Characteristics of the Sport

Overview

Softball is a game of skill, timing and power. It characteristically involves extended periods of play, often in challenging environmental conditions. A softball team consists of nine players. Theoretically, all team members are required to bat and field, while only specialist pitchers are required to pitch. Games last for a set number of innings, therefore playing times vary.

Training

Elite softball players have demanding training schedules consisting of weights, fitness sessions, sprint training and skills training. Skills training sessions typically last for 2-3 hours.

Competition

Softball is primarily a summer sport, with the domestic season (club ball season) running from September-March. Recreational teams tend to play one game per weekend. At the international level, softball players compete nearly all year round.

During international competitions, Grand Prix events, Nationals and State based competitions, teams usually play two games per day.  Games are typically played in warm-hot conditions.

Common Nutrition Issues

Training Nutrition

Elite softball players have busy lifestyles as training is usually combined with work or study commitments. Planning ahead is essential to ensure nutritional requirements are met throughout the day.

Softball players need to base their intake on high-nutrient foods (cereals, fruit, vegetables, low-fat dairy products, lean meat and poultry, fish, nuts, seeds, legumes etc.) and consume low-nutrient foods (soft drink, confectionery, cakes, biscuit, fried foods etc.) in smaller quantities.

The intensity of training sessions can range from low to very high.  It is therefore important to match food intake to the activity level of each day.   Food intake needs to be well timed to enhance recovery between sessions when players have more than one strenuous training session per day. Extra snacks such as yoghurt, fruit, dried fruit and cereal bars are required on heavier training days.

Body Fat Levels

Successful softball players tend to be strong and powerful.  While, very low body fat levels are not necessary for softball players, high body fat levels can restrict speed and agility. Softball can involve long hours of low intensity activity with only short bursts of high intensity work. Unless regular conditioning sessions are included in training, some players may have problems maintaining a desirable body composition.

Softball players wanting to lose body fat need to assess their training load. It may be necessary to undertake some aerobic activity in addition to other training sessions. Long-term changes also need to be made to food intake. Dietary strategies may involve:

• Reducing the total quantity of food consumed.
• Replacing low-nutrient foods (chips, chocolate, confectionery, soft drink) with high-nutrient foods (fruit, nuts, low-fat dairy foods etc.)
• Assessing snacking behaviour.  Snacks may not be necessary on low activity days.

Game Day Nutrition

Softball players need to begin each game fuelled and hydrated. Ideally, a meal that is based on carbohydrate and includes some protein, vitamins and minerals and a small amount of fat should be consumed before a softball game. Good choices include: cereal, yoghurt, sandwiches, pasta and fruit. Ideally players should eat 2-3 hours before the game begins. Including fluid choices such as water, cordial or sports drink with this meal is a good way of ensuring fluid needs are also met.

Time spent in the dugout area while waiting to bat provides opportunity for players to rehydrate and replace sweat losses throughout the game. Sports drinks are recommended when softball players are particularly active. In most cases it will be unnecessary to eat during a game.  However, in some cases, snacks such as fruit and cereal bars may be necessary to manage hunger during long games.

On days where more than one game is played, recovery is a major concern. At the end of a game, players need to replace fluid and carbohydrate. If the next meal is more than an hour away, players should have a carbohydrate-based snack (e.g. sandwiches, fruit, yoghurt, milk drinks or cereal bars) in conjunction with fluids (e.g. sports drinks, cordial, juice or water) as soon as possible after finishing the game.

Travelling Abroad

Elite softball involves regular international travel. This can pose a number of challenges to meeting nutritional needs. Unusual foods, different standards of food hygiene, limited food availability and interference with usual routines can see athletes either gaining weight or failing to meet their nutritional requirements. The following tips may help:

• Be clear about your nutritional goals and stay committed while travelling.
• Plan ahead. Do some investigation to find out what to expect at your destination.
• • Plan your accommodation with meals in mind. Organising an apartment with cooking facilities gives you more control over your meals and can keep food costs down. If you choose not to cook, make sure your accommodation is located near shops and restaurants.
  • Consider taking a supply of snacks and sports foods with you from home that may not be available at your destination. Cereal bars, two minute noodles, sports drink powder and breakfast cereal may be good options.
• Make wise choices in restaurants. Beware of hidden fat in meals. Supplement the carbohydrate content of meals by adding extra bread, rice, pasta or fruit if required.

Case Study

Katie is an 18 year-old pitcher and is having difficulty increasing her strength in the gym. Katie's coach has advised her that she needs to increase the power in her pitching to remain the team's priority pitcher. Therefore, increasing her strength is vital to her performance. She also finds she becomes easily fatigued during evening training sessions.

Katie has a hectic lifestyle. She attends university full time, works a part time job and trains at a high level. Her training schedule involves morning weight sessions (3 times per week) and three evening training sessions. She also plays 1-2 games each weekend.

Katie sought assistance from a sports dietitian to investigate whether modifications to her eating plan would help increase her strength and maintain her energy levels during training. The sports dietitian found Katie's eating plan to be unstructured and unplanned. She often skipped meals due to her busy lifestyle. Katie almost always missed breakfast, as she often did not feel hungry at that time of day.

The sports dietitian discussed the importance of eating prior to morning weight sessions. A food choice that contained both carbohydrate and protein would provide the nutrients needed to help Katie optimise her response to her weight session. A couple of options were suggested. On mornings when Katie' appetite was poor, the sports dietitian suggested using a liquid meal supplement such as PowerBar Protein Plus Powder or a homemade smoothie.  The dietitian advised that Katie would find consuming a drink easier than eating. On other days, when Katie felt able to eat, cereal and milk was advised.

Katie and the dietitian also discussed the importance of having a planned approach to her daily eating. It was suggested that Katie take food items from home to use as pre and post-training snacks. A tub of yoghurt or flavoured milk drink that could be stored in the gym fridge was recommended as a post-weights recovery snack. Nutritious carbohydrate snacks such as fruit, dried fruit, cereal bars and fruit buns were suggested for pre-training afternoon snacks.

Katie was also encouraged to pack a homemade lunch on busy days. This would ensure she wouldn't skip lunch or make poor choices. Rolls, sandwiches and wraps with a lean meat and salad filling were suggested options.

With some initial extra planning, Katie was able to follow the dietitian's advice. After implementing the plan she found that her energy levels at evening training sessions improved almost immediately. Over the following couple of months her strength in the gym also improved. This new strength resulted in a more powerful pitching style. Her coach noticed this change and was happy with her progress.

Katie not only found the new eating plan helped her on the softball ground, she also noticed the benefits transferred to other areas of her life. Her concentration at uni improved, and she generally felt more energetic throughout the day.