Effects of the single and combined effect of music and other strategies on combat sport performance: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction There is a lack of systematic mechanism regarding the single and combined effect of listening to music with other strategies on the physical and psychophysiological performance of combat sport athletes. This systematic review and meta-analysis examined the single and combined effects of musical interventions on the technical, physical, physiological, and psychological performance of combat sports athletes, while identifying possible synergistic ergogenic strategies with music. Methods A systematic search was conducted across five electronic databases (PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, Scopus, SPORTDiscus, and ScienceDirect) following PRISMA guidelines. Methodological quality was assessed using the PEDro scale. We performed a meta-analysis addressing physical, physiological and psychological function. Results Fifteen studies met the inclusion criteria, with a total of 1,456 participants. Music-only interventions demonstrated a small beneficial effect ( d = 0.19, 95% CI: 0.02–0.36, p = 0.021). Subgroup analyses revealed psychological outcomes showed the strongest response ( d = 0.52, p = 0.011), while physical performance effects were variable ( d = 0.18, p = 0.583) and physiological measures showed minimal impact ( d = 0.05, p = 0.921). Combined interventions demonstrated substantially larger effects than music alone ( d = 0.93 vs. d = 0.19), with music and caffeine showing the greatest synergistic benefit ( d = 1.24). Conclusion Music interventions alone produce small beneficial effects on combat sport performance, with strongest impacts on psychological outcomes. However, combined interventions demonstrate superior efficacy, particularly music and caffeine supplementation, suggesting multimodal approaches optimize performance enhancement in combat sports. Systematic Review Registration https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD420251073337 , identifier CRD420251073337.