The goal of this paper is to overview 4 key areas in which nutrition can optimize performance in team sports: achievement of ideal body composition, the philosophy of nutritional support for training, strategies for meeting fluid and fuel needs during competition, and supplements and ergogenic aids with benefits to team sports.

Most team sports e. basketball, football, hockey, rugby, volleyball can be described as moderate- to long-duration exercise including repeated bouts of high-intensity activity interspersed with periods of low-to-moderate active recovery or passive rest.

From a physiological perspective, team sports are characterized by the moderate-to-long distances covered by the players during match play e. in excess of activity changes per football match, including walking, jogging, cruising, sprinting, backing, jumping, tackling and heading [ 1,2 ].

This activity pattern determines to a great extent the physiological requirements of team sports. Various factors may be involved in the cause of fatigue or suboptimal performance in this context, with factors related to nutrition being summarized in table 1. Although the physique requirements of team sports vary across and within sports, there are some common elements.

Players who are involved in a fast and agile game, covering significant distances during a match, are generally aided by a lighter and lean physique. Normally, the body fat levels of team sport players do not reach the low levels typical of endurance athletes such as runners and cyclists.

Risk factors and strategies to manage unwanted gain of body fat among players in team sports adapted from Burke [24]. Many players follow the nutritional strategies of strength-training athletes emphasizing protein intake and using purported muscle gain supplements.

Recent research using tracer techniques has focused on the best feeding strategies following a bout of resistance exercise. Various investigations have found that the maximal protein synthetic response is produced when resistance exercise is followed by the intake of protein that is high quality in terms of its content of essential amino acids and rapidly digested [[ 13 ]; West et al.

Despite the belief that large amounts of protein are needed for gains from resistance exercise, a dose-response study has found that the maximal synthetic response to a training bout was achieved with the intake of 20—25 g of high-quality protein [ 14 ]. Indeed, intakes higher than this were associated with greater protein oxidation.

According to table 1 , a mismatch between the carbohydrate needs of training and competition and dietary intake can be a cause of poor performance in team sports.

There are few studies of the fuel demands of team sport players during training or competition, with the available evidence being focused on the match play of soccer players.

The current guidelines for carbohydrate intakes amended to suit a range of needs for team players are summarized in table 3 , with the rationale for these recommendations now being discussed.

Fuel requirements for training and match play adapted for team players adapted from Burke and Cox [ 39 ]. There are several studies from both field and laboratory viewpoints which have examined the value of fuelling up in preparation for team sport.

In one investigation, professional soccer players completed an intermittent high-intensity protocol of field and treadmill running lasting approximately 90 min, after a hour intake of high-carbohydrate approx.

Similarly, movement analysis of a 4-a-side indoor soccer game lasting 90 min was undertaken following 48 h of high approx.

Abt et al. The findings of this study indicated that the high-carbohydrate diet did not increase the ability of players to shoot or dribble. Several explanations are possible: either muscle glycogen depletion may not impair the ability of the player to execute game skills; alternative fatigue mechanisms such as dehydration or increased lactate production may be causative factors in the reduction in skill performance, or the treadmill protocol employed failed to induce a degree of glycogen depletion or fatigue large enough to cause a significant fall in skill performance [ 19 ].

Finally, players from 2 elite Swedish ice hockey teams were randomly allocated to either a carbohydrate-enriched 8. Distance skated, number of shifts skated, amount of time skated within shifts, and skating speed were all increased in the carbohydrate-loaded players compared with the mixed diet group, with the differences being most marked in the third period [ 20 ].

Rapid refuelling after the completion of the game will be important in situations where there is only a short interval between matches or where the player needs to undertake a significant training load between matches table 3.

There are few studies of actual glycogen restoration following real or simulated competition in team sport; these are limited to soccer and show divergent results with both success [ 21 ] and failure [ 22 ] to replenish glycogen stores within 24 h. Potential reasons for failure to refuel effectively after competition include interference with glycogen storage due to the presence of muscle damage arising from eccentric activities [ 23 ] or contact injuries, and excessive intake of alcohol [ 24 ].

