Preparation for Competition
Mr Tayyab explains how to prepare to perform well in a competitive sport.
Participating and representing your country or region in a largescale sporting event is one of the biggest dreams for any sportsperson. The exposure, fame, and limelight that such events bring you are unparalleled. Every basketball and soccer athlete dreams of the media chasing them for beepers and betting sites such as UFA raising bets on them. All that indeed comes with a lot of hard work. However, it would help if you also had the proper sense of direction. If you aspire to make it big in the sports world and are new to large-scale sporting events, here are a few tips that will help you prepare.
Avoid Stress
Before anything else, the most crucial thing to remember is to avoid stress. Understandably, when you are part of a competitive sport, especially some highly anticipated tournament, the pressure level shoots up. The pressure meter rises exponentially when it is a team sport. Even though sports are primarily driven by physical fitness, many games, such as cricket, football, etc., are referred to as the game of nerves, and rightly so. Besides physical fitness, your mental focus plays a crucial role in your performance, so you must keep your stress levels in control.
Practice Hard
They say practice makes a man perfect, and the saying stands true to its core in sports. Most sports events are scheduled months in advance. Make sure you utilize that window to practice as much as you can. Avoid being lazy even when no tournaments are around the corner, and stick to your fitness schedule even in your off-seasons. The more you practice, the better your performance will be.
Rest Well
It is a no-brainer that fitness and practice are the backbones of excellent performance for an athlete. That said, your body requires adequate rest to allow your muscles to recover from the stress and tear they undergo when you work out. If you allow your muscles adequate rest, your muscles build up better and quicker, and there are fewer chances of injuries. Take at least a day off from the gym. Make sure your body gets a minimum of eight hours of uninterrupted sleep.
Eat Well
One of the worst myths most new athletes have regarding fitness is that they need to eat less to sustain their fitness levels. Many aspiring athletes who are on the bulkier side also starve themselves. It is one of the biggest mistakes that you can make. Your body needs to be energetic and needs all the necessary nutrition in a balanced proportion.
Make sure you eat adequately without overeating. Avoid junk food and stick to healthier meals. Ideally, try consulting a professional nutritionist who can guide you about your body's meal requirements according to your body dynamics.
Supplements
Indeed, your regular food intake may not satisfy your entire nutrition requirement. You might have a shortfall in certain areas which can be taken care of by having additional supplements. Most supplements such as Vitamin D3, multivitamins, and Omega-3 are safe to take regularly and should be part of your regular diet.
That being said, avoid taking any steroids that might result in enhancing performance artificially. Random dope tests are a common practice in sports, and if any such steroids are detected in your blood sample, you may face disqualification and even be banned from participating in sports.
Page Reference
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- TAYYAB, M. (2019) Preparation for Competition [WWW] Available from: https://www.brianmac.co.uk/articles/article471.htm [Accessed
About the Author
Mr. Tayyab is a Freelance Journalist who writes about Nutrition and Minerals to help athletes.