CAF trial had significantly higher grip strength than the PAL trial in fielder (P=0.032, Cohen's d=0.29) and pitcher (P=0.016, Cohen's d=0.33). The height of CMJ in fielders was significantly higher in the CAF trial than in the PLA trial (P=0.015, Cohen's d=0.65) but not in pitchers (P=0.596, Cohen's d=0.15). The fielder's average and maximum batting exit speeds were significantly higher in the CAF trial than in the PLA trial (P<0.05). The average and max fastball speeds of the CAF trial were significantly higher than that of the PLA trial in pitchers (P<0.05).
Conclusions:
The study showed that chewing gum containing two pieces of gum containing 100 mg of caffeine effectively improved female softball fielder's batting performance and pitcher's pitching performance.
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