Coffee – A Squash Coach’s Best Friend!

A standard part of my Sports Nutrition spiel whether I am teaching a Coaching Certification Course or speaking to junior squash campers is the tongue-in-cheek promotion of coffee consumption.  I enjoy the part of my talk because the common perception appears to be that coffee is “bad for you”.

Coffee = Energy!

As a current owner of five different espresso machines I should come clean with my bias before I go any further.  I usually cite five benefits of coffee consumption – several of them potential benefits for squash players:

• Enhanced endurance performance (a small percentage) through the glycogen-sparing effect of caffeine – caffeine enhances fat utilization during endurance-type events and  postpones the need for the body to increase reliance on using muscle glycogen (sugar stored around the muscle).
• Coffee is a great source of anti-oxidants – better than a kiwi!
• Coffee can ward off depression – suicide rates are lower amongst coffee drinkers.
• Coffee improves simple reaction time, mental alertness, and short-term memory – that should be good for squash no?
• Coffee has recently been shown to have a possible effect on preventing certain cancers. 

Squash Science Resource Update – August ‘09

Many of the sport science resources that squash coaches use continue to evolve.  Here are three updates from trusted sources:

I   Thera-Band Academy Adds Web 2.0 Tools for Coaches

August 11, 2009

Dear Thera-Band Academy Subscriber

I trust you’ve found the Thera-Band Academy to be a useful tool for you. This is the 10th Anniversary of the Academy… and much has changed since then. I wanted to let you know about some new tools and websites that will help us improve our communication with you. Using the latest social media and networking sites, we hope to enhance your experience within the Academy. Please take a brief moment to check out these new tools…

• Blog: http://blog.thera-bandacademy.com Keep updated with regular posts on research and news from the Academy. Register here to receive regular email updates from the blog: http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=PerformanceHealthAcademyBlog&loc=en_US

• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/therabandacademy Become a fan of Thera-Band Academy

• Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/phacademy Follow tweets from the Academy

• Delicious: http://www.delicious.com/phacademy Check out our favorite links

• Flicker: http://www.flikr.com/phacademy View our photo gallery

I hope these new tools are useful! Thanks for your continued loyalty and support!

Phil Page, PT, ATC, MS, CSCS

ppage@thera-band.com

Director of Education & Research

1245 Home Ave

Akron, OH 44310 

Do Squash Coaches Need a Nutritionist’s Help?

USDA My Pyramid

I have attended at least 20 nutrition for sport workshops over the years, and have found that the concepts behind good sports nutrition are very similar to those of nutrition for the general populace. I have taught sports nutrition to coaches and college students in my courses since 1992, so I rely mostly on the Food Pyramid to guide my educational efforts. But as the coach of a women’s squash team, I also include a mini-lecture on iron every season (and I also keep an eye out for signs of disordered eating). The Canada Food Guide is also a great free resource for squash players – and it is available in more than 10 languages.