Improve Your Football Performance With These Simple Tips – Part 2
Welcome to Part 2 of our series on IMPROVING YOUR FOOTBALLING PERFORMANCE. In Part 1 we spoke about simple nutritional tips during the pre season that could improve your fitness and hense performance. In Part 2 we are going to focus on Pre and Post Match dietry guidelines and also a few basic steps to undertake if you sustain an injury during the game. By following these SIMPLE guidelines then you will without a doubt improve not only your sporting performance but your general health as well.
PRE-MATCH HYDRATION GUIDELINES:
1) You need to load up on water 48 hrs prior to competing. On Friday you should aim to consume 3-4 litres and 1 litre on match day (2hrs prior). Within 2 hours of competing you want to sip water regularly
rather than consuming large amounts of water at one time.
2) Your urine should be clear if you are adequately hydrated – ‘IF IT’S WHITE YOU’RE RIGHT!’
PRE- MATCH MEAL – Morning
Your pre-match meal should be:
- High in carbohydrates (low GI, not sugary foods)
- Low in fat
- Low in fibre
Your meal shouldn’t be too large. It should be easy to digest. Fat takes longer to digest so avoid fatty foods prior to the match.
Suggestions:
- Cereals such as Rolled Oats, Toasted Muesli, Sultana Bran, All Bran, Porridge are a great source of high
carbohydrates, used with skim low fat milks. - As are barley and wholegrain breads with baked beans, spreads such as jam, honey, marmalade – NO BUTTER
or MARG! = Fats! - Fruits are great, such as banana, apples, oranges, kiwi fruit, peaches, pears and sultanas.
PRE-MATCH MORNING MEAL GUIDELINES
1) Try to have this meal 2-3 hours before you play.
2) Consume 1 litre of fluid with your morning meal
3) Your meal must be high in carbohydrates and low in fat.
4) Top up your energy levels, but try not to overeat.
5) Choose Low G.I. carbohydrates rather than High G.I. this will give you a steady flow of energy for the game.
DURING THE MATCH GUIDELINES
1. Bring a sports drink with you to consume during the breaks. These have higher sugar (carbohydrate) content and will provide you with added energy.
2. At half time consume high G.I. foods – pineapple, watermelon, jelly beans, honey, jam piklets (white bread) and sports drinks.
AFTER THE MATCH
- To maximise recovery, you should follow the same rules as after your training sessions.
- If you have bruising or other soft tissue injuries:
YOU SHOULD NOT DRINK ALCOHOL – ALCOHOL WILL INCREASE INFLAMMATION AND DELAY RECOVERY FROM INJURY SIGNIFICANTLY!
If you are injured follow these guidelines for the first 48 – 72 hours.
R – rest
I – ice
C – compression
E – elevation
R - referral
NO
H – heat
A – alcohol
R – running
M - massage
A pool session, which includes gentle lap swimming and walking in varying depths of water is ideal to reduce recovery time after the match,
This should be done either immediately after the game or the following day.
Take your body seriously, take your sport seriously and reap the rewards of a successful year.
Don’t entertain the thought of what could have been.
Every Day until Grand Final Day should be dedicated towards helping your mates win a flag! You can only do this by doing something each day to make sure your ready.
A big thanks to Mark Simpson from Pace Health Management for providing some fantastic advice for all the footballers out there looking to improve their performance. If you would like to know anymore on Sports Nutrition or other Training Guidelines then email Mark at mark@pacehm.com.au
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Here’s an even better hydration tip. Take a look at a new devcie called AquaJoe. It can turn water into your favorite sports drink. There is a product video at aquajoe.com
Here is an even better hydration tip: Go to http://www.turnbullshitintowater.com and go find yourself a citizen of the USA. You now have an endless water supply.