Saturday tournament. Two games. 9am and 1pm. Three hours between final whistle of game one and warm-up of game two.

Most kids play game one fine and play game two terribly. The middle three hours are why.

Within five minutes of the final whistle

Water. A lot. Sixteen ounces minimum.

A small protein and carb snack. A peanut butter sandwich. A turkey wrap. Yogurt. Don’t skip the protein. Carbs alone leave the kid flat at game two.

The next hour

Real food. Not fast food. Pasta with chicken. A sub sandwich. Eggs. Whatever your kid eats normally for a meal.

Don’t wait until two hours before game two. The body needs the calories now.

The hour after that

Rest. Real rest. Lying down if possible. Phone out of hand. Quiet.

The kid resists this. They want to run around with teammates. Don’t let them. Twenty minutes of horizontal time is worth more than the social time.

The 30 minutes before game two

Light snack. Banana. Granola bar. Water.

Stretching. Light. Not aggressive. The body wants to move but not strain.

A quiet moment with the team. Not a big speech. A short reset.

What kills game two

Sugary drinks between games. The crash hits in the second half.

Big greasy meals. The body is digesting, not playing.

Standing in the sun for three hours. Heat exposure compounds.

Hot tubs, cold tubs, anything heroic. They are eleven, not professionals. Standard recovery is fine.

The shade rule

If it’s hot, find shade between games. Even if it means walking to the parking lot. The body recovers in shade three times faster than in direct sun.

The conversation

Don’t review game one between games. Don’t say you missed those two shots in the third. Don’t say coach, are you going to play her at center next game?

The brain needs rest too. The review can happen Sunday.

The team manager’s role

Sets up a shaded area. Has a cooler with cold water and small snacks. Posts the second-game lineup so kids and parents can plan.

If your team doesn’t have this, suggest it. Most team managers will adopt it. The team plays better.

The bench mentality

Sometimes a kid is gassed for game two. The coach sees it and adjusts. The kid plays fewer minutes.

Your job is to support that decision. Coach saw you needed a break. Not coach should have played you more.

The kid plays better in game three when she gets the recovery.

The tournament reality

A three-game day is harder than a two-game day. A two-game day is harder than a one-game day. Your kid will fade. So will every kid on the field.

The team that fades least wins the tournament. The team that fades least is the team with the best between-games discipline.

The discipline is small things done right. Water, food, shade, rest. That’s the plan.