Caffeine Improves the Motor Components of Agility in Amateur Soccer Players: Limits of Perceptual-Cognitive Enhancement

Caffeine may enhance motor and cognitive performance in soccer players, yet its effects on specific agility components remain unclear. Sixteen male amateur soccer players (23.5 ± 4.0 years) completed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial. Participants ingested 300 mg of caffeine (~3.7 mg·kg−1; CAF) or placebo (PLA). Thirty to 45 min after ingestion, they performed a countermovement jump (CMJ), drop jump (DJ), and three Y-shaped agility tests: planned agility, reactive agility to a light stimulus, and reactive agility to a human stimulus. Paired t-tests and Hedges’ g effect sizes (95% CI) were used to compare conditions. Caffeine significantly improved CMJ height (p = 0.02, ES = 0.30), reactive strength index in the DJ (p = 0.02, ES = 0.35), and planned agility time (p = 0.02, ES = 0.62). No significant effects were observed for reactive agility to light (p = 0.32, ES = 0.10) or human stimulus (p = 0.06, ES = 0.35). These findings suggest that a moderate caffeine dose enhances motor components of agility performance but provides limited benefits for reactive agility. Coaches may consider caffeine supplementation for amateur soccer players to support their performance in motor-dominant tasks rather than reactive agility performance.