Hockey, like most sports, places physical demands on our bodies. We can improve our response to these demands only by training and supporting our training with the right nutrition. Players should pay close attention to the levels of carbohydrates, proteins and fats they consume.
During a game you will be utilising explosive speed with endurance which are two contrasting areas your body has to adapt to.
So what can the average player do to increase performance and raise the level of their game?
Firstly we need to look at the building blocks
During any exercise, regardless of intensity, the body needs to call on energy stores to ‘operate’ our muscles. There are 3 main stores the body can call on for this energy.
Carbohydrates
Protein
Fats
The type of exercise and the duration are two factors that go into the decision about which store to use. For example low intensity, high duration exercise tends to convert more fat into energy than carbohydrate. Whereas increasing the intensity of exercise will mean your body will start to use carbohydrates as your main fuel. Only when carbohydrate is not available do you start to use protein as this will mean less protein for aiding muscle repair and growth and therefore can cause muscle deterioration.
Extensive research has highlighted that the favoured fuel for exercise is carbohydrate. This is a store that can be easily replenished and provide a sustainable source of fuel for sport.
During any game you are going to need carbohydrate energy to keep fatigue at bay to remain focused. But as you will see, we need more than just carbohydrates if we are to improve our overall game. Balance is key here and in this article we aim to help you work out the best nutrition strategy for you.
Carbohydrate – The Players Fuel
Knowing that carbohydrates are your energy source is a great starting point. We now need to fulfil the energy need in our diet.
The best place to start is to look at your current diet. Some athletes find a diet diary helpful. Keeping a list of the foods you eat and grouping them into fats (good and bad), carbohydrates
and proteins will help you identify the type of diet you currently have. You can also use the free online nutrition tools at www.fuelsport.co.uk to work out your daily requirements based on your current level of training. From this starting point you can start making small changes that fit into your training.
Finding the right balance and making the necessary small changes (or fine tweaks) to your diet will help you get better results in your training and help you avoid injuries.
Finding the carb balance
There are two types of carbohydrate that are beneficial for the player.
Simple carbohydrates are digested rapidly, contain refined sugar and have a small amount of vitamins, and are essential for that fast sprint out of the blocks. These can be found in foods