Eating Right

• Avoid high-calorie meals for at least four hours before the big game. You want to have enough energy to perform right, but digestion is slowed by heavy exercise. Eat high-carbohydrate, low-fat meals and make sure to drink enough fluids before the game; 12 to 18 ounces of water about two hours before game time will help prepare your body. Continue to drink during the game as well. If you realize you are thirsty during the game, you are probably already dehydrated, and your performance will suffer.
  
  

Mental Preparation

• The night before the game, relax and start visualizing yourself making plays, passes and warming up for the game. Mental preparation is important to your performance and should be done early. You can't just show up at game time and expect to excel. You also need to balance a feeling of being psyched and ready to go with the ability to let the game flow. If you are too tense, you won't perform well either. Again, visualizing yourself playing the game helps to prepare your brain for the demands of the game.
  
  

Stretching

• Warm up your muscles 30 minutes to an hour before the game with dynamic stretches, getting them ready for movements. There are a variety of drills you can do. After a light jog, do exercises designed to loosen specific muscles, especially the hamstrings and calves. If your coach doesn't give you a specific routine, try stretching the hamstrings by bringing your knee of one leg up to your chest. Loosen the hips by doing lunges while jogging in place. Stretch the quads by jogging slowly and kicking your heels up high, trying to touch your hips. The point of warming up is to have your muscles ready to fire but not feel tired by overdoing it.