The Importance of Proper Nutrition in Basketball

By: James O’Dell

Proper nutrition in basketball is important and is often prioritized in higher levels of basketball. It is true for all athletes across all sports that proper nutrition can help in-competition performance. However, especially in basketball where athletes are required to be more all-around than other sports, nutrition is key to keeping your body ready and able to compete on the basketball court. If you are an athlete that is looking to take another step in improving your game in any sport but especially basketball, I highly suggest diving into learning about proper nutrition and how to eat the right things that will help your body stay in shape.

As a coach, you cannot really control what your players are eating. All you can do as a coach is suggest what they should be trying to eat. If you look at high NCAA Division I programs you will notice that lots of them have a nutritionist. The nutritionist works with the coaches and the team to make sure that all of the players are on diets or meal prep programs that best benefit them to be able to have peak performance. As a coach you have to make sure that you are suggesting the right foods for your team. It is your job to research what foods including fruits, vegetables, meats, starch, and more are best for the players that want to learn more about nutrition. The reason that high NCAA Division I programs even hire nutritionists in the first place is because at higher levels of play, the work that happens off of the court can be what creates the better team.

The best way that you as a coach at lower levels of play like high school or middle school can help your players prepare proper nutrition is to be knowledgeable on the subject. That means having information ready In case a player needs it or you feel that the team as a whole should focus on nutrition. I personally look on Google scholar for information that I need because academic data bases are almost guaranteed to have correct information and almost all of the entries on Google scholar are peer reviewed.

What can proper nutrition really do for athletes?

Peak Performance for longer

If you really think about it, what athletes let into their body is what fuels them in whatever they are doing. If you work a nine to five office job, then you may want food that is going to help you stay awake. If you work a heavy labor job like construction, you are going to want foods that provide a lot of energy. Lots of athletes at the college level will say before games they prefer foods like pasta because foods like pasta and starches that have a lot of carbohydrates and proteins provide short term, and long term energy for the athlete. Proteins are what provide the long term energy and carbohydrates provide short term energy.

Proper nutrition enables athletes to perform at peak level for longer periods of time. This really is important at high competition levels of the game which I consider to be high school to professional play. If your team has a good balance in nutrition, you will be able to rotate certain personnel sets longer because proper nutrition allows longer peak performance. If you read my post titled Defensive Ideologies in Basketball and Why Defense is Important you would know that winning basketball means winning possessions. If your players are performing at peak performance for longer, they may be able to outlast the rotations of your opponent and in turn create mismatches that win possessions for your team on both sides of the ball.

Proper nutrition can also help stop injuries or lessen the impact of certain injuries on players’ bodies. For example, if you have a lot of healthy food in your system and you are well hydrated, you are less likely to get cramps while you are playing than other players who do not prioritize nutrition. It is your job as the coach to provide this information to your players if you deem it necessary for them to know.

Mental Benefits

Proper nutrition for athletes can also have an effect on their mental state. maintaining a healthy diet that helps players compete is not easy by any means. Players that are able to maintain diets and nutrition will most likely have a positive impact on their mental health because of that. Part of playing at peak performance is having confidence in yourself and your team. If you have poor mental health and do not have the ability to be confident in yourself, you will not be playing at peak performance. Because positive mental health is so important for athletes, it is important that you as a coach stress that players should be doing whatever they can to positively impact their mental health because it will help the on-court performance.

Good Habits that Help After the Time On-Court

Proper nutrition can even help with recovery after the time on the court. One of the most prioritized things in all of sports is recovery pre-contest, and post-contest. If you are not in a good nutritional standing, recovery may be harder than the recovery for an athlete that has a good diet and eats helpful foods. Eating foods like fruits and vegetables will enhance the recovery process. Eating greasy foods and eating out a lot will only make recovery harder because you will have to worry about the wear and tear on your body and the harmful impacts that the greasy, and fast food has made to your digestive system. A healthy digestive system enhances the recovery process.

Conclusion

The effects of proper nutrition for athletes are not only felt on the court, but off of the court as well. Proper diet and nutrition can help with recovery and mental health which will in return, help athletes play at peak performance. As a coach, it is important that you are doing all that you can do to help your athletes play at peak performance. That is because playing at the highest level, and having good mental health standing helps athletes reach their goals quicker. As a coach the best thing that you can do to help your team if you are in a lower level of play is to be knowledgeable in nutrition and to teach your team about the benefits of proper nutrition. In higher levels of play, programs will often hire nutritionists.