Let’s see if we can have a constructive discussion. Youth soccer can be very demanding physically with team and individual training and games occurring most days of the week. Our kiddo may get 1 day off per week. We sometimes see our kiddos underperform to their ability in practices and games and afterwards ask how they felt during the activity and we hear “I was really tired.” We emphasize getting regular sleep with our kiddos as we’ve read that sleep is an important requirement for the aspiring athlete. However, there is a lot of mixed evidence around the use of nutritional supplements or vitamins in youth players. I’m sure there are many knowledgeable and experienced parents, players, and coaches on this forum and was looking for some “tips of the trade” for what helps your aspiring athlete achieve their peak performance. Any nutritional or vitamin supplement suggestions that you’ve seen work? Either in terms of specific foods or supplements or the timing of eating before and after training? Thanks.
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Here's a basic thought: if your kid is complaining about being tired they're TIRED. Taking one day off a week isn't enough. They seem like energizer bunnies but they need downtime, both physically and mentally -
Don't seek such advice in this site - consult your pediatrician and a nutritionist if you have real concerns. A healthy well balanced diet should suffice along with enough rest.Comment
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My kiddo plays a ton as well. His trainer suggest a 4000 calorie diet with at least 2 off days per week, plenty of sleep and most importantly a heavy does of anabolic steroids. This strategy really paid off. Kids a beast.Originally posted by Unregistered View PostComment
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Chocolate milk. Really.Comment
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Chocolate milk immediately after heavy exercise. Yes.Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
Vitamins for young kids is probably not necessary, as long as they are getting a proper, balanced diet: proteins, carbs, fruits & vegetables. If they're not getting a lot of dairy or leafy green vegetables, you might want to supplement with Calcium and Vitamin D3 - proper bone development is critical to kids and there's a limited window to do it...
Consider also the timing of when they eat and what they're eating. If they are eating 2 slices of pepperoni pizza in the car on the way to training, you're asking for trouble. If they haven't eaten in 4-5 hours, they might be very tired as well. Vitamins won't impact these issues.Comment
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If they haven’t eaten in 4-5 they might be hungry, but a typical human body doesn’t tire after 4-5 hours without food.Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
A proper amount of sleep and ensuring they get enough calories, vitamins, and minerals from real food will go a long way.Comment
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I’ve heard from coaches that having a carbohydrate rich meal about 2-3 hrs before a game or training ensures that food is digested and nutrients are absorbed. I’ve also heard that oatmeal is a good meal before games and trainings.Comment
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Yet another troll.Comment
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Lol. Don’t listen to this guy. His trolling is weak sauce. You don’t want to eat 1-2 hours before exercising. Hydration and carb loading happens 1-2 days prior to a match, not 2 hours before. 2-3 hours before should be a light snack or meal, fruit, cereal bar, juice, etc. Chocolate milk, ice cream, milk shakes all good recovery food for right after game or practice.Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
Seriously, most parents have their kids doing too much without enough recovery/down time. Too many teams, multiple sports in the same season, etc. Fix that and you’ll see an improvement almost immediately. Difficult for a club coach to use proper periodization when they might only train 2-3 days per week while their players are playing 6-7, or a tournament has the team playing back to back games in the same day, but this is also part of the solution. Practices right after or before a match should be lower impact than mid-week. This allows for recovery and then intensity, and recovery again before the match.Comment
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tip #1 stop referring to them as your kiddosOriginally posted by Unregistered View Post
tip #2 if they say theyre tired, its because theyre effing tired, feeding them some pills isnt the way to fix this
tip #3 are they really underperforming? because it sounds like you have unrealistic expectationsComment
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tip#4 younger "kiddos" shouldn't be popping supplements and looking at improving their athletic output. Common sense nutrition, an over the counter vitamin and sufficient sleep is all that's needed. Families would be well served getting an evaluation from a nutritionist. Many haven't a clue on proper nutrition and it benefits everyone, not just the kiddos. If you've got a 16+ year old D1 prospect working towards higher college play then let's talk - actually no, talk to a nutritionist not Talking Soccer.Originally posted by Unregistered View PostComment
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To add, the benefits of proper sleep and nutrition are not going to be visible immediately. If your kiddo does it consistently over time, the benefits are immense (including maximizing their potential growth).Originally posted by Unregistered View PostComment
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Agreed. Poster above is correct - many families need a nutritional overhaul. It's a joke what some people think is "nutritious." Having a healthy balanced diet isn't hard and goes a long way to feeling better, having more energy. And if kids are busy all the time plus trying to keep up with school work, are on social media to all hours, guess what - they get tired! Middle and high schoolers need a ton of sleep but most times don't get enough.Originally posted by Unregistered View PostComment
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I love the term "kiddos." One of my kid's teammate's mom used to always refer to her children as kiddos. It was her way of pretending that she wasn't taking all those youth sports activities too seriously, when in fact she was one of the most ruthless, manipulative snowplows I've had the pleasure of knowing. I could never run into her and simply say "hello" without hearing every excruciating detail of her kids' schedules and her heroic logistical feats...Originally posted by Unregistered View PostComment
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