Additionally, with long matches and consecutive shots, athletes must maintain their energy levels and concentration. Since each shot can influence the team’s chances of winning, making the right shot at the right time provides a significant advantage. This relies on curling athletes’ abilities to make fine adjustments, hand-eye coordination, and strategic thinking skills. Shots must be made with the right speed, angle, and trajectory. However, the most distinct and significant feature of curling is the great importance placed on precise shots. As curling is played on an ice rink, having a stable stance and movement skills are crucial. This sport requires physical endurance, balance, coordination, and delicate touch. Despite being perceived as slow-paced, this sport places great importance on physical skills and precise shots.

Based on these findings, it has been demonstrated in this study that the best shooting scores and cognitive performance were achieved, particularly with the combined intake of CAF and THE.Ĭurling is a team sport played on ice, characterized by competition and strategy. The best accuracy rates during the CER and ICER (respectively F= 4.127, P < .001, η p 2 = .396 F= 3.899, P < .001, η p 2 = .710) tasks were achieved with the combined CAF and THE intake, leading to a significant reduction in error rates compared to PLA. During the NER (F= 2.961, P < .001, η p 2 = .741), task, the combined intake of CAF and THE significantly improved error rates compared to the intake of CAF, THE, or PLA single. The best reaction times during the CR and ICR (respectively F= 2.742, P = .004, η p 2 = .328 F = 1.632, P < .001, η p 2 = .625) tasks were achieved with the combined CAF and THE intake, showing a significant improvement compared to PLA. Regarding cognitive performance evaluation through the Stroop test, during the NR task (F= 4.743, P = .001, η p 2 = .653), the combined intake of CAF and THE significantly improved reaction times compared to the intake of single CAF, THE, or PLA. Our main findings have shown that the performance of athletes in guard (F= 3.452, P < .001, η p 2 = .842), draw (F= 1.647, P < .001, η p 2 = .485), and take-out (F= 3.121, P < .001, η p 2 = .743) shot styles significantly improved when comparing the combined intake of CAF and THE to the PLA.

Taurine and l theanine together