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Being a starter in a volleyball match can be stressful, after all, you have the great responsibility of delivering a good performance on the court. If you want to be ready for your next match, you might want to know how to prepare for a volleyball game.
How to Prepare for a Volleyball Game
The preparations before a volleyball game are quite important; if you are not prepared enough, you might have a bad performance, leading your team to a loss. Therefore, you need to capacitate your body in order to be physically and mentally in shape.
It is important for athletes to work on their minds and their bodies at the same time. After all, it doesn’t matter how well-trained your body is, if your mind cannot work under pressure, you won’t be able to play correctly.
On top of that, these preparations allow the athlete to live a more peaceful and enjoyable career. Here are the best practices you can do before a volleyball game.
Work on Your Mind
Working on your mind is one of the most important aspects to have good performance inside of the court. This is because, as we mentioned before, an untrained mind can get you nervous, and even anxious before a match. It can also get you angry, sad, or frustrated.
This is a normal thing to happen, after all, competitions can be very physically demanding, requiring you to be mentally tough enough to endure all of the situations. If your mind is not tough, you won’t be able to be consistent, and you could probably even lose motivation.
In order to work on your mind, you need to start incorporating certain routines into your life, such as mindfulness and meditation. These will allow you to gain confidence in yourself, stop your negative thoughts, and strengthen your mind to be equally (or more) powerful than your body.
Yoga
Practicing yoga is considered to be a great way to train your mind while also training your body. This exercise allows you to increase your mental concentration as well as prevent any future injuries. Here you can see the benefits of doing yoga before a volleyball match.
- Helps to prevent injuries by stretching and working out your muscles.
- Helps to increase the level of mental clarity.
- Improves your stances and postures.
- Improves the way you control your emotions (this is helpful if you constantly struggle with anxiety, sadness, nervousness, anger, and frustration).
- If you had injuries in the past, it can help you rehabilitate them.
- Allows you to be mindful of your body and muscles.
- Enhances your ability to control your mind, and prevents your mind and emotions from fully controlling you.
- It can improve your flexibility, as well as your stability and coordination.
Practice Beforehand
Even though it might seem obvious, you need to constantly practice and be disciplined about your training before a volleyball match. After all, you cannot expect to deliver a good performance if you haven’t practiced regularly, or worse, you haven’t practiced at all.
Though, it s also important to remember that you should not overwork yourself days before the match. Training for a lot of extra hours might seem like a good idea, however, if you do not give your body time to rest, it won’t be able to perform correctly.
Get the Right Nutrition
| Nutritious Food | Junk Food |
|---|---|
| Improves blood flow | Alters your blood pressure |
| Enhances your mood | Makes your body feel heavy |
| Gives you more energy | Numbs your mind |
| Allows you to sleep better | Alters your sleep schedule |
Your diet before a match will prepare your body for the intense gameplay of volleyball. You must consume enough proteins, carbohydrates, and vitamins in order for your body to develop energy and vigor before the game. This will make you feel more agile and prepared.
If you do not do this, you may feel exhausted before, during, and after the game. Your movements may become slower, and you may not feel fit enough to do some moves. As a result, you should avoid eating junk food when preparing for a game.
Get the Right Sleep
Getting a good amount of sleep is one of the most important factors that allow the body to function correctly. This applies to both sports and your daily life: you need to sleep between seven to nine hours every night in order to give your body proper rest.
For example, a good amount of sleep allows your heart, brain, and cells to rest, letting your muscles recover and gain strength. On top of that, it helps your brain to retain what you have learned throughout the day, enhancing your skills as a volleyball player.
On the other side, a lack of sleep can drastically reduce your response time on the court, diminish your accuracy, slow down your decision-making, cause you to exhaust much faster, and raise your risk of injury. All of this could highly influence your performance.
Analyze Your Opponents
This is something that most teams do in order to organize good strategies and plans against their rivals. If you can spot your opponent’s weaknesses you can exploit them and potentially win an advantage during the game. This is why it is important to carefully analyze their actions.
For example, if you discover that they frequently leave the left side of their court undefended, you direct all of your attacks there, resulting in multiple points. This also allows you to see how the game could go before you play it.
By visualizing your plans, you may be able to identify certain elements to prevent. You will have a huge advantage if you execute it properly; after all, you have already played the game in your brain.
Create a Routine
After learning about the pre-match preparations, you must develop your own routine that allows you to be ready and relaxed. This routine should fully prepare you to be comfortable and enthusiastic before every match.
On top of that, if you make it a habit, it will shift your perception of each match, allowing you to significantly grow as a volleyball player.
Related Questions
Here are some frequently asked questions about preparing yourself for a volleyball game.
What Should I Wear for a Volleyball Game?
You should wear a pair of shorts, a sports jersey, socks, shoes, knee pads, and elbow pads. If you are in a volleyball club, you will have to wear your designated uniform and colors.
Does Running Before a Match Improves Your Performance?
Running right before a match will only get your legs tired. However, incorporating running into your workouts will improve your endurance, which will then enhance your performance.
What Should I Do Prior to a Game to Prevent Injuries?
The best thing you can do to prevent injuries is warm up before the match. This will get your muscles and joints prepared for the high intensity of the game. On top of that, you can wear protective gear such as knee pads.
Conclusion
Even though getting ready for a match can be really stressful, there are a lot of things you can do to properly control your stress and enhance your body. If you are constant and disciplined about your preparations, you will always give your best on the volleyball court.