Current sports nutrition guidelines for everyday eating recommend that athletes consume adequate carbohydrate to meet the fuel requirements of their training program, thus allowing training sessions to be undertaken with high carbohydrate availability for a review, see Burke [ 25 ].

However, some studies have found that when exercise is undertaken with low muscle glycogen content, the transcription of a number of genes involved in training adaptations is enhanced for a review, see Baar and McGee [ 26 ].

There are a number of potential ways to reduce carbohydrate availability for the training environment, including doing 2 training sessions in close succession without opportunity for refuelling [ 27,28 ], or training in a fasted state with only water intake [ 29 ].

As reviewed by Burke [ 25 ], it should be pointed out that these do not always promote a low-carbohydrate diet per se nor restrict carbohydrate availability for all training sessions, and some studies have reported a reduction in self-chosen training intensity [ 28,30 ]. Morton et al. All groups recorded a similar improvement in VO 2 max approx.

Clearly, more work is needed on this interesting topic. Table 1 summarizes a number of nutritional factors that could be associated with fatigue during a team game. These include inadequate fuel and fluid status; factors that can be addressed by the intake of appropriate drinks and sports products during a match.

Given the intermittent nature of team sports, they often offer frequent opportunities to ingest fluid and energy during breaks between periods, time-outs, substitutions or breaks in play [ 24 ].

Drinking opportunities for selected team sports are summarized in table 4. Opportunities to drink during a match play in selected team sports adapted from Burke and Hawley [32].

Dehydration is directly related to reduced exercise capacity, increased perception of effort, and deterioration of mental performance and football skill performance for a review, see Burke and Hawley [ 32 ].

Various studies have shown that elite football players do not drink a sufficient amount to replace their sweat loss during training [ 33,34 ]. Maughan et al. Study results showed a large individual variability in hydration status, sweat losses, and drinking behaviors in this cool environment, highlighting the need for individualized assessment of hydration status to optimize fluid replacement strategies.

In a recent investigation, Mohr et al. McGregor et al. In addition, mean heart rate, perceived exertion, serum aldosterone, osmolality, sodium and cortisol responses during the test were higher when no fluid was ingested.

Nevertheless, Edwards and Noakes [ 38 ] suggest that dehydration is only an outcome of complex physiological control operating a pacing plan and no single metabolic factor is causal of fatigue in elite soccer. Nicholas et al. The subjects were able to continue running longer when fed the carbohydrate-electrolyte solution.

More recently, Ali et al. The carbohydrate-electrolyte solution enabled subjects with compromised glycogen stores to better maintain skill and sprint performance than when ingesting fluid alone. In addition to the physiological and metabolic benefits, Backhouse et al.

Their results showed that perceived activation was lower without carbohydrate ingestion during the last 30 min of exercise, and this was accompanied by lowered plasma glucose concentrations. In the carbohydrate trial, rating of perceived exertion was maintained in the last 30 min of exercise but carried on increasing in the placebo trial.

These authors concluded that carbohydrate ingestion during prolonged high-intensity exercise elicits an enhanced perceived activation profile that may impact upon task persistence and performance. Clarke et al. On a third trial, the same volume of carbohydrate-electrolyte was consumed in smaller volumes at 0, 15, 30, 45, 60, and 75 min.

This manipulation of the timing and volume of ingestion elicited similar metabolic responses without affecting exercise performance. However, consuming fluid in small volumes reduced the sensation of gut fullness [ 44 ]. Nevertheless, limitations exist regarding the ability of team sport athletes to ingest fluid during match play.

Indeed, gastric emptying of liquids is slowed during brief intermittent high-intensity exercise compared with rest or steady-state moderate exercise [ 45 ], and the intensity of football match play is sufficient to slow gastric emptying [ 46 ].

