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| Game
Preparation |
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Scheduling your meals and
sleep and rest time will better ready you for game day
Game preparation starts well before the car or bus ride to the
arena.
Ideally, an athlete plotted out his or her schedule before the
season began and planned the workouts, rest days and skill work
around the existing game schedule. Early in the season, the
focus is driven around continuing to improve on and off the ice,
while adapting to the demands of the system and schedule you
play. As the season goes on there’s a greater emphasis on rest
and recovery as well as on maintaining performance and strength.
This model fits high school and college players very well. There
is a maturity and discipline necessary to achieve success in
hockey that typically arrives at the high school age. If we look
at the schedule as a series of one-game events, then age is no
longer a factor in preparation. Whether you are 6 or 60,
striving for peak performance is easy and within your grasp.
Rest and sleep
There is a documented difference between rest and sleep. Sleep
is what your body needs each and every day to recover and heal
the fatigue it has accumulated throughout the past day, week, or
month. The younger you are, the more sleep you require. This
means your grandmother may need two hours less sleep than you do
each evening. Studies indicate that teenagers need nine hours of
sleep each day.
Information also indicates that when you sleep is an important
factor in recovery. The hours of sleep before midnight are
critical to the rest habits of young athletes. An athlete who
sleeps from 10:00 p.m. until 7:00 a.m. will be much more rested
than one who sleeps from midnight until 9:00 a.m. Sleep is more
critical two nights before the game than the night before. There
are plenty of nervous, restless nights before a game spent
thinking about how you will play. The quality of sleep the night
before is erratic. Putting two nights together of sound sleep
will yield terrific results.
Rest is a larger category than sleep. Rest can range from
reading, to watching TV, to surfing the Web, to listening to
music. Rest should reflect an opportunity to mentally relax
and/or enjoy your time. Studying for an exam is not relaxing,
while walking your dog may be. Active rest is an opportunity to
relax and be active without taxing yourself. For the young
hockey player rest is a great way to avoid burnout. Soccer,
tennis, frisbee and team handball offer a chance for movement
and enjoyment. We would use these sports on recovery days to
inspire activity without the structure of a workout. Sleep falls
into the category of rest, but is only one component.
Food and Fuel
With a sports car, what you put in the tank determines what
speed and performance comes out. Your body is your
high-performance machine, so treat it well. For a 6:00 p.m.
game, the plan should be simple and consistent.
Starting at 7:00 a.m. with a solid breakfast that consists of
protein (eggs, ham, skim milk,) carbohydrates (oatmeal,
pancakes, french toast) and fat (peanut butter, 2-percent milk).
Ideally, the plan continues with a 10:00 a.m. snack of a Balance
Bar and water or milk. At 12:30 p.m., a healthy lunch would
include a meat-filled turkey, roast beef or tuna sandwich with
lettuce and tomato, some carrot and celery slices, a low fat
yogurt, and 100-percent apple juice.
The true “pregame” meal would occur at 3:30 p.m. with a personal
favorite – something you enjoy and have had many times before.
The day of a game should never be a day of experimentation. Try
new dishes and foods when you don’t have to play competitive
hockey. You want business as usual and no surprises with your
stomach. Finally, a snack before the game may help avoid the
hunger pains that come during the day. Bars, fruit, yogurt, and
chocolate milk are all great options to satisfy your hunger
without filling your stomach.
Liquid intake is just as important. Water and sports drinks are
always better options than soda. Stay away from soda for
performance and stay away from soda for the sweetener content.
The real dangers for many kids are the caffeine beverages that
hide as “energy” drinks. Stay away from these drinks to avoid
the crash that comes after the buzz. If you or your athletes
need a stimulant to play, they are exhausted, burnt out, or
both.
A good ratio to follow is half sports drink, half water before,
during, and after a game. Water is a great hydration choice but
lacks electrolytes that will help keep you focused, coordinated
and attentive. Sports drinks have more variety in taste but are
often heavy, sugary and slower to absorb. A balance of both will
help your body perform.
Common sense is the ultimate rule for game preparation. Plan
ahead to ensure success and stick to that plan. Good luck and
perform well. |
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