Health and Nutrition

Becoming a great player is not due to one game or tournament.

It is a result of countless choices made daily.

Choose wisely.

First Things First

Student-Athlete Nutrition

Help athletes fuel themselves for training and competition and optimize performance on and off the court. Nutrition can be a thin edge of the wedge that separates good teams from great ones.

Consider how you will eat and drink before, during and after. Towards the end of a training session, what separates elite, great and good performers is the energy that they have given themselves by eating and drinking the right foods and drinks.


You can’t out-train a [poor] diet.

“Stone Cold” Steve Austin

I wasn’t feeling well in the first half. I felt down, man.

I had three slices of pizza before the game and the food took me down.Leroy Loggins

For elite youth athletes, health and nutrition becomes the thin edge of the wedge. The effectiveness of practices and workouts depends on the effort that can be delivered by participants. Little things that can prevent injury, accelerate recovery, hone athletic abilities and boost responses to training turn good teams into great ones.

Devote a few minutes of a team meeting or practice session to explain and reinforce the importance of these concepts. Coaches should model excellent health and nutrition. Role models can have a tremendous influence on the health of youth. Team leaders can share responsibility by helping younger players understand (i.e. mentoring or presenting) this information.

Little Things Matter

Caffeine Consumption

Among athletes, caffeine leaches calcium and exacerbates fluid loss from physical activity. Caffeine is a stimulant and players should be aware of its effects and the symptoms of caffeine addiction and withdrawal. Consumption The maximum recommended...

Community-Associated MRSA

Infections of methicillin-resistant Staphyloccus aureus (also known as a “Staph Infection”) cannot be treated by standard antibiotics. “Community” is used to describe the bacteria which can be found on many public surfaces - especially at schools...

Dehydration

The human body is comprised of roughly sixty percent water, which is used to cool the body, carry oxygen and nutrients to the working muscles, remove toxins from organs, cushion joints, and moisten skin. It is necessary to maintain a baseline hydration...

Exercise Associated Muscle Cramps

Exercise Associated Muscle Cramps (E.A.M.C.) affect athletes when a muscle involuntarily contracts and does not relax.  These forcible contractions (when the muscle shortens) are usually linked to overexertion. Where? E.A.M.C.s commonly occur in ...

Fatigue

Fatigue can prevent athletes from reaching their training goals or performing to the potential in competition.  Persistent fatigue that is not resolved by a period of rest and recovery or results in a decrease in performance may be pathological and a ...

Head Injury Information for Players

Basketball is second in terms of concussion rate for youth sports. In the past ten years, head injuries in basketball have increased 70%. Over half of youth concussions may go unreported. 53% of high school athletes admit that they would play...

Heat Illness

Summer basketball (training camps, tournaments, travelling) can place additional demands on athletes. Heat illnesses are progressive and primarily caused by over-exposure to intense heat or over-exertion: Heat Stroke (core body temperature over 40°C ...

Personal Electronic Devices

Almost ten percent of youth spend more than seven and a half hours accessing technology (smartphones, tablets, computers, televisions) daily.  It is estimated that they spend an hour and a half per day texting and another thirty minutes talking on a ...

Sleep

Most high school students do not get enough sleep. Schedule practices with the sleep patterns of adolescents in mind and address the importance of proper sleep in preparation for an evaluation or competition with players. Sleep Requirements Adolescents...

Sports Drinks

Many overestimate the importance of sports drinks, when drinking water is just as effective. The drinks are not a panacea or a substitute for good nutrition and hydration and cannot make up for proper training. Overuse is cautioned. Exercise Sports Drinks...

Stress Management

Stress - and the ability to cope with it - can enhance or mitigate the success of students. Prolonged stress can lead to feelings of helplessness and depression along with poor academic results. Athletes face additional challenges because they must perform...

Travel

During the summer evaluation period, basketball players are often on the road, travelling and playing multiple games in short order. Despite distractions such as pressure, unfamiliar surroundings and living with teammates away from home, elite athletes...