My DD wants to know...

[Rmc1981]

So my daughter is in her 2nd year 10U, but this is her first season to be the full time catcher. She didn't catch before Fall and split time then. Now she's won the job hands down and is doing fantastic.

After one tournament though, she's realized that she needs to change her eating habits during tournament. She at like normal but then realized that whatever she eats, she's lifting every time she stands up from her crouch. Said she doesn't need anything extra weighing her down.

But then she couldnt decide what to eat at the ballpark when we'd been there for 12 hours so she refused to eat any of it. I ask this in the Catching forum because we've realized that the rules are different for a girl who plays 1st than a girl who is catching.

What do you're girls eat before, and especially during tournaments? How do they balance taking in enough food to have energy 4 games in with not eating stuff that makes them feel full, heavy and sluggish?

Thx

 

[InsidePitch]

DD catches some and snacks rather than full meals seem to do better for her. Small turkey sandwiches, protein bars and fruits.

 

[BuckeyeGuy]

I've been reading up on this all day - there is so much conflicting info, my head is spinning. Near as I can tell, she should be focused on items low-ish on the Glycemic Index.

Pre-game:
"Example: low GI foods include pasta, whole grain breads and rice, oatmeal, milk and milk products and fruit (except bananas and dried fruit)."

Sports Nutrition - Pre & Post Competition Meals


All day events:
"You may have to eat several “mini” pregame meals over the day.
Each meal should be small (under 300 calories) and low in sugar
and fat."

http://web.aces.uiuc.edu/vista/pdf_pubs/PREGAME.PDF

 

[chinamigarden]

She has to eat, she will slow down and breakdown faster from not getting any fuel.

fruit, protein bars, sandwiches, string cheese, water...

 

[CJ D]

Not to discount the importance of good nutrition, but more importantly in my eyes as a coach and a father of a catcher...if she's 4 games into the day catching, she's a minimum of 1 game farther in than what she should be. 2 games if the first two were full 5 innings and required lots of ups and downs. I've seen far too many catchers having knee surgeries in high school because she was the catcher on her travel team and used to catch 4-5 games a day, twice a week, for a 15-20 weekends a year, plus school ball, week days, etc. Set a limit for your daughter and stick to it. I have a strict stance that once my daughter can be drafted out of high school or college at a couple million dollars a year, then she can catch as much as needed. Until then, I want her to be able to walk without a bad limp from arthritis at the age of 40.

 

[Amy in AZ.]

A 10 yo shouldn't be too concerned about her intake during the game. (Yes, she caught too long, in my opinion.) But, during the week, is when she needs to prepare. It doesn't hurt anyone to cut down on fatty foods, to feel better at the games. I, for one, have run enough concession stands that I no longer eat at them. I prefer to keep a ham sandwich and veggies, in a cooler in the car. I would find a way to carry in peanut butter, if nothing else.

 

[YOCOACH]

DD is a catcher and will snack all day long on fresh fruits ( preferably high in water content such as apple slices, oranges, grapes, watermelon etc.) and Veggies with lite ranch dip. Stay away from pineapple since it is a natural diuretic and can help in causing dehydration. She will also eat some good proteins such as peanut butter and organic sugar free jelly/jam or honey sandwiches and possibly some protein bars between games. Pickles and their juice are naturally full of electrolytes so she'll eat those with some string cheese and wheat thins. Most importantly is to stay hydrated. Your DD needs to start drinking plenty of water on Wednesdays and continue through weekend tournaments especially when it's hot out. They will sweat it out faster than they can replace it during the weekend so they need to have a surplus stored up beforehand.

 

[Rmc1981]

Thanks everyone. Great help. We working on all these, especially during the week leading up to tourn. I've already spoken to the coach about another catcher. We are actively looking and in the mean time, using girls that can at least get us through a pool game.

 

[ScottyDont]

Fruit, granola, proteins during game day. Plenty of hydration, either water or something with electrolytes if it's particularly hot out.

In my opinion, 4 games behind the plate in one day is borderline child abuse. Seriously, you're asking for knee and shoulder problems down the road due to all the squatting and throwing. The catcher will throw the ball somewhere between 100 and 150 times per game. There's a reason why baseball pitchers have inning/pitch limits...the same should be applied to a catcher.