Research Article

The Effect of Caffeine Mouth Rinsing on Shooting Performance in Bocce Volo Players: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Crossover Study

Number: Advanced Online Publication Early Pub Date: August 12, 2026

The Effect of Caffeine Mouth Rinsing on Shooting Performance in Bocce Volo Players: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Crossover Study

Abstract

The study aimed to evaluate the acute effects of caffeine mouth-rinse interventions on shooting accuracy among bocce volo (BV) players. Twenty-four healthy, professional men bocce players, aged 20.67±4.43 years; height 176.46±6.58 cm; body weight 65.79±10.00 kg, volunteered to participate in this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study. Interventions included Caffeine mouth rinse (CAF-MR), Placebo (PLA), Control (CONT). In the study, participants' shooting performance was assessed during the BV progressive game. The collected data were analyzed (with SPSS Windows software) by repeated measure ANOVA analysis and Bonferroni post hoc test at p ≤ 0.05 level. The analysis of Volo Shots Accuracy revealed a significant main effect of condition (F (2,46) = 49.19, p = 0.001, η2 = 0.68), with post hoc analyses indicating significant differences between CAF-MR and PLA (p = 0.001), CAF-MR and CONT (p < .0001), and PLA and CONT (p = .003). Similarly, the analysis of Volo Shots Accuracy Percentage showed a significant condition effect (F (2,46) = 34.28, p = .001, η2 = 0.60), with post hoc analyses revealing significant differences between CAF-MR and PLA (p < 0.001), CAF-MR and CONT (p < 0.001), and PLA and CONT (p = .01). CAF-MR intervention increased shooting accuracy, as indicated by the shooting accuracy points obtained during the BV progressive game.

Keywords

Ethical Statement

The study was conducted following the ethical principles specified in the Declaration of Helsinki and approval for the study was obtained from the Akdeniz University Clinical Research Ethics Committee (2012-KAEK-20, Approval date: 31/01/2023, Protocol no: 70904504/3) and the Turkish Ministry of Health, Turkish Medicines and Medical Devices Agency (Approval date: 14/03/2023, Protocol no: 23-AKD-57).

References

  1. Balcı, C., Toktaş, N., Erman, K. A., Aktop, A., Kavukçu, E., & Şahan, A. (2025). The effects of caffeine mouth rinsing on selective attention as a function of different caffeine concentrations and perceived taste intensity in recreationally active males at rest: a randomized placebo-controlled cross-over trial. Psychopharmacology, 242(3), 579-592. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-024-06710-w
  2. Beaven, C. M., Maulder, P., Pooley, A., Kilduff, L., & Cook, C. (2013). Effects of caffeine and carbohydrate mouth rinses on repeated sprint performance. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 38(6), 633–637. https://doi.org/10.1139/apnm-2012-0333
  3. Beedie, C. J., Stuart, E. M., Coleman, D. A., & Foad, A. J. (2006). Placebo effects of caffeine on cycling performance. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 38(12), 2159–2164. https://doi.org/10.1249/01.mss.0000233805.56315.a9
  4. Bezuglov, E., Achkasov, E., Vakhidov, T., Kapralova, E., Kuznetsova, Y., Manina, M., & Erdes, S. (2026). Mouth rinsing with solutions of different tastes as an ergogenic aid in team sports: a systematic review. Sport Sciences for Health, 22(1), 60. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11332-026-01661-5
  5. Best, R., McDonald, K., Hurst, P., & Pickering, C. (2021). Can taste be ergogenic? European Journal of Nutrition, 60(1), 45–54. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-020-02274-5
  6. Branet, C., Bălan, V., Mujea, A. M., Grigoroiu, C., Wesselly, T., Pelin, R., Răchită, I., De la Cruz-Sánchez, E., Valero-Valenzuela, A., Moreno-Llamas, A., Manzano-Sánchez, D., García-Mayor, J., & Jiménez-Parra, J. F. (2022). Eu funding by Erasmus+ Sport Programme.
  7. da Silva, W. F., Lopes-Silva, J. P., Camati Felippe, L. J., Ferreira, G. A., Lima-Silva, A. E., & Silva-Cavalcante, M. D. (2021). Is caffeine mouth rinsing an effective strategy to improve physical and cognitive performance? A systematic review. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 63(3), 438–446. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2021.1949576
  8. Davis, J. M., Zhao, Z., Stock, H. S., Mehl, K. A., Buggy, J., & Hand, G. A. (2003). Central nervous system effects of caffeine and adenosine on fatigue. American Journal of Physiology–Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, 284(2), R399–R404. https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpregu.00386.2002

