Proper nutrition and working with emotions have a huge impact on both health and performance in sports. Especially for young athletes, it can be difficult to cope with all the challenges on their own – daily training, preparation for competitions, participation in them, etc. Therefore, we wanted to support them and share our specialist knowledge and experience.

We conducted 8 workshops for several age groups. During the nutrition part young athletes went through a 3-stage training, starting with the basics of healthy nutrition, through its detailed rules, up to specific nutritional solutions in judo. The newly acquired information could be used in practice – for example, arranging different products on a food pyramid, creating their own pre-workout meal and isotonic drink, individually calculating their daily nutrient requirements, and testing their knowledge in quizzes.

The psychological part included discussions about emotions, in particular fear and anxiety, which our athletes experience on the mat during training and at competitions. In addition to recognizing and naming them, workshop participants were also invited to draw them and then look at them from the side and regain control. The fears and anxieties that arise are part of each of us, but like the pictures made, they do not represent us and should not take over us. During this part of the training, the athletes also had the opportunity to learn some techniques that will allow them to be even better prepared and to control their emotions in difficult moments.

We are glad that there is a growing awareness among coaches that not only training, but also proper nutrition and hydration, psychological approach, as well as regeneration and sleep are essential elements of holistic development of young athletes.

We would like to thank the coaches from the Chojrak Judo Club for successful cooperation and their willingness for further development.