Follow these guidelines to make sure you and your athletes are ready for maximum performance!

Have you ever wondered how to get all your athletes properly nourished before the big game?

As a coach you have probably wished that the school could afford to feed the kids before a game so that you knew they were all properly nourished before the big game. Well, you don’t need the schools money to be able to pull this off. Incorporate the athletes parents or booster clubs to help out.

Many high school coaches are now asking the parents or booster clubs to help prepare pre-game meals for their sons and daughters teams. The players parents are getting together to make large batches of lasagna, pasta, casseroles, sub sandwiches, etc to help ensure that the athletes can compete at their best and our properly nourished. Athletes that eat a meal high in carbohydrates and some protein 2-3 hours before game time helps the athlete compete at their best and provides them with plenty of energy for competition. Have you ever had a team that always seemed to suffer in the 4th quarter even though you pushed them hard in their conditioning? Did you check out what they ate before the game?

Many athletes go to fast food restaurants or don’t even eat at all. Both these eating practices are unsatisfactory to ensuring peak performance. Athletes tend to have fewer problems with muscle cramping and fatigue when they eat a nutrient dense meal 2-3 hours before game time. These pre-game meals can also be used as team building time, helping with camaraderie, and grow closer as a group. These pre-game meals usually require a family to prepare 2 entrees a season and maybe 1-2 side dishes. The parents also get emotional satisfaction out of it because they feel that the coaching staff is asking them to help their favorite team succeed, which they love to do. Other methods to properly fuel the team before the big game is to encourage them to meet at a buffet style restaurant the night before the game or the day of the game for their pre-game meal. It really isn’t that difficult to get everyone together for a pre-game meal and the success that a properly nourished athlete can have is unbelievable. Many successful teams are always stressing healthy eating habits, proper hydration, and complete conditioning.

Hydration is another very important topic that takes minimal time or money. Each athlete should get a 16-20 ounce water bottle the night before the game, the morning of the game and 1-2 hours before the game. It only takes and athlete to be 1-2% dehydrated to affect their performance.

These are just a few simple tasks that can be done to help maximize success with your athletes. Ask around with other coaches in your area and see if any teams do anything like this and see what works for them. Trust me you will see a more energetic team at end of any game if they are properly nourished and hydrated.