14 March - Friday Fuel

🔥 Raising Game Changers in Sport and Life.🔥

This week:

This Week’s Focus: Pre-Game Preparation

Game day isn’t just about showing up and playing—it’s about preparing the right way so athletes can perform at their best. Whether it’s mental preparation, fueling with the right foods, or sticking to a consistent routine, the work before the game makes all the difference.

This week, we dive into the pre-game rituals of top athletes, we lay down a nutrition challenge for youth athletes, and discuss how embracing challenges builds confidence. Let’s get ready to step onto the field prepared, focused, and ready to win!

This Week We Will Cover:
🏆 A Quote to Inspire
💡 The Pre-Game Rituals That Build Confidence & Performance
📚 The Learning Pit – Embracing Struggle for Growth
🥑 Nutrition - Comfort Vs Discomfort
📝 The Power of Journaling for Athletes
⚡ The Game Changer Updates – A Sneak Peek at What’s Coming
📢 We Need Your Help! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

🏆️ A quote to share with the kids

This week’s quote comes from Serena Williams, one of the greatest tennis players of all time. She highlights the importance of preparation and how success is built long before the game begins.

Success doesn’t just happen—it’s built through deliberate preparation. Encourage your athlete to take pre-game routines seriously so they can step onto the field with confidence.

💡 The Pre-Game Rituals That Build Confidence & Performance

Great athletes don’t just show up—they prepare. Having a pre-game routine sets the stage for confidence and peak performance. Here’s what top athletes do:

✅ Mental Prep – Visualizing success and setting clear intentions.
✅ Physical Activation – A proper warm-up to prime the body.
✅ Fueling Right – Eating for energy and endurance (more below!).
✅ Hydration – Drinking plenty of fluids before the game.
✅ Gear Check – Having everything ready to go, reducing stress.

Encourage your athlete to develop a consistent pre-game ritual—it builds confidence and gets them in the right mindset to perform at their best.

@ball_is_square

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@nyknicks

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📚 The Learning Pit – Embracing Struggle for Growth

A number of years ago, I was introduced to James Nottinghams’s Learning pit as a teaching tool. It was a game-changer in helping young people develop resilence, confidence and a growth mindset. What I quickly realised is that the Learning Pit isn’t just for students - it applies to all of us, including athletes, coaches and parents.

The Learning Pit helps us understand that challenges aren’t a bad thing. They are necessary. It’s easy to feel stuck or overwhelmed when learning something new, but that’s part of the process.

🔹 The Dip: When athletes challenge themselves, they often hit a point where things feel too hard. This is normal!
🔹 The Struggle: This is where growth happens. It’s uncomfortable but necessary.
🔹 The Climb: With persistence, athletes start to make sense of what they’re learning and improve.
🔹 The Success: After struggling and pushing through, confidence grows as athletes master new skills.

I’ve seen firsthand how difficult it can be for athletes (and even parents) to sit in the struggle phase—but that’s where the magic happens. It teaches problem-solving, perseverance, and the confidence that if you keep working at it, you will improve.

@toonchucklehub

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To learn more about The Learning Pit click the link below.

  🚀 Dr. Katie Schofield’s Nutrition Challenge: Comfort vs. Discomfort!🥑

🥪 Are You Sticking to Your Comfort Zone? Or Are You Willing to Try Something New?

Athletes thrive when they push their limits—not just in training, but in nutrition too! This week, challenge yourself to step outside your food comfort zone.
Your Challenge, shall you choose to accept it:
1️⃣ Identify The Foods You Love – What are your go-to snacks and meals? Are you always reaching for the same thing?
2️⃣ Try One Food You Haven’t Used Before – Pick something NEW that could fuel your performance! Maybe it’s:
🔹 A different pre-game snack (swap toast for a smoothie)
🔹 A new protein source (try fish instead of chicken)
🔹 A recovery meal you usually skip
3️⃣ Reflect & Adapt – How did it feel? Did it give you more energy? Would you add it to your routine?
💡 Bonus Challenge: Try cooking a meal you haven’t had before!
🚀 Growth happens outside your comfort zone, even in the nutrition space. Are you in? 💪🔥

📝 The Power of Journaling for Athletes

Incorporating journaling into an athlete's routine can be a game-changer, offering numerous benefits that enhance both performance and personal growth. Here's how journaling can make a difference:

1. Enhances Self-Awareness
Writing regularly allows athletes to reflect on their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, leading to greater self-understanding. This self-awareness is crucial for identifying strengths and areas needing improvement.

