# Influence of Acute Beetroot Juice Intake on Agility Performance Immediately Post-Repeated Maximal Sprinting in Soccer Players

## TL;DR

Drinking beetroot juice before sprints improves soccer players' agility and change of direction after maximal sprinting.

## Contribution

This study shows acute beetroot juice intake improves agility and change-of-direction speed post-sprint in soccer players.

## Key findings

- Beetroot juice improved choice response time compared to placebo.
- Beetroot juice enhanced change-of-direction speed after sprints.
- Simple response time was not significantly affected by beetroot juice.

## Abstract

Background/Objectives: Acute beetroot juice (BJ) nitrate supplementation may enhance agility and change of direction performance by increasing nitric oxide bioavailability and improving cognitive and skeletal muscle functions, thereby potentially attenuating post-sprint performance decrements. Methods: We investigated whether a single dose of BJ improves agility immediately after repeated maximal sprinting compared with a placebo (PL) in soccer players. Twenty-one male soccer players (competitive players: n = 8; recreational players: n = 13) completed a double-blind randomised crossover trial. Participants ingested 70 mL of BJ or PL; afterwards, they performed three sets of 6 × 20-m all-out sprints. Agility outcomes included simple response time (SRT), choice response time (CRT), and change-of-direction speed (CODS). Non-parametric analyses (Wilcoxon signed-rank test with effect size r) were applied. Results: Compared with PL, BJ improved CRT (BJ: 2.376 ± 0.255; PL: 2.534 ± 0.322; p < 0.001; r = 0.74; Z = −5.881) and CODS (BJ: 13.046 ± 1.512; PL: 13.651 ± 1.811; p < 0.001; r = 0.47; Z = −4.314). SRT was unchanged overall (BJ: 1.671 ± 0.195; PL: 1.707 ± 0.261; p = 0.185; r = 0.05; Z = −1.327). Conclusions: Under practical field-based conditions, acute BJ intake enhanced post-sprint agility and change-of-direction performance, particularly CRT and CODS.