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Exercise Physiology, Sports Nutrition

Journal Section

Research Article

Early Pub Date

August 12, 2026

Publication Date

-

Submission Date

September 4, 2025

Acceptance Date

May 24, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Number: Advanced Online Publication

APA
Tükenmez, M., Toktaş, N., Şahan, A., Özkaya, Y. G., & Baytaş, E. (2026). The Effect of Caffeine Mouth Rinsing on Shooting Performance in Bocce Volo Players: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Crossover Study. Pamukkale Journal of Sport Sciences, Advanced Online Publication. https://doi.org/10.54141/psbd.1768380
AMA
1.Tükenmez M, Toktaş N, Şahan A, Özkaya YG, Baytaş E. The Effect of Caffeine Mouth Rinsing on Shooting Performance in Bocce Volo Players: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Crossover Study. Pamukkale J Sport Sci. 2026;(Advanced Online Publication). doi:10.54141/psbd.1768380
Chicago
Tükenmez, Mesut, Neşe Toktaş, Asuman Şahan, Y. Gül Özkaya, and Eda Baytaş. 2026. “The Effect of Caffeine Mouth Rinsing on Shooting Performance in Bocce Volo Players: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Crossover Study”. Pamukkale Journal of Sport Sciences, no. Advanced Online Publication. https://doi.org/10.54141/psbd.1768380.
EndNote
Tükenmez M, Toktaş N, Şahan A, Özkaya YG, Baytaş E (August 1, 2026) The Effect of Caffeine Mouth Rinsing on Shooting Performance in Bocce Volo Players: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Crossover Study. Pamukkale Journal of Sport Sciences Advanced Online Publication
IEEE
[1]M. Tükenmez, N. Toktaş, A. Şahan, Y. G. Özkaya, and E. Baytaş, “The Effect of Caffeine Mouth Rinsing on Shooting Performance in Bocce Volo Players: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Crossover Study”, Pamukkale J Sport Sci, no. Advanced Online Publication, Aug. 2026, doi: 10.54141/psbd.1768380.
ISNAD
Tükenmez, Mesut - Toktaş, Neşe - Şahan, Asuman - Özkaya, Y. Gül - Baytaş, Eda. “The Effect of Caffeine Mouth Rinsing on Shooting Performance in Bocce Volo Players: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Crossover Study”. Pamukkale Journal of Sport Sciences. Advanced Online Publication (August 1, 2026). https://doi.org/10.54141/psbd.1768380.
JAMA
1.Tükenmez M, Toktaş N, Şahan A, Özkaya YG, Baytaş E. The Effect of Caffeine Mouth Rinsing on Shooting Performance in Bocce Volo Players: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Crossover Study. Pamukkale J Sport Sci. 2026. doi:10.54141/psbd.1768380.
MLA
Tükenmez, Mesut, et al. “The Effect of Caffeine Mouth Rinsing on Shooting Performance in Bocce Volo Players: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Crossover Study”. Pamukkale Journal of Sport Sciences, no. Advanced Online Publication, Aug. 2026, doi:10.54141/psbd.1768380.
Vancouver
1.Mesut Tükenmez, Neşe Toktaş, Asuman Şahan, Y. Gül Özkaya, Eda Baytaş. The Effect of Caffeine Mouth Rinsing on Shooting Performance in Bocce Volo Players: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Crossover Study. Pamukkale J Sport Sci. 2026 Aug. 1;(Advanced Online Publication). doi:10.54141/psbd.1768380