Like most athletes, team sport athletes are often interested in the potential ergogenic edge that could be gained by means of special supplements. These products are summarized in table 5. Among the proposed ergogenic supplements, creatine is the one that has been investigated the most in relation with team sports, given that its purported ergogenic action i.

enhanced recovery of the phosphocreatine power system matches the activity profile of team sports. Various investigations indicate that both acute and chronic creatine supplementation may contribute to improved training and competition performance in team sports [ 47,48,49,50,51 ].

Sports foods and supplements that are of likely benefit to team sport players adapted from Burke [24]. Caffeine ingestion has also been shown to enhance team sport performance by improving speed, power, intermittent sprint ability, jump performance and passing accuracy [ 52,53,54,55 ].

However, conflicting results are not lacking in the literature [ 56 ]. Other dietary supplements with a potential but yet unclear ergogenic effect for team sport performance include induced metabolic alkalosis via bicarbonate ingestion to reduce fatigue during competition [ 57,58 ] or to enhance adaptations to training [ 59 ].

β-Alanine supplementation, to increase muscle stores of the intracellular buffer carnosine, may also provide benefits and requires further study using protocols suited to team sports [ 60 ]. Colostrum supplementation has a conflicting literature with respect to its effects on recovery and illness [ 61 ] but includes one study in which supplementation over 8 weeks improved the sprint performance of hockey players [ 62 ].

Dietary habits of team sport athletes have not been as well studied as those of individual sport athletes. Clark et al. Total energy, carbohydrate, protein, and fat intakes were significantly greater during the preseason.

In a similar investigation, Iglesias-Gutiérrez et al. Daily energy expenditure and energy intake were Another investigation on football players of various ages [ 65 ] also observed that the contribution of carbohydrate to total energy intake was lower than that recommended for athletes.

Garrido et al. All of the above suggest that well-designed nutritional education and interventions are necessary to optimize performance and promote healthy eating habits in team sport players. Sign In or Create an Account. Search Dropdown Menu.

header search search input Search input auto suggest. filter your search All Content All Journals Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism.

Advanced Search. Skip Nav Destination Close navigation menu Article navigation. Volume 57, Issue Suppl. Physiological Characteristics of Match Play in Team Sports. Achieving Ideal Physique for Team Sports.

Fuel for Training Adaptation, Recovery and Match Preparation. Fuel and Fluid for Match Play. Supplements and Sports Foods for Team Sports. Practical Nutrition Considerations for the Team Athlete.

Disclosure Statement. Article Navigation. Review Articles February 22 Nutrition in Team Sports Subject Area: Endocrinology , Further Areas , Nutrition and Dietetics , Public Health.

Iñigo Mujika ; Iñigo Mujika. a USP Araba Sport Clinic, Vitoria-Gasteiz, and. b Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Odontology, University of the Basque Country, Leioa, Spain;. This Site. Google Scholar. Louise M. Burke Louise M. c Sports Nutrition, Australian Institute of Sport, Canberra, A.

Ann Nutr Metab 57 Suppl. Article history Published Online:. Cite Icon Cite. toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu. toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest. Table 1 Factors related to nutrition that could produce fatigue or suboptimal performance in team sports.

View large. View Large. Table 2 Risk factors and strategies to manage unwanted gain of body fat among players in team sports adapted from Burke [24]. Table 3 Fuel requirements for training and match play adapted for team players adapted from Burke and Cox [ 39 ].

Table 4 Opportunities to drink during a match play in selected team sports adapted from Burke and Hawley [32]. Table 5 Sports foods and supplements that are of likely benefit to team sport players adapted from Burke [24].

The authors declare no conflicts of interest. Hawley J, Burke L: Peak Performance: Training and Nutritional Strategies for Sport. St Leonards, Allen and Unwin, Reilly T, Thomas V: A motion analysis of work-rate in different positional roles in professional football match-play.

J Hum Mov Studies ;— Increased energy levels throughout workouts and competitions. Heightened focus on and off the field. Faster gains from training.

Speedier recoveries from activity and injury. Satisfaction in the food you eat. Engrained practices for future health. Peace of mind from understanding science-based nutrition practices. top of page.

