Nutrition

drinking

 

There are specific issues that you are faced with at tournaments, for example

  • Uncertain gaps between games
  • Travel and eating times
  • Length of the day
  • The more rounds you get through, the quicker the next match comes 

 

 

Strategies to deal with some of these issues are as follows

  • Plan to have enough to eat throughout the day 
  • Eat breakfast
  • Have food little and often, graze throughout the day 

24 Hours before Competing

  • Have a good evening meal e.g. pasta, rice
  • Ensure your diet throughout the day is nutritious
  • Drink plenty of fluids for hydration

NutritionPre Match Meal

  • Have a bigger breakfast than normal e.g. bran / fibre cereal, porridge, baked beans on toast
  • Good examples of lunch are jacket potato with beans, pasta  

Snacks

  • Have lots of different options available
  • Ensure there is time to digest
  • If there is only 20-30 minutes to the match good examples of snacks are a piece of fruit, cereal or breakfast bar, dried fruit, jam or a honey sandwich
  • If there is only 10 minutes to your next match a sports drink is your best option to prepare you
     

Competition Day Rules

  • Never try new foods/fluids at a tournament, always practice in training first
  • Have a PRE MATCH MEAL 3 hours before competition
  • Have a Snack 1 hour before competition
  • Choose familiar, low fibre foods
  • Feel comfortable and confident
  • Remember fluids  

waterRecovery Nutrition

  • Within 1 hour of playing, eating will give you the most nutritional benefits for recovery
  • Replace energy stores ( glycogen )
  • Carbohydrates
  • Proteins
  • Fluids
  • The benefit to your body will be hydration, muscle repair, growth and immune system protection