What to Eat for a Competition or a Fight

The day of a tournament or fight is a time of excitement to some, fear to many or curiosity to others. To veterans of these types of events, who enjoy the thrill of competing they wake up buzzing, not being able to wait until the "opening bell". Others, mainly beginners are scared or curious, not knowing what awaits them and become very agitated. Whatever type of person described above, there will always be nerves, and going by my own experience, nerves can take up a lot of energy.

For this reason, good healthy meals are essential the day of competition. What youeat will depend on what type of competition and what time.

Night time events usually consist of "card bouts" where a fighter will fight once in the night against one opponent of similar weight, and for a certain number of rounds. For this type of situation a good hearty breakfast consisting of protein, carbs and healthy fats should be consumed. A couple of eggs, some fruit, wholemeal bread and milk would be good. Then every two hours up to a couple of hours before the event some energising snacks such as turkey sandwiches, oatmeal, tuna salads and fruit juice should be consumed to keep the fighter steadily fuelled and to give enough energy to keep him/her going through the fight later on.

Tournaments are usually events starting early morning and can in some cases go right up until early evening time. These types of fighters will fight many short round fights every so often, (normally every 20 minutes or so). For this type of situation, it is no point the fighter having a large slow digesting breakfast like a night time fighter. A quick, easy and small breakfast is needed. Something like a cereal and protein shake is realistic for early bird tournaments, and should be taken in at least an hour and a half before the tournament starts. Then I would suggest that after every time you finish a fight, as soon as you come off the mat, something quickly digestible like fruit or an energy beverage should be taken to keep energy levels up. It is very easy to forget to eat during tournaments and this can have drastic effects to your fighting.

Water is a must for every type of fighting situation. It should be sipped constantly throughout the day to keep you hydrated and to provide good cooling through sweat as your body gets hot. If you are on your own, always have some handy, if you have someone with you (your friend, trainer) get them to ask you to take a few sips often as chances are you shall forget.

Marks

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