Background: In sports, recovery after exercise is a very important process for athletes. Several studies have shown that the rate of disease associated with athlete's recovery can be increased by several modalities, one of which is acupuncture.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to see how the effect of press tack needle acupuncture in reducing blood lactic acid levels after exercise in sports students.

Methods: The study design was a randomized controlled clinical trial. Twenty-four sport students were divided into two groups: the acupuncture group (n = 12) and the normal group (n = 12). Press tack needle was attached on PC6 Neiguan and ST36 Zusanli 30 minutes before doing high-intensity exercise. Measurement of lactic acid levels was carried out at 5 minutes and 30 minutes after exercise.

Inclusion Criteria:

• willingness to fill out an informed consent form;
• age between 18-25 years;
• male;
• has a BMI value of 18.5-22.9 kg/m2;
• there is no history of injury or history of surgery on the lower extremities in the last three months;
• the individual is in good health.

Exclusion Criteria:

• absence or refusal to be examined and not cooperative.