The effects of mental fatigue and caffeine on basketball performance: insights from a crossover study

Mental fatigue negatively affects power and skill performance in basketball players, while caffeine gum consumption may offer a potential strategy to mitigate these effects. While caffeine gum attenuated some performance declines in the mental fatigue with caffeine gum condition compared to mental fatigue with placebo gum, these differences were not statistically significant. Future research should explore optimal caffeine doses and additional performance variables.