A&H

Pre and Post Match Prep/Recovery

L

LiamRef17

New Member
Level 6 Referee
Alright, been refereeing for around a year and at first it was just something for some extra cash but I have discovered I’ve got a real passion for refereeing.

I was just looking to find out what are peoples pre/post match routines like? How do you recovery after the match?

What are peoples training routines like?

Would appreciate any kind of ideas, just looking to better myself
 
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It’s all down to finding how your own body reacts to be honest, there’s no cut and dry method to recovery and I find that simply resting the day after is fine.

However for my match day routine, I eat light the night before, I wake up the same time every Saturday, eat the same thing before a game (all about not introducing foods which might upset your stomach), banana en route to the game, energy gel at HT, protein shake after and then a cider in the evening :p
 
Peach said:
Pre-match - nothing unusual.

Post-match - pint of cider

#Athlete
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5 pints surely... and nothing fizzy! Although, no booze the night before. Job is hard enough without being fuzzy in any way

I've done a lot of games recently. Preparation involves turning up stiff as a board and just running through the physical and mental discomfort
 
I pretty much always have a rest day before and after.
I do a fair amount of normal road and trail running through the week so I like to have those two days for recovery. I will occasionally run post match but day before is always a rest.

If I could be bothered with nutrition etc I'd give some advice but my diet is incredibly poor, too much sugar, junk and processed crap and it's probably my only limitation in terms of fitness etc.
 
When I started, refereeing was the only "exercise" I got, and as I do 3 matches every Saturday. I fell asleep that night on the couch and my legs were very stiff on the Sunday.
Then I started running during week, and similar to JamesL, I do a lot of running now (about 40 miles a week outside of matches). I have learned the hard way that the key thing to a good recovery is good nutrition. Drink water before, at half time and after match regardless how thirsty you are. Between back to back games, I take an energy gel, or some dried fruit or a granola bar. For a single 90 minute game, you don't really need any additional energy if you've have a decent pre-match meal. If you sweat a lot, consider taking electrolytes, again, for recovery to replace the salt.
I always do a good warm up, mainly to avoid injuries if I have to start with a few sprints in the game, but don't bother with cool downs as matches are mostly in a low zone heart rate level, so don't ever feel the need.

Or you could just skull a Monster as you finish your smoke just before you blow the whistle and then head straight to the boozer after the game.
 
What you need to do before and after the game will depend on a lot of factors, like your overall fitness, body composition and age. It will also change as you get older.

When I got L4 I was working in the City and there was a big drinking culture in financial services back then, almost to the point that not joining in would hinder your career progression. We were out drinking after work most nights, including Fridays before I had a game. I was in my early 30s then and very fit, there is no way on earth that I could do that now. I got a lot more professional after being promoted to L3, and very rarely went out the night before a game.

My normal pre-match prep for a Saturday game would be a fairly late wake up, then brunch of something like beans or ravioli on toast around midday, sometimes earlier depending on when I had to leave for the ground. Midweeks were a lot trickier as I would invariably be in the office early, then leave to go home and get the car before travelling to the ground. All of my worst performances were reserved for midweek games, and I do wonder how much better I would have fared in the post Covid world of working from home being the norm.
 
Doing regular games helps me. I've done games Sat, Sun, Tues, Thurs and now have games Sat and Sunday. I dont always do this as I have a life outside of football but I find regular games really helps my fitness. I dont have any stiffness whatsoever but obviously if you're not fit then going straight to loads of games takes time. If you're fit then refereeing is not particularly hard work at all.

As for diet. I eat bran flakes and an apple for breakfast and pasta, eggs, beetroot, lettuce and seeds for lunch Mon-Fri + a bag of crisps. Usually a vegetarian tea although not always. Chocolate bar at night because I find it impossible to eat clean all day, I just fall off the wagon if I do. Friday night is always the chippy! Weekends is just a mixture of anything really, often ill go out.

My preparation tomorrow will be up at 5.20am for work. Then straight to the game. Cheeseburger is usually the staple hospitality after the game at the ground I'm at and then fall asleep during MOTD. Up Sunday morning to do a low level Sunday League game. Last week I hardly broke into a jog as the standard was absolutely dross but it was fun all the same.
 
Thinking about it, Full English is always the best energy sink
Very underrated nutrition when it comes to physical exertion
 
Big Cat said:
Thinking about it, Full English is always the best energy sink
Very underrated nutrition when it comes to physical exertion
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Sausage and egg roll this morning at work. 9 yellows including a 2nd yellow (red) in the last minute and a yellow for a manager. All in the 2nd half. Tough pitch for everyone but the game was actually a good honest one, just a million fouls due to a very sticky pitch which made decent football impossible for both teams.
 
Big Cat said:
Thinking about it, Full English is always the best energy sink
Very underrated nutrition when it comes to physical exertion
Click to expand...
Often have scrambled egg, bacon, beans and toast as a prematch. Protein, carbs and salt. 👍
 
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