Hi everyone, I'm a slim teenage boy about 5' 8" and 116 lbs. I'm pretty quick around the court but the problem is, I run out of breath after the first 20 rallies. It is a big problem for me because when I'm out of breath I can't coordinate very well and my head gets foggy. A break of a minute or two helps clear my head but I can't take a break that long except in between games. I've tried exhaling while hitting a shot but that doesn't help much. I suspect it's my diet. I would say I eat a pretty "normal" diet except I eat quite a bit of junk food . I do work at Tim Hortons (sorta like a Canadian Dunkin Donuts) so that doesn't help... So my question is, what could be the cause of my lack of breath? Does this sound like a gluten allergy or something? What diet should I try? Thanks!
Not diet problem, but more like stamina needs training. Try rope skipping or jogging for few minutes at a time, then repeat a few sets. That should gradually build up stamina over a few months.
Yep, seems like a stamina problem. But if you feel that you get out of breath too soon or without any physical exertion, go see a doctor and seek medical help. I don't want to scare you, it's probably just a stamina problem, though.
I agree with @visor . If you go for a diet, you will made it worse than before. You should just avoid too much simple carbs and go for complex carbs. Too much sugar and fat is bad. You need to experiment, when you can eat before training/playing and how much and what. 3-4 hours before training works best FOR ME. You should also work on your footwork. I'm a heavy guy, but can make some skinny guys out of breath. Economy of your footwork is an important factor. If your footwork is hectically and inefficient, it can outplay your stamina. You should also try to adjust your play style. Some people choose play styles which don't fit to their stamina, strength and weakness. E.g. You shouldn't be too defensive and controlled if this don't work with you stamina. But I don't know your strength and weakness, so this is just a guess and not much help. Rope skipping and running is excellent for building up stamina, but there can be some other culprits like a too low level of blood sugar, do wrong eating or your footwork or your playing style which don't suit to your abilities. Do you smoke? After I quit smoking several years ago I noticed much better stamina after a few month, without doing anything for it. Do you drink enough? Alot people tend to drink too less. I can say that I need minimum 0,5l per hour during training. Sometimes more. When I ride to the sports hall I drank mostly 2-3l before. A hint: You have 60 seconds at 11 and 120 seconds after a set to calm down. If this helps take this time to win.
