Eating at Events

[dadofbag]

I am finding it very difficult to get my son to eat anything during fencing events. I am not a nutritionist, but this is hardly the way to optimize performance after six hours or more of competition. Does anyone have any ideas or can refer to good reference material?

[MyrddinsPrecint]

Originally Posted by dadofbag

I am finding it very difficult to get my son to eat anything during fencing events. I am not a nutritionist, but this is hardly the way to optimize performance after six hours or more of competition. Does anyone have any ideas or can refer to good reference material?

Let him be the guide of how much-- if I eat too early during a fencing day with an early morning or take medication before I'm fully awake, I throw up. Now that's a bad way to optimize performance : )


Don't try heavy things, don't try hard to eat things. Bananas, bagels, and protein bars are the big staples.

Protein bars are not all made the same. I detest most protein bars, but I LOOOOVE Luna Bars (which are more "nutritional" anyway....)

Try to get him to eat some of this during PRACTICE. Introducing new foods during competition is a baaad idea.

[D+F+P=Hadouken!]

I used to have the same problem.

I solved it by eating tasty junk food during tournaments.

Heres my sample competition diet...

Breakfast:
Oatmeal
Protein Shake
Yogurt
Oranges
----------
A little bit before the tournament:
A bagel or a few bananas.
----------
During the tournament:
Red Bull
Hamburgers
Coke
Candy
----------
Screw powerbars, if you want long lasting energy, eat crap!

I didn't just dream this up either. It was through experimentation and listening to my body closely that I discovered the foods I need for optimum performance. As an experienced competitor with respectable results, I can say that monitoring your biofeedback is crucial to having good results.

[wahrman]

I like dried fruit and nuts during competitions. Easy to transport, they don't spoil. And you can grab little bites all day.


A little sugar, protein and fat. There may be better things but it works for me.

I suppose something like a bagel might be a good addition.

[seak]

I actually eat crap too during tournaments. Mainly chocolate and chips. For something a little healthier bananas or peanuts. This what seems to work for me. I know someone who likes GORP with chocolate chips and/or M&M's.

[the ancient one]

This book:

The Complete Guide to Fencing (Paperback)
by Berndt Barth (Editor), Emil Beck (Editor)

Publisher: Meyer & Meyer Fachverlag und Buchhandel GmbH; 1 edition (September 30, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1841261912
ISBN-13: 978-1841261911

Has a section on nutrition that gets fairly technical. For example: how excess precentage of carbs can reduce the intestinal absorption rate and thus interfere with hydration etc...

The english translation can be a little strange at times, but worth the effort. It covers a lot of ground.

added curiosity:
Imagine Germans making a case against Beer immediately after practice! <<not wanting to induce thread drift<<

[erooMynohtnA]

I go up to the organizers, ask if they know a good pizza place, and get a pizza and some soda.

I think the trick isn't what you eat, but rather, not eating too much of it. I never eat until I'm full, because once I do, there's about a two hour period I want to take a nap.

[Beloit Fencer of Old]

I've been struggling with this for 20 years. Actually, a few weeks ago, I found what really works for me. Fake (store brand) Ensure. Check it out. It's easy to eat (drink) and is supplies everything you need for a short period of time (less than a couple of days). I find that I perform much better than I used to, trying to force myself to eat things which required chewing, saliva and swallowing. It's worth a try...really.

[fencerbill]

Granola bars, one about every 2 hours. Preference for cinnamon raisin variety.

Somewhat good results.

[stu]

You could try my old strategy of 'get knocked out early, then eat what you like'. Not the most helpful thing though if you're looking to improve performance.

Seriously though, the issue seems to be less one of the detail of nutrition than of finding something your child is happy to eat during the competition. Working out what's best for them to eat and actually persuading them to eat it are two different things. You seem to have two main options:

1 Nag incessantly between bouts.

2 Find something that might not be so good for them, but that your child actually likes.

[JMcC]

Originally Posted by dadofbag

I am finding it very difficult to get my son to eat anything during fencing events. I am not a nutritionist, but this is hardly the way to optimize performance after six hours or more of competition. Does anyone have any ideas or can refer to good reference material?

I think the real question here is not WHAT to eat, but HOW to get a pumped-up youth fencer to actually eat at a competition.
That's the tough one. I wish I had an answer. If you find one, please let me know.