TEAM NUTRITION. Some wish it would happen. Champions make it happen. Fuel like champions. Anchor 3. Individual-first means we approach teams by determining how best to support each individual athlete. Instead of using large-scale, rudimentary approaches, we design team-wide solutions that will empower each athlete to achieve their goals.

This means stronger communication, education, and motivation that helps athletes improve knowledge and behavior to see real results.

We are not here for one-off deliveries of elementary nutrition information, we establish and guide a performance nutrition culture to help teams build better athletes.

Data-driven means we measure the impact of nutrition in a variety of ways to continually guide our approach and demonstrate real results to athletes and coaches. There is no better motivation than when athletes see and feel results in outcomes that matter.

Clarke et al. On a third trial, the same volume of carbohydrate-electrolyte was consumed in smaller volumes at 0, 15, 30, 45, 60, and 75 min. This manipulation of the timing and volume of ingestion elicited similar metabolic responses without affecting exercise performance.

However, consuming fluid in small volumes reduced the sensation of gut fullness [ 44 ]. Nevertheless, limitations exist regarding the ability of team sport athletes to ingest fluid during match play. Indeed, gastric emptying of liquids is slowed during brief intermittent high-intensity exercise compared with rest or steady-state moderate exercise [ 45 ], and the intensity of football match play is sufficient to slow gastric emptying [ 46 ].

Like most athletes, team sport athletes are often interested in the potential ergogenic edge that could be gained by means of special supplements. These products are summarized in table 5. Among the proposed ergogenic supplements, creatine is the one that has been investigated the most in relation with team sports, given that its purported ergogenic action i.

enhanced recovery of the phosphocreatine power system matches the activity profile of team sports. Various investigations indicate that both acute and chronic creatine supplementation may contribute to improved training and competition performance in team sports [ 47,48,49,50,51 ].

Sports foods and supplements that are of likely benefit to team sport players adapted from Burke [24]. Caffeine ingestion has also been shown to enhance team sport performance by improving speed, power, intermittent sprint ability, jump performance and passing accuracy [ 52,53,54,55 ].

However, conflicting results are not lacking in the literature [ 56 ]. Other dietary supplements with a potential but yet unclear ergogenic effect for team sport performance include induced metabolic alkalosis via bicarbonate ingestion to reduce fatigue during competition [ 57,58 ] or to enhance adaptations to training [ 59 ].

β-Alanine supplementation, to increase muscle stores of the intracellular buffer carnosine, may also provide benefits and requires further study using protocols suited to team sports [ 60 ].

Colostrum supplementation has a conflicting literature with respect to its effects on recovery and illness [ 61 ] but includes one study in which supplementation over 8 weeks improved the sprint performance of hockey players [ 62 ].

Dietary habits of team sport athletes have not been as well studied as those of individual sport athletes. Clark et al. Total energy, carbohydrate, protein, and fat intakes were significantly greater during the preseason.

In a similar investigation, Iglesias-Gutiérrez et al. Daily energy expenditure and energy intake were Another investigation on football players of various ages [ 65 ] also observed that the contribution of carbohydrate to total energy intake was lower than that recommended for athletes.

Garrido et al. All of the above suggest that well-designed nutritional education and interventions are necessary to optimize performance and promote healthy eating habits in team sport players. Sign In or Create an Account. Search Dropdown Menu. header search search input Search input auto suggest.

filter your search All Content All Journals Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism. Advanced Search. Skip Nav Destination Close navigation menu Article navigation.

Volume 57, Issue Suppl. Physiological Characteristics of Match Play in Team Sports. Achieving Ideal Physique for Team Sports. Fuel for Training Adaptation, Recovery and Match Preparation.

Fuel and Fluid for Match Play. Supplements and Sports Foods for Team Sports. Practical Nutrition Considerations for the Team Athlete.

Disclosure Statement. Article Navigation. Review Articles February 22 Nutrition in Team Sports Subject Area: Endocrinology , Further Areas , Nutrition and Dietetics , Public Health.

