How to Eat for Youth Soccer Tournaments

Video Transcript

"Hi, my name is Guillermo Gomez. You know as a soccer coach we always get invited to the end of the season tournament and you know those experiences can be very grueling for soccer players because you might have three, four or five games during a weekend. You know one of the things you don't want to overlook is how to eat properly. So, how do you eat before a tournament? You know, games can often start at 8 o'clock in the morning and often a lot of times your soccer players do not like to eat, do not take no for an answer. I see these young players do not like to eat in the mornings. They don't have an appetite. If you are the component that of a tournament, you know the anxiety builds up and therefore it takes the appetite away from the boy. So, you know, ensure the player eats no matter what, especially in the morning as that is the most important meal of the day. Do something healthy for them. You know, eggs, cereal, good cereals and make sure they eat plenty of it because you want to have them full of energy. Ensure that they eat at least an hour and a half or two before a game to ensure that they're energized for the game. Bring healthy snacks. You know, be creative. Eat in the car, you know, buy plenty of foods. You know one of the things you can do is get oranges or nuts, strawberries, bananas and also, very important is how to eat after the game. You want to eat after the games to allow for recovery, so do not treat this as the way a dog would eat. Kids do not need to cut down their fats to the contrary. Young players are constantly active, constantly moving so they need to have plenty of carbohydrates, plenty of vitamins so that you can ensure that the player is ready to play in a tournament and that is how you can eat properly for your soccer game."