Caffeine boosts pass accuracy 6-9%, but only with deliberate practice
A 2026 JISSN trial found caffeine improved football pass performance by up to 9%, with the biggest gains in deliberate-practice groups.
Caffeine improves football pass accuracy by up to 9%, but the size of that gain depends almost entirely on how a player trains. A 2026 randomised trial published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition found that players assigned to deliberate-practice protocols captured 6-9% accuracy improvements after a 3-6 mg/kg caffeine dose, while maintenance-practice groups saw gains closer to 2-3%. The implication is direct: the ergogenic ceiling of caffeine is set by practice quality, not just the supplement itself.
What the 2026 JISSN trial actually tested
The study, published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition (DOI: 10.1080/15502783.2026.2663140), assigned football players to one of two training conditions: deliberate practice, which involved structured, feedback-intensive passing drills, and maintenance practice, which replicated typical low-cognitive-demand repetition sessions. Both groups received caffeine (3-6 mg per kg of bodyweight) or a placebo in a crossover design, then completed standardised pass-accuracy assessments drawn from validated football skill batteries.