This year my team is going on a traveling tourney early on in our season. We will be playing Five games in three days. One friday night, two saturday, and two sunday and im looking for any tips on a quick recovery or a way to get energy back quickly. I am also worried that some of the other players on the team will think this away tournament will be a chance to party, and will be drinking vast amounts of alchohol. would that be dangerous with that strong of a schedule?
"some of the other players on the team will think this away tournament will be a chance to party, and will be drinking vast amounts of alchohol. would that be dangerous with that strong of a schedule?" This should be no problem at all, just make sure they take their respective four hits of speed before each game.
Heh...yeah, drugs. Gotta have drugs. hehe. As far as recovering....lots of rest is important. And after a hard game....go on a lactic acid run. When you exercise a lot, your muscles build up this acid which makes your muscles all tight and sore. Jogging a mile or two at a slow pace will normally eliminate some of this.
ARe the halves reduced? Of course any time you have a belly full of beer the night before, your game will be in shambles the next day (what my coach would say haha). Take care of your body. Get plenty of fluids, go to bed early, eat LOTS OF PROPER FOOD. Take care of any knocks after the game right away. is your team very competitive? If not, it's going to be hard to convince 11+ players to lay off the bottle.
I do not understand why a player would take advantage of an away tournament to drink? That is a waste of time. Go be a normal soccer player and trash the hotel or something.
my club team plays in a competitive league, however there is one away tournament that we have gone to every year. The guys play the tournament for fun. I was SHOCKED when I went for the first time. Guys would wake up, have a beer, go to bed @ 5 for a 10 am game, and hammered none the less. We ate so badly that weekend, nothing but fastfood and Subway.
Whoa! WHOA!!! What would poor Jared think if he saw this post?! Subway is the bomb diggity!!! LOL On the matter at hand though, I can feel your pain for the whole team drinking thing. I was on a team for a year (that was all I could take), and all they did at tourneys was party and drink. I was definately the loner on that team (very unusual for me) because I cared about the next game(s). Just bear with it and do YOUR thing. If you are the only one performing on the field the next day, you can use that as ammunition when you try to convince them not to do it again. To recover quickly, I would definately suggest LOTS of water. The goal is to try to get your urine as clear as possible. That is a very good indicator of hydration. Be sure to stretch out well after each game for a good 10-20 minutes. Hold each stretch for 30-45 seconds and repeat. It may help to go for a very light jog (as mentioned) or juggle a soccer ball to get the muscles loose. Last but definately not least is a good diet. Make sure it is loaded with carbs and protein to give you lots of energy and to help the muscles heal. Good luck! Alex
i agree completely about stretching before AND after you play and the need for lots and lots of fluids and a good diet. obviously, to the extent you can increase your conditioning level beforehand, more power to you. no amount of water is going to help you or your teammates if your not in shape for this in the first place. also, i would not underestimate the importance of keeping your schedule in mind as you play. i'm not suggesting that you go 50% as you'd end up losing all the games, but at the same time you might not go all out all the time. and, of course, this will depend a lot on what kind of player you are, what position you play, and what the score is in each game. for example, if you're up 2-0 with 15 minutes to play, you might not make the hard overlapping run to the corner that is your favorite. just be smart and use your common sense on this one. related to the diet issue, you might also consider taking some supplements to help your body recover/replenish. i've used one called GU energy gel, and you can find it (and others) at most running stores. long distance runners use them to replenish carbs, amino acids, etc. during long runs, and it would probably help in this kind of situation as well. if you're going to go this route, you should start using them before the tournament. there are many different flavors, so you'll want to find out which ones you like and don't like. and, it's unlikely, but its also important to make sure that your body won't have a bad reaction.
I would like to point out that suppliments can be a great option. Just don't let people try to convince you to take salt tablets. I once saw a player on another team during a tournement go into a full body cramp at the top of the 18 against our team. He had taken the the tablets to replenish the salt his body lost through sweating, and could've died in the process. Just be safe and ask someone "in the know", ie: physical trainer at school, your docter, etc... Just don't go and take advice from the on field soccer doctors. Alex
The buildup of lactic acid is caused when your muscles stop using the oxygen in your blood b/c there isn't enouch and switches from aerobic to anaerobic respiration. That's why you get cramps. (It's the only new thing I've bothered to learn so far in bio this year.)