Aberdare Town
FC
Performance
Introduction
1.
Nutrition & A Balanced Diet –Why?
2.
The Food Groups
3.
Your Training Diet
4.
Fluids
5.
Preparation for Performance
6.
The Bus Packed Lunch
7.
Pre –Match
8.
The Match
9.
Post Match
2
Nutrition
•
Fact: young players can have all the skills in the world but
without the correct nutritional support their fitness and performance will
suffer.
•
How you perform will depend on what you do or do not eat and
drink before, during & after each match/training session.
•
Nutrition can have both beneficial and detrimental affects on
your football performance.
•
Improvements in your diet will improve the quality of your
performances, on the other hand poor nutrition will lead to early fatigue
(feeling tired) and thus impair the quality of your performance.
The Balanced Diet
Balanced Diets -we must have the following food groups in the
correct proportions
1.Carbohydrates these provide a source of energy.
2.Proteins these provide a source of materials for growth and repair.
3.Fats these provide a source of energy and contain fat soluble
vitamins.
4.Vitamins these are required in very small quantities to keep you
healthy.
5.Mineral Salts these are required for healthy teeth, bones, muscles
etc..
6.Fibre this is required to help your intestines function correctly; it is
not digested.
3
Energy
•
Players need energy to train & compete.
•
Energy is obtained from 3 food types -carbohydrates, fat &
protein.
•
The most important for YOU is carbohydrates.
•
Without stores of carbohydrates in your bodies you will NOT be
able to perform!
Examples of Carbohydrates
•
Bread - wholemeal, granary, soft grain
•
Cereals - cornflakes, weetabix, fruit ‘n’ fibre
•
Pasta - spaghetti, ravioli, tagliatelli, lasagne
•
Rice - preferably brown or wild rice
•
Potatoes - jacket, boiled, mashed
•
Fruit - bananas, apples, mangos
•
Drinks - Lucozade, Powerade, Isotonic Fluids
4
Your Training Diet
• You MUST be aware of what you eat 365 days a year, not
just those days leading up to matches.
• Your training diet should be high in carbohydrates &
protein and low in fat.
• You should take on small but frequent amounts of fluids
throughout the day.
• This will ensure that you begin each training session or
match with full energy and fluid stores.
• NEVER MISS BREAKFAST! If you do, you will put
yourself at a disadvantage for training & playing.
• Start the day with a high carbohydrate, low fat breakfast
e.g. shredded wheat, topped with banana.
• When training in the evening, try to eat something around
3-4pm (e.g. wholemeal bread sandwich, piece of fruit &
bottle of water) and have your main meal after training.
• After training (perhaps in the car on the way home), try to
eat and/or drink some carbohydrates as soon as possible.
E.g. Pasta salad, Fruit, energy bar, isotonic energy drink.
• This will ensure that you begin to refuel your energy stores
in preparation for the next training session or match
Good Diet =
Good Sleep
5
=
ENERGY
FLUIDS
•
You MUST keep yourself well hydrated when training & playing,
physical & mental performance can be dramatically affected as
a result of dehydration.
•
Drink plenty of water, fruit juices or sports drinks e.g. Lucozade
Sport, PowerAde, Tesco Active Sport.
•
Drink even when you are not thirsty, thirst is a poor indicator
for the need to start taking fluids.
•
If you are thirsty it is TOO LATE you are already
DEHYDRATED.
•
A 3% loss of fluids can reduce your performance by as much
as 20%.
The colour of your
urine is a good
indicator of how well
hydrated you are, the
clearer the better!
Take on small but
frequent amounts of
fluid throughout the
day -before, during &
after training/matches
6
Preparation For Performance
•
Eat sufficient carbohydrates in days before a match.
•
Do not cram in as much food as possible, eat small frequent
high carb meals -these will be more easily digested.
•
Your pre-event meal should be a familiar & enjoyable one!
•
Pre-event nerves can worsen feelings of discomfort, avoid
foods that you don’t tolerate well.
•
Ideally the pre-event meal should be taken at least 2 hours
before playing, this will allow it to be digested & absorbed.
7
The Bus Packed Lunch…
Good
Bad
• Pasta Salads
 Tuna
 Chicken
• Sweets
 High in sugar
 These cause sugar
HIGHS and LOWS
• Sandwiches
 Peanut Butter
 Banana
• Crisps
 High in SATURATED
FAT
 Poor G.I rating
 Slows metabolism
 Leaves Players
Sluggish
 Empty Calories
• Fruit
 Fresh or Dried
 High in Carbs &
Potassium
• Snacks
 Vegetables
 Baked snacks (Not
fried!)
 Jaffa Cakes (small
pack)
• Fizzy Drinks
 Coke/ Tango/
 High in sugar
• Water
8
Pre Match Fluids
•
The day before a match try to drink at least 1 drink
with each meal and at least 2 in between.
•
Avoid large amounts of tea, coffee & caffeine based
drinks (e.g. Red Bull), they make the body lose water.
•
The pre-match meal should be accompanied by 2
drinks & then further drink every 15 mins up to &
including the match.
•
Keep your body ‘topped up’.
Pre –Match Meals
•
Light high carb meals, low in fat are essential.
•
Breakfast cereal or porridge with semi skimmed milk
topped with pieces of fruit is ideal.
•
Toast, crumpets, muffins & bagels are all good
substitutes for cereal.
•
If you prefer a savoury breakfast, baked beans on
toast with grilled tomatoes will provide plenty of carbs
& protein.
9
During The Match
•
Ideally some carbohydrate should be consumed
throughout the match.
•
Carbohydrate drinks such as LucozadeSport are
effective at replacing lost fluid & carbohydrates.
•
It is best to see what works for you by taking new
drinks to training and trying them out first, never on the
day of a match.
After The Match
•
After the match try to eat or drink some carbohydrate
as soon as possible, this will start building up your
carb stores again.
•
If you find eating immediately after the match difficult,
try a carb drink instead.
•
Wholemeal sandwiches, energy bars, fruit and isotonic
sports drinks are the best way to do this, and not a trip
to McDonalds or the dirty burger van at the training
ground!!
•
Rest days are important, use the extra time to eat &
drink sensibly.
10
Summary
•
High carbohydrate, low fat foods are best for replacing
energy.
•
Drink before you feel thirsty.
•
Condition your body to take small but frequent
amounts of fluid on board.
•
Avoid large amounts of tea, coffee & Red Bull drinks.
•
The pre-match meal should be a familiar & enjoyable
one.
•
Try out any new foods or drinks during training
sessions.
•
Eat approx. 2-3 hours before a match.
11
‘Give yourself
the best
possible
chance to
perform to the
best of your
ability’
12