Iñigo Mujika ; Iñigo Mujika. a USP Araba Sport Clinic, Vitoria-Gasteiz, and. b Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Odontology, University of the Basque Country, Leioa, Spain;.

This Site. Google Scholar. Louise M. Burke Louise M. c Sports Nutrition, Australian Institute of Sport, Canberra, A. Ann Nutr Metab 57 Suppl. Article history Published Online:. Cite Icon Cite. toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu. toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest.

Table 1 Factors related to nutrition that could produce fatigue or suboptimal performance in team sports. View large. View Large. Table 2 Risk factors and strategies to manage unwanted gain of body fat among players in team sports adapted from Burke [24]. Table 3 Fuel requirements for training and match play adapted for team players adapted from Burke and Cox [ 39 ].

Table 4 Opportunities to drink during a match play in selected team sports adapted from Burke and Hawley [32]. Table 5 Sports foods and supplements that are of likely benefit to team sport players adapted from Burke [24]. The authors declare no conflicts of interest. Hawley J, Burke L: Peak Performance: Training and Nutritional Strategies for Sport.

St Leonards, Allen and Unwin, Reilly T, Thomas V: A motion analysis of work-rate in different positional roles in professional football match-play. J Hum Mov Studies ;— Spencer M, Bishop D, Dawson B, Goodman C: Physiological and metabolic responses of repeated-sprint activities: specific to field-based team sports.

Sports Med ;— Rampinini E, Bishop D, Marcora SM, Ferrari Bravo D, Sassi R, Impellizzeri FM: Validity of simple field tests as indicators of match-related physical performance in top-level professional soccer players.

Int J Sports Med ;— Bangsbo J: The physiology of soccer: with special reference to intense intermittent exercise.

Acta Physiol Scand ;— Ekblom B: Applied physiology of soccer. Matthew D, Delextrat A: Heart rate, blood lactate concentration, and time-motion analysis of female basketball players during competition.

J Sports Sci ;— Reilly T, Borrie A: Physiology applied to field hockey. Stølen T, Chamari K, Castagna C, Wisløff U: Physiology of soccer: an update. Ziv G, Lidor R: Physical attributes, physiological characteristics, on-court performances and nutritional strategies of female and male basketball players.

Duthie G, Pyne DB, Hooper S: Applied physiology and game analysis of rugby union. Reilly T: Football; in Reilly T, Secher N, Snell P, Williams C eds : Physiology of Sports.

London, Spon, , pp — Tang JE, Moore DR, Kujbida GW, Tarnopolsky MA, Phillips SM: Ingestion of whey hydrolysate, casein, or soy protein isolate: effects on mixed muscle protein synthesis at rest and following resistance exercise in young men. J Appl Physiol ;— Once both the parent and child create their accounts their profiles are connected.

No communication can take place without the parent being in the communication thread. America's 1 Rated Virtual Sports Dietitian Services 2-WEEK FREE TRIAL.

America's 1 Rated Sports Dietitian Services 2-WEEK FREE TRIAL. Who should implement the TEAM NUTRITION PLAN? As an admin you have access to Eat 2 Win App Admin Dashboard. Designated Sports Dietitian.

Each athlete receives Organizational Administrator Manage the TEAM NUTRITION PLAN Program. We do it all You focus on accountability and encouragement! Your athletes will improve their What Others are Saying. TEAM NUTRITION PLAN Program. John Talley Strength Coach.

Ty Monica Athlete. Keir Hannity Head Coach, TDP Elite. Ace Davis Soccer Athlete. Esad E Morina Director, HEAT FC. Some sports supplements may be of value to the team athlete. Sports drinks, gels and liquid meals may be valuable in allowing nutritional goals to be met, while caffeine, creatine and buffering agents may directly enhance performance.

Abstract Team sports are based on intermittent high-intensity activity patterns, but the exact characteristics vary between and within codes, and from one game to the next.