Preparation: Strategies for Game Days
A guide to being as prepared as possible for competitions - including nutrition, routines, and supplementation.
Welcome to the second article of The Athlete's Guide to Preparation. This is the second of a three part series that will focus on the role that preparation plays in athletic performance, including how it can be trained and developed for maximum output.
This second article is focused on competition days and how an athlete can put themselves in the best position to succeed both mentally and physically. In this article, we will cover the following topics:
The roles of hydration, nutrition, and supplementation
How routines can set you up for success
Let’s get into it.
Hydration
Firstly, we’ll get into the role and importance of hydration.
Hydration plays a major role in an athlete's ability to perform on game day, directly influencing their physical and mental capabilities. Maintaining proper hydration levels is essential for maintaining peak physical and mental performance.
Beyond its physical benefits, hydration plays a critical role in brain function, concentration, and reaction time, all of which are crucial aspects of athletic performance.
Hydration is a BIG DEAL
Studies have shown that even a 2% decrease in hydration can have significant impacts on performance, and if hydration levels reach a decrease of 5% or more, an athlete’s ability to perform can be decreased by over 30%. That is no joke.
So what can you do to increase your hydration?
Aside from the simple obvious answer of drinking more water (which most athletes still need to be reminded of), consistently consuming electrolytes is another effective way to maintain hydration and improve performance.
Electrolytes, like magnesium, potassium, and sodium, have many purposes in the body in a performance context and are responsible for much of overall hydration. Sodium assists cellular hydration by maintaining the proper balance of fluid in cells and preventing dehydration.
My last point about hydration is this… If you are only focusing on hydration during the actual game, you are already behind.
Proper hydration and electrolyte intake is something that needs to be focused on during the day of and the days before a competition. Once you get to the actual competition, your only focus should be to maintain your already-built-up hydration levels.
Nutrition and Supplementation
Firstly, let’s talk about Meal Timing. As a general rule for competition days, you should try to get your first meal in as soon as possible after you wake up. This does not have to be a large meal, but should be a well balanced meal to give your body fuel and prepare you for the rest of the day.
Now, obviously, the rest of your day is going to depend on what time your game or competition is. Your last meal before your game should come as close to the game as possible without negatively affecting you. Give yourself time to digest, especially for sports with a ton of running and not a ton of downtime like basketball or soccer.
This last meal before your game should consist not only of nutrient-dense foods, but also of a quality source of carbohydrates such as rice or potatoes.
Carbohydrates provide energy for the body including our muscles, brain, nerves and other body tissues. Anytime we are performing an activity in which we need a lot of energy and fast, such as resistance training and carrying bags of mulch, carbohydrates are the predominant energy source during those activities.
As far as micronutrients go, it is not necessary to track exact measurements of the different vitamins or minerals that you are consuming, but it is important to make sure that you are eating high quality sources of these nutrients, especially on game days. Things like fruits, vegetables, and red meat are all great, simple options for getting your nutrients in.
Now, let’s talk about supplements.
I already mentioned taking some form of electrolyte supplement, which is indisputably a great option for any athlete looking to boost their performance when it comes to hydration.
Where is gets a little more tricky is when we start talking about caffeine.
Caffeine is a widely studied and commonly used supplement that plays a unique role in potentially enhancing athletic performance. As a stimulant, caffeine acts on the central nervous system, leading to improved focus and concentration during competition.
Caffeine also stimulates the release of adrenaline, which can improve overall endurance and power output. Caffeine has been shown to improve the body’s ability to maintain muscle glycogen and delay the onset of fatigue during longer forms of physical performance.
Research suggests that caffeine supplementation can benefit athletes across various sports, particularly in endurance events, where it has been shown to improve time trial performance and increase overall work output.
However, individual responses to caffeine can vary, and excessive consumption may lead to adverse effects such as jitteriness, which can negatively affect an athlete’s ability to be calm and collected in high-pressure situations. While I would say that caffeine overall can have major benefits, athletes should consider their own tolerance levels and timing of ingestion to maximize its benefits while minimizing potential drawbacks.
Additionally, athletes need to be careful of making caffeine a crutch. Very often, athletes are taking 300+mg’s of caffeine in the form of energy drinks before games. This can lead to the athlete not being able to focus on days where they might not be able to have that drink, and can have major negative effects on performance.
Caffeine is a tool and should be used as such. Young athletes should not have any need for the supplement, but if any athlete is going to use it, they need to be wise about their consumption so they are using it to their advantage rather than as a crutch.
Pre-Game Routines and Mental Preparation
Moving on, let’s get into game day routines and the pivotal role that they can play in the success of athletes.
Structed game-day and pregame routines can provide athletes with framework that can get them into the right mental headspace and contribute significantly to performance. These routines extend beyond simple superstition, and can include various physical and mental preparations.
Establishing and adhering to game day routines can not only create a sense of comfort and familiarity for athletes, it can but also contribute to enhanced focus and concentration. The predictability of a routine helps to lessen pre-game anxiety, allowing athletes to enter competition with a calm and collected mindset.
So what should your routine look like?
That’s the best part… it’s your routine. Aside from your usual team stretch, find things that you like to do. For me as a baseball player, a big part of my routine is getting to the field early and walking around my section of the outfield, checking for puddles and divots and just getting myself into the right headspace for the game. You can even incorporate things before you get to the game as part of your routine, whether that be eating a similar meal before you go or anything like that. The biggest thing is finding something that you can do consistently that gives you something to do and gets you prepared and in the right headspace.
Thank you for reading! That concludes the second article of The Athlete’s Guide to Preparation. As always, if you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them in the comment section below. If you found this article useful or helpful and worthy of sharing, please share this article to anyone you think could find value in it.
The Athlete’s Guide to Preparation—Article 3—Coming Next Week