The first indoor tournament of the season usually looks much the same: waking up earlier than planned, hunting for the one thing that is not in the bag, and walking into the hall ten minutes before the warm-up. Match day can be planned so that none of that is necessary. Below is a plan from the evening before to getting home, designed for indoors, where matches tend to be short and the breaks between them long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Packing in the morning is the easiest way to forget the mouthguard. In the evening the kit is laid out calmly and you can see straight away what is missing. Into the bag go the match kit, a spare set to change into, protective gear, glove, indoor shoes in a separate compartment or a shoe bag, a water bottle and something to eat between matches. The stick is worth inspecting right then, not in the hall. We described a bag layout that works in the post on packing for training and tournaments<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Two things easily forgotten for the hall: a change of shoes for walking around the venue and a warmer top. Indoors, between matches, you often sit in the stands, where it is colder than on the court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The rule is simple and proven in club practice: a normal meal a few hours before the first match, nothing new and nothing experimental on the day of play. Tournament day is the wrong moment to test bars, gels and drinks your body does not know. Water throughout the morning, not half a litre in the car park outside the hall. At a tournament with several matches, what you eat between games matters much more than one big meal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An indoor warm-up is not a shortened version of the outdoor one, but a plan the coach adapts to the conditions of the venue and to what awaits in the match. Indoors the emphasis is usually on short accelerations, stops and turns, and on the first touch at the side-board, because a rebound off a rigid wall behaves differently from the ball going out of play. A general routine that makes a good starting point for the conversation with the coach is in the post warm-up before training and matches<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you are put in to defend penalty corners for your team, this is the moment to check the mask: is it fastened the way it should be, and is nothing restricting your field of vision. We described the details of positioning in the post on indoor hockey rules<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A break at an indoor tournament can last an hour, and it is usually the break that decides how the second match looks. A routine that works: come off the court, put a top on, change the wet shirt for a dry one, drink and eat something light, and around fifteen minutes before the next game do a shortened warm-up. Sitting in a wet shirt for an hour encourages a chill that is hard to make up for just before the next match. What to wear at this time of the season, we gathered in the post what to wear for autumn training<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After coming off the court, it is worth giving yourself a few minutes of gentle movement and stretching instead of getting straight into the car. Then dry clothes, something to eat and a drink. At home the bag goes on the floor, but open: kit out, protective gear spread out, shoes without insoles. The whole procedure takes three minutes and we described it in the post on washing, drying and storing kit<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A bag in which everything lies together. Wet things next to dry ones, shoes next to the shirt for the second match, the stick knocking against the protective gear all the way there. For one training session that is a matter of comfort; at a tournament with three matches it is a real problem, because in the break you need to find a specific thing quickly. A bag with a separate stick compartment and a separate place for shoes sorts this problem out.<\/p>\n\n\n\nMorning: food and drink<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
On arrival: the first twenty minutes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
A hall-specific warm-up<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Between matches<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
After the final whistle<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The day's schedule<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Moment<\/th> What you do<\/th> Common mistake<\/th><\/tr><\/thead> The evening before<\/td> packing the bag, checking the stick and protective gear<\/td> packing in the morning, in a hurry<\/td><\/tr> Morning<\/td> a normal meal, drinking throughout<\/td> a new bar or drink on the day of play<\/td><\/tr> Entering the hall<\/td> changing, shoes, walking around the court<\/td> going into the warm-up straight from the car<\/td><\/tr> Warm-up<\/td> the coach's plan: accelerations, turns, play at the side-board<\/td> copying the outdoor warm-up without adapting it to the hall<\/td><\/tr> Break<\/td> top, dry shirt, drink, light meal<\/td> sitting in a wet shirt<\/td><\/tr> After the matches<\/td> gentle movement, stretching, dry clothes<\/td> getting straight into the car<\/td><\/tr> At home<\/td> emptying the bag, drying the kit<\/td> bag left closed until the next training session<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n One thing that ruins the whole plan<\/h2>\n\n\n\n