CoachPaul@BOX2BOXSOCCER.com

Coach - Chris Hurst

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Every player needs to bring correct soccer cleats, shinguards, age specific inflated soccer ball and water bottle to each session.

Sports Nutrition

Nutrition in Sport, especially soccer is very important for how each player performs. Long are the days where steak and pasta was the best pre match meal, nowadays sports nutrition has shown us the benefits a good pre match meal can have on performance.

Players should be educated very early when it comes to sports nutrition. Every player should work out from an early age which foods work for them.

As kick off times differ greatly from week to week, parents and players should know when and what to eat.

For games that begin at 12:00 on a Sunday players should be warming up from AT LEAST 30-45 minutes before the game, therefore breakfast should be planned for accordingly. Breakfast should be eaten no later than 10:00 am, for the player to digest. A light snack 15 minutes prior to warm up, such as a banana would be a great “top up” for the player.

For games kicking off later in the day, the meal prior to the start of the game should be a minimum of an hour before the scheduled WARM UP TIME.

What Should the Players Eat?

Every player has their own preferences to pre match meals, but foods that are great for pre game meals include:

Fruit
Bagel (no eggs or cheese)
Cereal
Yogurt

Foods that should not be eaten include:

Eggs
Cheese
Coffee/Tea
Pancakes
Anything fast food
Candy

Once the player eats the body needs time to digest the food, this takes time, the very minimum an hour.

It is very important for coaches to explain to their players, and parents about the importance of eating the right foods before games and practices.

Hydration.

Hydration is very important for any sports performer. It is very important for every coach to know the signs of their players becoming dehydrated and to educate their players on how to hydrate both prior, during and after physical activity.

Performance and Dehydration

Water is the largest component of the body making approximately 45-75% of total body weight.
A male weighing 75kg has approximately 45litres of water.

Dehydration occurs once the player starts to become actively involved, a player can sweat between 0.5-3.5litres per hour. This is dependent upon:

 Task
 Temperature
 Humidity
 Clothing Worn

A key to dehydration is a 1% loss of body weight = a 2% loss in performance.

Hydration Strategies:

Pre:

Hydration for competition should start the evening before, caffeine drinks such as coffee, tea and sodas should not be taken in. Water and Gatorade are great fluids to be taken in.
Depending on when the competition is the following day the morning of is a very important time to hydrate. Around 400-600ml 2 hours before competition is ideal, after this time only small sips of fluid should be taken to avoid overwork of the stomach.

During:

During exercise obviously the body is losing fluid, so therefore this should be replaced during activity or at breaks during the game. Every 20 minutes 150-350 ml of fluid should be replaced. The fluids taken in should ideally be cooled and sweetened to help cool the body and be absorbed quickly.

Post:

Once the player has finished exercise, hydration should be continued. Approximately 600-1200ml per hour should be taken, and drinks such as water, Gatorade and Powerade are ideal. Parents, Coaches and the individual should look out for dehydration signs.

Signs of dehydration:

 Head Ache
 Thirst
 Profuse Sweating
 Fatigue
 Cramps

Extreme signs of dehydration:

 Extreme Fatigue
 Dizziness
 Breathlessness
 Vomiting
 Cold and clammy skin or hot and dry skin
 Heat stroke

If any of these signs appear the player should be taken to a doctor ASAP.

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Soccer Association

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