[journalmom]

When my son is doing well in the competition, he'll eat like a horse. If he's depressed about his performance, he wants to barf even after drinking water. The key is to relax (yeah, right!) and try to eat little bit at a time. Bring whatever snack (no junk food!) he likes to eat normally and space them out and shove them in his mouth when he's "not looking". Dehydration is another key factor; so sneak in some liquid (with sugar but no caffeine) intermittently.

I know kids who never drank or ate during competitions and did horribly due to exhaustion. After convincing them the importance of proper nutrition, they started to eat and drink, and they are doing much better now. Once they recognized it, they were convinced. Yours will too.

[Sword Hobbit]

Originally Posted by JMcC

I think the real question here is not WHAT to eat, but HOW to get a pumped-up youth fencer to actually eat at a competition.
That's the tough one. I wish I had an answer. If you find one, please let me know.

I've haven't competed yet, but I've had problems making myself eat on and of for the last few years (I'm not anorexic). My suggestion would be to keep small munchies around, small things like peanut M&Ms or chips small things that he can without really thinking about it. I think it's a psychological thing that make it feel like your not eating as much when you don't have a whole thing to finish. At least this is what I’ve found with myself but every ones different.

[TBean]

Coach says - and this is difficult to convince teenagers of the truth of this - if you are hungry on the strip you have been fencing badly for over an hour.

Some fencers, myself included, don't like to eat a lot at tournaments, snacking is the way to go. They need to be smart snacks then - nuts, dried fruit, bagel (with peanut butter if he will take it) or dry, cheese sticks, power bars, bananas, grapes, granola bars - these things are portable, they do not take long to eat and don't fill you up too much. After a pool bout - several sips of water and a few bites of something. A larger snack after pools are completed.

Learning to eat at a tournament to optimize performance is just another facet of the sport.

[bruisedfleche]

I don't like eating at tournaments either. The night before a tournament I get a big, fat, Outback prime rib with all sides and stuff myself. For breakfast I eat a couple of cups of brown rice with butter. This keeps me feeling full but not heavy. During the actual event, I slurp down Power Gel (by the makers of Power Bar). This stuff works great! It keeps you from feeling hungry but it doesn't fill you up. You can get them with or without caffeine. If you can get your son to eat a few, he'll be better off than nothing at all. You can also try some fun size candy bars like Snickers and peanut butter cups. Non-diet, caffeine free soda can also help give him a little boost. Just avoid anything with caffeine because kids can't handle caffeine and they get jittery. Most enery drinks have caffeine so be careful.

[MyrddinsPrecint]

Originally Posted by bruisedfleche

Just avoid anything with caffeine because kids can't handle caffeine and they get jittery. Most enery drinks have caffeine so be careful.

Depends on the kid-- For kids with ADD, caffeine is sometimes a good replacement for prescription medication which is often VERY difficult to regulate on tournament days-- and also not illegal (which the ADD meds are).

Works for some, not others, but it's worth pointing out.

[bruisedfleche]

Originally Posted by MyrddinsPrecint

Depends on the kid-- For kids with ADD, caffeine is sometimes a good replacement for prescription medication which is often VERY difficult to regulate on tournament days-- and also not illegal (which the ADD meds are).

Works for some, not others, but it's worth pointing out.

I'm an adult with ADD and I take meds, and yes, caffeine can mimick the medications effects, but it certainly doesn't replace it. If it did, I'd be prescribed a couple of cups of cofee a day instead of pills.

Combining caffeine and Ritalin for ANYONE not used to caffeine can be disasterous at a tournament.

FYI, ADD meds are not illegal for the people they are prescribed for.

[ThatReallyHurt]

I take along a little Ziploc of Apple Cinnamon Cheerios, then grab a handful every once in a while.

[KD5MDK]

FYI, ADD meds are not illegal for the people they are prescribed for.

They are however frequently doping violations unless you have a Theraputic Use Exemption.

[Neinteen]

All my team gets are like rock hard protein bars that taste like year old protein bars and gatorade. I've reduced myself to forcing freshman to steal slices of pizza, candy bars, drinks, and hotdogs for me. The lack of security at tournaments is astonishing. So much food, so few eyes....