This weekend, I am going to be at one of the premiere hockey tournaments for elite girl’s hockey players just outside of Toronto.

40 midget-aged teams will be competing to take home the tournament title.

700 players will be looking to impress the many university scouts who will be on hand.

Some teams will play 6 or more games in a 3 day period.

That’s a lot of high-intensity playing in a short period of time and players need to make sure that they are doing everything they can to succeed.

Here are 4 keys to having your best tournament possible:

1) Warm-Up

In order to play your best in every game of the tournament, you have to do an off-ice warm-up. This could be as simple as doing 5 minutes of jogging, jumping jacks and lunges. It is easy to let this slide as the tournament wears on, but it will make a huge difference on how you feel when you step out on the ice.

2) Drink more water

Most hockey players don’t drink enough water. Although most players do a decent job of sipping on water bottles during the game, it is the amount of water that you drink in between games that is going to make the biggest difference in your performance. Make sure that you have a water bottle with you at all times and drink from it constantly. Even if you aren’t thirsty, drink more water.

3) Stay away from the snack bar

I usually refer to the rink snack bar as a “nutritional wasteland”. Typically, everything there is deep-fried or pre-packaged. The best solution to tournament nutrition is to bring healthy options with you — but if you need to go to the drive-thru in between games, at least make sure that you are making the healthiest choices possible.

4) Stretch more

Most hockey players don’t stretch enough. This can be a huge problem during tournament time because of the high volume of high-intensity games. It is unrealistic to expect players to go through a complete 20 minute stretching routine in between games, but performing a few hockey-specific stretches will go a long way to preventing soreness and maximizing performance.

Take the time to address these 4 key areas of performance and you will be well on your way to having your best tournament ever.

For a complete in-season training program that address the mental, nutrition, on-ice and off-ice needs of players, check out Best Hockey Season Ever.

Kim