2. Manages Stress and Anxiety
Journaling provides a healthy outlet for expressing concerns and fears, helping to reduce stress levels. By articulating worries on paper, athletes can gain perspective and develop coping strategies.

3. Sets and Tracks Goals
Documenting goals and monitoring progress keeps athletes motivated and focused. It serves as a tangible reminder of their aspirations and the steps necessary to achieve them.

4. Improves Mental Preparation
Reflecting on past performances helps in strategizing for future events. Journaling can reveal patterns and insights that inform better preparation and decision-making.

5. Boosts Confidence
Recording achievements, positive feedback, and personal milestones reinforces self-belief. Reviewing these entries can provide a confidence boost before competitions.

Real-Life Example: Eliza McCartney's Journaling Practice
New Zealand pole vaulter Eliza McCartney utilizes journaling to enhance her performance. During competitions, she records technical details such as pole selection, grip, run-up distance, and her feelings during each jump. This practice helps her offload information, allowing her to focus on upcoming attempts without mental clutter. (Click here to read the full article)

Getting Started with Journaling
For athletes interested in beginning a journaling practice, resources like The Inner Game Journals offer structured formats tailored to athletic development. These journals are designed to help athletes track their training, set goals, and reflect effectively.

Integrating journaling into daily routines can significantly impact an athlete's mental game, leading to improved performance and personal growth.

Ben has incorporated journaling into his coaching, and his boys also use it as part of their routine. If you have any questions about journaling, he would be more than happy to share his experiences

⚡ The Game Changer – Exciting Updates.

We have some BIG things happening behind the scenes at The Game Changer! Here’s a sneak peek at what we’ve been working on:

🎧 Exciting Podcast Guests – We have lined up some incredible guests for our upcoming podcast episodes! These experts, coaches, and athletes are ready to share their knowledge with you. We are currently finalizing times and dates, so stay tuned!

🧻 Researching the Perfect Bottle – One of our upcoming products requires a high-quality bottle, and we have been deep in research mode to find the best option for young athletes. Durability, usability, and sustainability are top priorities for us.

📲 We’re on Social Media! – You can now connect with us on Instagram, X, and TikTok to stay updated and join the conversation. Follow us for tips, inspiration, and behind-the-scenes content!

🌐 Website Coming Soon – We are currently building our official website, which will be the home for everything The Game Changer and FYA (Fuelling Youth Athletes). More details coming soon!

A lot is happening behind the scenes, and we can't wait to share more with you. Stay connected, and thank you for being part of our journey! 🚀

📢 We Need Your Help! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Your feedback means the world to us! If you’ve enjoyed any episode of The Game Changer Podcast, we’d love for you to leave a review.

💬 Why does this matter? Your reviews help us grow and attract even more incredible guests to share their insights with you. The more ratings and reviews we receive, the easier it is to bring top athletes, coaches, and experts onto the show!

👉 Leave a review or send us an email and help us make an even bigger impact! Thank you for being part of The Game Changer community! 🎙️💙

🚀 Join the Game Changer Community!
We’re building something special – a supportive space for parents and youth athletes to connect, ask questions, and learn from one another. 🌍💬

Here, you’ll find expert insights, practical tips, and tailored solutions to help your athlete reach their full potential. Whether it’s nutrition, training, the mental game, or tackling everyday challenges, this is your go-to hub for guidance and growth.

🏆🔥 Join us on Facebook – The Game Changer Community:

Have a great week and good luck raising CONFIDENT game changers! 🚀