Preparing your Child for a Tennis Match

The preparation for a junior tennis match should, ideally, begin the night before.

You should serve a high-carbohydrate main meal, as this will help keep energy levels consistent throughout the next day. Foods like bagels, bread, rice, spaghetti and beans are ideal for this. Find a way of incorporating these foods into a meal your child enjoys and will eat plenty of.

The next morning, high-carbohydrate foods come to the fore again. The best option for breakfast on a match day in some kind of grain or wheat cereal, which can be served hot or cold. For an extra kick, add fruits such as apricots, bananas and blueberries, as they all have very high carbohydrate levels.

Bananas are particularly good for snacks before matches, due to their high levels of carbohydrate and potassium. These will help keep energy high, while the potassium is a slow-release energy compound which will maintain a strength throughout the game. Many professional tennis players even like to eat bananas during matches for this very reason.

Now for what you shouldn't eat. Try and keep your child away from foods that are high in sugar, as while these do release energy it is notoriously fast-burning and can create a “comedown” effect very quickly. Again, this is why bananas are so popular, as they release energy slowly in concentrated amounts rather than all at once like something high in sugar.

You should also try and limit carbonated drinks, such as colas and lemonades. These, as well as being high in sugar, can make a child dehydrated. Thorough and correct hydration means increased performance, as one of the main causes of tiredness is lack of fluids. While to may seem like a good idea to give your child energy drinks such as Red Bull, they will actually have a detrimental effect due to their carbonation. It is better to stick to natural foods and plenty of water, to help physical stamina and mental focus.

With diet taken care of, there are other things you can do to help your child prepare for a tennis match. Although to may seem tempting, it is vital that you try and avoid talking about tennis, the game or the opponent. This should come in practice during the week leading up to the game, and by cluttering your child's mind on the actual game day, you may be doing more harm than good. You pay a coach to coach, so let them do their work and focus on just being a supportive parent.

You can minimize match day stress by taking care of arrangements in advance. Double check all travel plans, make sure you have everything packed – extra strings, rackets, kit etcetera – and then all your child, and yourself, has to do on match day is wake up and go. If you yourself can remain calm, focused but light-hearted, your attitude should transfer to your child – and that could make all the difference.