Protocol for Traveling to Tournaments

The following article outlines a suggested traveling protocol that competitive players can adopt while touring or traveling to tournaments.

Before Traveling:
1) Take food with you for your journey. Take enough to cover before, during and after your match. Don't rely on buying food at a club. They may not serve food or you may not like it. Be prepared.

 2) Good food to bring includes fresh fruit, especially bananas. Sandwiches and pasta are also convenient and can be made the night before.

 3) Avoid taking a heavy meal too close to a match. If you are unsure of your match time snack on fruit. It will digest quickly and not cause stomach problems.

 4) Don't try new foods before a match; it could upset your stomach.
Bring enough to again cover before, during and after match. Whether you win or lose it is important to recover as quickly as possible for you next match or training.

 5) A sports drink that contains 7g of carbohydrate per 100ml is best (check the label on the bottle for info). This will also prolong your energy stores, as the body will use the carbohydrates from the drink and not from your muscles, to help you keep going in your match.

 6) Leave in good time to avoid worrying about missing your match time. This can unnecessarily increase stress on the athlete. Give yourself enough time to reach your destination.

Key Words: Food, Fluid, Planning and Time.

During Traveling:
-Try and stretch your muscles every 15 mins to prevent them from becoming stiff.
-Even in a car you can straighten your legs and stretch your upper body.
-If you feel like sleeping try and ensure your body is supported to avoid muscle spasms.
-Every 30min massage or rub your body to help increase muscle temperature and prevent stiffness.
-Wear loose fitting comfortable clothing. Take a jacket in case you get cold.
-Take music to help you relax and make the journey go quicker.
-Sip fluids and take some fresh fruit with you to snack on.

Key Words: Stretching, Sleeping, Clothing, Music, Food and Fluids.

On Arrival at Tournament
-Walk around and get used to your surroundings. Locate changing rooms and toilets etc.
-Find the tournament organizer and let them know you're here. Reconfirm match time and start to get ready for your game.
-Statically stretch your calves, hamstrings, quadriceps, hips, low back, chest and shoulders. Do 2 stretches for 30sec. Try and do this at least an hour before your match. Avoid static stretching during your warm-up as it not needed at this time.
-Ensure you have your food and fluids ready.

Key Words: Walk, Stretching and Surroundings

Warming-up Before Match
-Your warm-up should last at least 10mins and gradually prepare your body for intense exercise.
-Start with low intensity jogging circling your arms in all directions. Include movements such as jogging, skipping, hopping, running backwards, shuffling from side to side, sprinting, changing direction off both feet, changing direction of running. The goal of your warm-up is to be able to perform at 100% intensity from the 1st serve.
-Don't warm-up by running around the court. You don't do it during a match so don't do it during a warm-up.
-During your warm-up keep your eyes looking down the court over the net. Start preparing yourself for judging the length of the ball etc.
-Perform various strokes using the racket, holding at the start and the end of the stroke. Use correct technique, similar to your on court movements
-Increase the intensity, to raise your body temperature. You should break a sweat