It is just before noon on a Thursday, and I am currently sitting in the library taking a study break to write this blog. This morning I tested my first participant for my thesis, my American teammate Feesh. As a student of Strength and Conditioning, my thesis focuses on the effects of caffeine on basketball performance. More specifically, I am looking at how a low dose (such as that found in a Starbucks coffee) affects agility (reaction time), rate of force development (as in jumping) as well as sprinting qualities (acceleration, top speed and fatigue). More simply I wish to discover how much, if at all, a low dose of caffeine affects players’ cognitive as well as physical performance.
As it entails a variety of tests, I’ve been nervous to begin the actual testing. However, now that I have one test down and everything went smoothly, I am excited to get going. As I often consume a coffee at some point before a basketball game, I am curious if there are any benefits to drinking the beverage (besides a good morning pick-me-up). I will be sure to provide an update once testing is all over and done with! In the meantime, it is officially noon and I’m starting to hit a wall…time to go order myself a coffee!!