Sodium bicarbonate supplementation prevents skilled tennis performance decline after a simulated match

Abstract

The supplementation of sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) could increase performance or delay fatigue in intermittent high-intensity exercise. Prolonged tennis matches result in fatigue, which impairs skilled performance. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of NaHCO3 supplementation on skilled tennis performance after a simulated match. Nine male college tennis players were recruited for this randomized cross-over, placebo-controlled, double-blind study. The participants consumed NaHCO3 (0.3 g. kg-1) or NaCl (0.209 g. kg-1) before the trial. An additional supplementation of 0.1 g. kg-1 NaHCO3 or 0.07 g. kg-1 NaCl was ingested after the third game in the simulated match. The Loughborough Tennis Skill Test was performed before and after the simulated match. Post-match [HCO3-] and base excess were significantly higher in the bicarbonate trial than those in the placebo trial. Blood [lactate] was significantly increased in the placebo (pre: 1.22 ± 0.54; post: 2.17 ± 1.46 mM) and bicarbonate (pre: 1.23 ± 0.41; post: 3.21 ± 1.89 mM) trials. The match-induced change in blood [lactate] was significantly higher in the bicarbonate trial. Blood pH remained unchanged in the placebo trial (pre: 7.37 ± 0.32; post: 7.37 ± 0.14) but was significantly increased in the bicarbonate trial (pre: 7.37 ± 0.26; post: 7.45 ± 0.63), indicating a more alkaline environment. The service and forehand ground stroke consistency scores were declined significantly after the simulated match in the placebo trial, while they were maintained in the bicarbonate trial. The match-induced declines in the consistency scores were significantly larger in the placebo trial than those in the bicarbonate trial. This study suggested that NaHCO3 supplementation could prevent the decline in skilled tennis performance after a simulated match.

The development of fatigue during match-play tennis

“…Interestingly, previous research10 25 found that the reductions in serve and groundstroke velocity were not necessarily accompanied by concomitant decreases in accuracy. More specifically, selective decreases in groundstroke (≈70%) and serve (≈30%) accuracy were evident following the Loughborough Intermittent Tennis Test,18 which superficially agrees with the reductions observed in stroke accuracy within other simulated or training environments 40 41. Despite this agreement, on deeper investigation, few studies show similarities in the reported type and extent of stroke accuracy reductions.…”

Prevention of perceptual‐motor decline by branched‐chain amino acids, arginine, citrulline after tennis match

“…At the moderate‐intensity fatigue in which the heart rate was similar to that reported in real match play, the groundstroke accuracy was maintained in both expert and non‐expert players (Lyons et al., ). Furthermore, the accuracy scores of service and forehand groundstroke were unchanged after a simulated match (Wu et al., ). On the other hand, several studies did reveal the declines in skill performance.…”

“…On the other hand, several studies did reveal the declines in skill performance. The groundstroke accuracy was deteriorated (Hornery et al., , b, c), while the service and forehand groundstroke consistency scores were significantly decreased after a simulated match (Wu et al., ). These results indicated that, although there is evidence for neuromuscular fatigue after prolonged tennis play (Hornery et al., , b, c), experienced players can generally maintain the racquet control.…”

“…The results on the impairments in skill performance after real or simulated tennis matches have been inconsistent. It has been shown that accuracy in certain types of groundstrokes and/or serve may be deteriorated, whereas other skills may be maintained (Hornery et al., , b, c; Wu et al., ). Decision making is another important aspect of sport competitions.…”

Multiday acute sodium bicarbonate intake improves endurance capacity and reduces acidosis in men

“…There are several studies, which investigated NaHCO 3 ingestion during tournament-like sports, but only for single events. For example, it was shown that NaHCO 3 supplementation increases tennis performance [18] but does not affect prolonged intermittent cycling exercise performance [19]. However, up to date, no study investigated the effect of a consecutive multiday supplementation on consecutive multiday performance.…”