Athletes Guide: Balancing Academics and Sport

As we stare at the start of a new school year, students today face the same problems I did when I was in school. We have all struggled to balance academics and sport. As a previous hockey player and current hockey coach I would like to offer some tips to scholars who find themselves struggling to balance the two. In my experience it comes down to three focus areas: Performance, recovery, and efficiency.

To achieve optimal results in either academics, sport or both, discipline and consistency need to be the foundation. One needs to be able to say no to something if it is not going to contribute to their success in the future. Short term sacrifices, long term success. Having a support structure at home provides an extra layer of accountability on the days you don’t feel like doing anything progressive toward your goals. The question of goals can be frustrating for some, but they automatically allow us to set a list of priorities. Anything that is not progressive towards your goals is simply not a priority.

Through my experience, it helped to prepare what I needed for the next day the night before. No matter what it was, I woke up prepared and started the day on the right foot. Having small, consistent amounts of Low GI foods and a portion of protein one can eat throughout the day is optimal for concentration during class and for performance during practice. When you concentrate in class it makes your homework so much easier. I like to tell my athletes “Food is fuel” which means we need to eat to compete. Along with the food intake I also drank a lot of water to keep me hydrated, this prevented me from feeling tired.

As we know, our bodies need rest to ensure muscle recovery. The ultimate rest we could possibly give to our bodies is to make sure we get at least 8 hours of sleep. This goes together with a good routine. If you have to do the same thing every day but your routine is different, you will fatigue faster. Studies show that the best way to achieve this is by going to bed and waking up at the same time every day. These studies concluded that this is just as important as getting enough quality sleep. To ensure that your routine works for you, you need to look at your subjects and what time of the day you have sport practice. If you attend sport practice late in the afternoon, use the time before practice to do practical homework while you consume your pre-training meal. After your sport practice, do your theory homework. Studies show that being kinetic before studying content that is theory in nature, helps one focus and retain information better.

When it comes to test weeks and sport matches, our routine sometimes feels pointless. Try asking your teachers and coaches for both your test time and your game fixtures. This will help you to plan your academic work, especially if you have away games. I would recommend planning your schedule a week in advance. I say this because your sport fixtures tend to be fixed but you never really know which day you will get a lot of homework or projects that need to be completed by a certain day. The best way to handle this is to do your academic tasks in chronological order as you get them and while you have time, so you don’t leave it to the last minute and stress.

Lastly, after a very busy day, take a hot shower. It might not be pleasant, but a hot shower will allow your body to cool down and enter a state of recovery much faster. Alongside this, hire a strength and conditioning coach if you are a serious athlete.

I have implemented these tips in my High School career and continue to implement them today. Once you find a routine that works for you, you will be able to achieve the best results and balance your sport and academics.

Written by gsport Intern, Jessica de Lira