Club Season - Game Day Prep
To prepare yourself better for game day, start by establishing a solid routine that includes proper nutrition, hydration, and rest leading up to an event. Focus on mental preparation through visualization techniques and positive affirmations to boost your confidence. On the day itself, ensure you have a warm-up routine that gets your body ready and your mind focused.
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Here are some recommendations for the three major areas that are important to an athlete:

Sleep
Why Is Sleep Important For Athletes?
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For athletes of all kinds, sleep is essential for overall health and wellbeing. Everyone needs sleep in order to feel restored and function their best for their sports day. Other physical benefits include:
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Allowing your heart to rest and cells and tissue to repair. This can help your body recover after physical exertion. Also, as you progress through the stages of sleep, the changes in your heart rate and breathing throughout the night promote cardiovascular health
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Preventing illness or helping you recover from illness. During sleep, your body produces cytokines, which are hormones that help the immune system fight off infections.
Athletes should get at least 8 hours of solid sleep if possible, the night prior to their athletic event.
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Sleep helps everyone to retain and consolidate memories. When athletes practice or learn new skills, sleep helps form memories, and contributes to improved performance in the future. Without sleep, the pathways in the brain that allow you to learn and make memories can’t be formed or maintained
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Sleep is also essential for cognitive processing. Loss of sleep is associated with a decline in cognitive function. This can have adverse effects on athletes whose sports require a high level of cognitive function, such as decision making and adapting to new situations.
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Also, just as exercise can help improve or maintain mental health, sleep is important for maintaining an athlete's mental health. Quality sleep is associated with improving overall mood. Healthy sleep prevents irritability and decreases the risk of developments such as depression.

Nutrition
On game day, the focus should be on getting a balanced diet of carbohydrates, protein, and water. This will help them perform well and recover after the game.
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Before the game (when possible)
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Eat a meal 3–4 hours before: Include carbohydrates and some protein, but limit fat.
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Eat a snack 1 hour before: A snack like pretzels or dry cereal can help prevent hunger.
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Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of water throughout the day, especially in the hours before the game.
During the game
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Drink water: Continue to drink water during the game, about 1/2 cup every 15 minutes.
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Electrolyte replenishment: Find an electrolyte drink that will help you, but nothing too sugary.
After the game
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Eat a balanced meal: Eat a meal within 30 minutes after the game, and again 2 hours later. This meal should include carbohydrates, protein, and vegetables or fruit.
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Stay hydrated: Continue to drink water after the game to rehydrate.


Other tips
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Spread protein foods throughout the day, including at each meal and with most snacks.
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Avoid sugary foods and drinks.
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Avoid fatty foods, which can slow digestion and make you feel sluggish.
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Store snacks at the proper temperature to prevent spoilage.

​When planning snacks for the day, athletes should make sure to include snacks that provide a good source of carbohydrates. Carbohydrates provide athletes with the energy needed to perform at their best.
Easy-to-digest, high-carb snacks are the best choice for athletes to eat prior to a practice or game. Ideas for carbohydrate-rich backpack snacks include:
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Applesauce squeeze pouches
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Banana, apple, grapes, orange wedges, small piece of fresh fruit
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Dried fruit, fruit leather, fruit snacks
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Fruit cup (packed in natural juices)
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Pretzels, pita chips, Goldfish®, Cheez Its®, Chex MixTM
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Animal crackers, graham crackers
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Dry breakfast cereal, mini bagels
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Granola bars, granola bites, fig bars, cereal bars

Warm Up
Properly preparing your body before an early game or after a long drive is crucial for athletes to minimize the risk of injuries. Engaging in a good warm-up routine helps to increase blood flow to your muscles and enhances flexibility. Prioritizing these practices can lead to improved performance and longevity in your athletic endeavors.
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Here are some easy-to-do exercises to help prepare yourself pre-game:
90/90 Switch
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Setup – Front and back legs at 90-degree angles at both the hip and the knee
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Steps:
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Lean towards front leg from the waist, hold for 5 seconds
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Sit up, then open the back leg as much as possible until the front leg must follow
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Hands stay on the floor to assist the motion
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Drive the heels into the ground and keep the knees as far apart as possible
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Continue to rotate through the hips until your front and back legs have switched​
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Emphasis – Drive heels into the ground so they don’t slide and knees apart as far as possible
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Prescription – Repeat 5 times on both side;

Quadruped Shoulder Work
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Setup – Hands and knees position
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Steps:
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Raise one arm straight out in front with thumb up for 10 reps
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Raise the same arm out to the side with thumb up for 10 reps
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Place the same arm’s hand on the lower back in a “handcuff” position,
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Squeeze shoulder blades together, lift elbow towards the ceiling, then the backside of hand off back for 10 reps
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Switch arms
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Emphasis – Core braced, back flat, shoulders stay packed (out of ears)
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Prescription – 10 reps of each movement on both sides
