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You have a big soccer game this weekend. Whether it's your team's season opener, tournament final, or whether you're given the opportunity to demonstrate your abilities.
It's natural to want to be as prepared as possible for your next game. Everybody wants to perform well, so it'd be heavily beneficial for your performance on gameday to get yourself as ready as possible mentally, physically, and tactically.
Almost every professional player has a pre-match routine to prepare them to perform at their best on game day. Whether it's Jamie Vardy's crazy pre-match red-bull only diet (I don't recommend following his example), or whether it's Ronaldo's crazy strict routine that prepares his body to a whole different level. Point is, having a pre-match routine is very important if you're looking to feel energized, confident, and sharp on the pitch.
Looking to find out more? Follow along with this step-by-step guide to prepare for your soccer match!
What to Eat Before Matchday
Your nutrition is one of the most crucial components of an effective pre-match routine. The type of fuel you feed your body with will dictate the type of performance that your body will exert during the course of your soccer game.
If you feed your body with junk fuel or food that isn't going to give you the energy you need to perform at a high intensity for 90 minutes, don't be surprised if you don't feel as sharp or as fit as you would like.
Obviously, what you eat doesn't dictate how good you're on the ball, but eating a healthy diet will push your athletic ability to a higher level compared to eating a not-so-healthy diet.
The more athletic you are, the more conditioned you will be to handle the 90 minute intensity of a game, and the more you're able to handle the intensity, the sharper you'll feel on the ball.
So that begs the question, What should I eat before a soccer game?
What to eat on the night before a game:
On the night before a game, it's important that you refill your body's glycogen stores from the past week of training you've been doing either with your team, or individually.
What are glycogen stores? To keep it simple and understandable, think of your glycogen stores as the way your body stores carbohydrates for immediate use during exercise. When you sprint and perform high intensity interval exercise, your body utilizes the stored glycogen it broke down from the glucose in food to fuel your working muscles.
It is important that you provide your body with the the carbs it needs so that it can rely on the immediate supply of energy it gets from it.
Consider consuming a meal full of complex carbohydrates that offer your body a ton of high quality carbs and nutrients. This includes foods such as:
- Rice
- Sweet Potato
- Quinoa
- Whole Grain Bread
- Pasta
Dedicate one to two portion sizes of your meal for just complex carbohydrates. Think about filling half your plate with quality carbs.
You also want to make sure you're not skipping on your protein as well.
After a week of intense training leading up to match day, it's important that you're muscles are fully recovered and not sore for matchday.
By consuming a high amount of protein, you are aiding your body's natural process of protein synthesis which is a crucial part of the recovery process after strenuous exercise.
Make sure you include a serving or two of lean, high quality protein. This includes meats such as:
- Poultry
- Fish
- Lean Steaks
- Legumes and Beans (Can also be a source of Carbs)
Lastly, you should consume high quality fats to help regulate your body's internal functions, hormones, energy levels, and inflammation.
Preferably, you'd want to get your fats from cooking your protein source in olive, coconut, or vegetable oil, since this will give you the fats your body needs, without making you feel too bloated.
However, your diet should be clean throughout the week leading up to matchday in order to feel your best.
Struggling to carry out with a sustainable, healthy diet? Then I highly recommend you check out our free guide, which provides tips and advice to start having better nutrition habits! Click Here to Check it out on our Free Guides Page!
What to eat right before the match:
What you ingest right before the match is also crucial in your preparation for your soccer game. The better you fuel yourself on the day of the match, the more prepared and energized you will feel during the match.
Typically, you want to make sure you consume a high quality meal full of complex carbohydrates and protein 2-3 hours before the match, making sure to avoid excess fats and vegetables that would make you feel too bloated.
A good example of a meal full of quality complex carbs and protein is oatmeal, chicken with rice, among other combinations.
You can also consume fruit and healthy simple carbohydrates like granola and dates to give your body that extra boost of energy right before a match.
How to Prepare the Night Before a Soccer Game
After you've fed your body with the fuel it needs to perform for gameday, it's important to make sure you are properly preparing your body for the next day.
Your goal should be to make sure your body is fully rested and recovered for the match the following day. So prioritize your recovery the night before a game.
Make sure you're getting enough sleep - Preferably, you'd want to get around 8-10 hours of sleep before matchday. This is because your body uses sleep as a natural recovery method. As you sleep, your body releases hormones that aid in the recovery process and help repair broken down tissues. Among all of the other things on this list, getting a good night sleep should be your #1 priority.
Take some time to foam roll and stretch - It's helpful to loosen up the tight areas in your body and tend to any painful muscles that could limit your performance on gameday. By practicing some myofascial release with the foam roller, and practicing some mobility, you could reduce the inflammation and tightness in that area of your body, and promote the recovery process.
Take a warm bath - This is optional, but I highly recommend you take some time to relax in a warm bath or a hot shower. This is because hot water promotes blood flow in your body, which is important during the recovery process since your blood is what delivers nutrients to your exhausted muscles and cells.
Take some time to analyze a soccer match, and take what you learn into your game - Analyzing professional soccer matches is a great way to improve your soccer IQ, and can give you the edge on the pitch. If you would like to know how to start analyzing soccer matches, click here to read my post on Game Analysis.
How to Prepare for Your Game On the Day Of The Match
What you do on the day of the match is also important to your overall energy levels and how you feel during the game.
You don't need to follow a crazy pre-match routine. In fact, it'd be best for you to completely relax the day of the match.
Stretch in the morning, get the body loose.
Go for a walk, get the body moving and feel good.
Watch some Netflix and chill, get your mind off the game and enjoy the day leading up to kickoff.
Don't overthink about your performance or how you'll perform, just focus on saving your energy for the day, and trust all the training and preparation you've done leading up to matchday.
As you approach kickoff, talk with your teammates, have a laugh, share some jokes, get the mood up and raise each other's morale going into the game.
Listen to some music, whether it's your good vibes playlist, or whether it's a motivational speech, just get your confidence up and feel excited for the game.
If you stress about the game throughout the day, and obsess over every little detail in your pre-match routine, you're going to waste the energy you need for the match, and you'll only bring yourself down with negative vibes and worriedness.
Your pre-match routine is everything you've done through the week leading up to the game. Have you been training deliberately? Have you been getting stronger in the weight room? Have you been eating well and sleeping well?
If you have, then there's no need to worry. You've prepared for the match, and now all you have to do is trust in the preparation and your teammates.
If you haven't prepared well, then don't worry, just make sure that next time, you are taking care of yourself leading up to the game to make sure you perform at your best.
I hope that these tips help you prepare for that big game coming up, and you perform at your best!
Thanks for Reading! Get up. Go Grind.
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