When breaks between matches aren't breaks

In the past I've stressed the importance of consuming foods or liquids between matches at day-long tournaments.  I still can't emphasize that enough.  Even if you pinned someone in 30 seconds, you still exert a lot of energy for each match.  First of all, physical and emotional highs of a tournament use up much of your nervous energy stores.  Second, you most certainly are putting forth maximal effort in every match; if you're not, your coach has probably already yelled at you before I even conceived of this blog.  Lastly, your warmup and cool-down routine for each match require a great deal of energy.

In order for you to compete at your peak for each match, you need the proper fuel.  However, that can very considerably for each competition.  For example, this spring there are many Freestyle and Greco-Roman tournaments going on.  One crucial difference in the international rules is that they only require that you have 15 minutes between each match, whereas American Folkstyle rules require 45 minute breaks.  Clearly, you need to eat differently at tournaments of different styles.

As you may know, your body has to work harder to digest proteins and fats than it does carbohydrates.  That being said, you don't want to divert all your blood to your stomach if you're going to wrestle within the hour.  At a Folkstyle tournament I'd recommend an energy bar or drink, with mainly carbs and a little protein - something with a 4:1 or 3:1 ratio would be optimal, as I wrote about in my book.  If you have a bye for a round, you can have something more substantial, perhaps a sandwich with lean meat.  If you have a several hour break, such as in between sessions at a state or national tournament, you can have a full meal.

But at a Freestyle or Greco tournament, they may call your name again before you know it.  You need to get some quick nutrition in you.  It should be something simple and easily digestible.  A banana, granola bar, or Gatorade should suffice.  Regardless of what style it is, you need to keep yourself nourished.  Many wrestlers make the excuse that they aren't hungry or they can't hold any food down during a tournament, but then they feel sluggish because they haven't properly fed themselves.  If you find it hard to stomach food with a match coming up shortly, stick to sports drinks or meal replacement drinks.

One exception I can think of to avoiding fats before a match is coconut oil.  Coconut oil is a special fat called a medium chain triglyceride, and your body uses it as quick energy - it gets processed even before sugars do.  One bizarre yet tasty combination I sometimes use as an "energy shot" is extra-virgin coconut oil mixed with raw, local honey.  Consuming this shortly before a competition will give you an extra boost.  It is known that a fast-burning carb (honey) combined with a fat (coconut oil) gets treated like a slow-burning carb by your body.  When the oil is slightly melted, this delicious mix has the consistency of peanut butter.  Enjoy it straight or spread it on toast.

Eat between matches!
Jeff