YOUNG ATHLETES different kick-off times.

■ Time management and how to fit training, school work, rest and recovery time, meals etc into a hectic lifestyle.

Handouts are given out at the end of the session (ie. just before they go home). These cover the sessions in bullet points putting emphasis very much on the practical aspects. Players are encouraged to show their parents or carers the handouts.

14-17 age group Topics for this age group are similar to those for the younger age group but with more depth. The aim is still for players to go away after each session with something they can begin to work on and changes they can make to their daily diet that are going to have either a direct effect on performance or an indirect effect in helping to keep them healthy. The sessions are longer and make use of a Powerpoint presentation but with plenty of opportunities for questions and discussion during the presentation (ie. rather than saved up until the end).

The topics covered include: ■ Fuelling your rugby. The role of carbohydrate as the main source of fuel including when, what and how.

■ Gaining muscle enjoyably and legally. The role of protein, again when, what and how.

■ Body fat and dietary fat. The role of fat in the diet, good and bad fats and how much is too much in the diet and the body.

■ Keeping the body healthy - foods with unique functions eg. fruit and vegetables, dairy and the role of red meat in a healthy diet.

■ Keeping the body hydrated. This covers the sweat mechanism, the negative effects of dehydration on physical and mental performance and health, and how hydration status is determined.

■ Fluids. What to drink in training and matches as well as other times during the day. A tasting session of sports drinks is included.

■ Match preparation. What to eat and drink from the night before until after the match(es). Different scenarios are discussed (morning, afternoon or evening kick-offs, sevens tournaments etc).

■ Nutritional supplements and sports foods. Do they have a role to play in helping performance?

■ Performance enhancing supplements. Do they have a role to play in helping performance? UK Sport 100% ME anti-doping DVD for sport is used, particularly a case study of a young rugby union player banned for two years for using a protein supplement that led to a positive drug test (2).

■ Alcohol and other social issues. What being the ‘best’ means. (The author is also the Academy Welfare Officer so this covers non-nutritional topics too.)

Handouts are made available and again players are encouraged to show them to their parents or carers.

Parental involvement Three sessions are also held for parents of players in these two age groups covering the balanced diet, keeping well-hydrated and supplements and ergogenic aids. Handouts of the Powerpoint presentation are made available for all parents, including any unable to attend a session. Contact is encouraged via email and this often develops into a regular contact, certainly with some

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These sessions are followed up with monthly sessions. The other weekly education slots are now given over to working on a one-to-one basis with each player in rotation unless there is an immediate need to see a player. Players now have an opportunity to bring any dietary or nutritional issue, query, problem or opinion that they want to discuss in a group. Alternatively they may be set small tasks such as bringing an item of news or something they have obtained from the internet which they want to discuss. Examples of topics that have been covered include the film Supersize Me, sponsorship of sport by Coca Cola, McDonalds and Cadbury’s, the merits or otherwise of following the Atkins diet

www.sportex.net parents.

Elite group These players are full-time at the club and train with the first team. During pre-season training and the first part of the season the following topics are covered in weekly one hour educational sessions. Again Powerpoint presentations are used but the atmos- phere is informal and interaction is encouraged. This is not difficult as most of the players have come through the system. Theory is tied into practical advice that players can take away and act on immediately after each session. ■ Energy requirement – estimating their own daily requirements ■ Carbohydrates – covering fuel, storage, refueling, sources of carbohydrate, glycaemic index and finally working out their own requirements and making a daily plan to meet them.

■ Fat – fuel, storage, types of fats, sources of fat and requirements. How to control fat intake.

■ Protein – functions, sources, requirements, timing of protein intake and again working out their own individual requirements and a daily plan of protein intake.

■ Vitamins, minerals and antioxidants – functions, sources and requirements. Practical advice about eating fruit and vegetables and correcting some myths and misconceptions.

■ Alcohol – effect on health, body weight and rugby. ■ Fluids – role of water in the body, fluid balance, sweat mechanism, effects of dehydration, monitoring hydration status, fluid replacement, role of sports drinks and energy drinks, general fluid intake, dental care.

■ Supplements and ergogenic aids – pros and cons and most common ones found in rugby. How to evaluate supplements and the RFU (3) and World Anti-doping Agency (WADA) (4) policies on supplements.

■ Building up the training diet using the information from the previous sessions.

■ Dietary strategy for matches, again using the information from the previous sessions.

■ Practical aspects of the diet eg. time management, shopping, budgeting, reading food labels, food and personal hygiene.