In her last blog, Carnegie School of Sport Coaching post-grad student Naadrah Hafeez shared her experiences as a Muslim boxing coach and personal trainer during Ramadan. In this last entry, Naadrah lets us into her top tips to appropriately support athletes during this holy period

Ramadan is observed by 1.8 billion Muslims around the world, and
if you’re a coach I’m sure you’ve encountered at least one athlete that is
fasting during this holy month. So how do you cater for the needs of your
athletes that are fasting?

From puberty it becomes obligatory for Muslim boys and girls to
fast during Ramadan. Throughout Ramadan, your Muslim athletes will abstain from
food and water from dawn till dusk, meaning training will be more physically
demanding. As your athletes are fasting they will be prone to dehydration,
fatigue, and a lack of energy in general. In order to combat this, and better
support the needs of your athletes, I have some top tips when coaching!

1) Give your athletes options.

Allow your athlete to make the decision of whether they want to
train during Ramadan or not. As a coach you are there to support the needs of
your athletes; if your athletes feel as though they can train during Ramadan,
then please support them in doing so. The worst thing a coach can do is to tell
their athletes that they can’t train – remember we want to create inclusive
environments for all!

2) Hydration

As a coach, you hold a lot of power. Your athletes will listen
to you over their parents, teachers, siblings etc. Please inform your athletes
of the importance of hydrating properly during Ramadan – especially when
training. In the time between Iftar (sunset meal – breaking of fast) and Suhoor
(pre-dawn meal), athletes should regularly sip on water (not guzzling a whole
bottle in one go!)

After training, upon breaking their fast, as well as water,
athletes should consume drinks with electrolytes and carbohydrates in them
(e.g. coconut water, milkshakes) as research has shown that they retain more
fluid than drinking water alone.

3) Nutrition

Informing your athlete on the correct nutrition is also
important during Ramadan. The worst thing an athlete can have for Suhoor is a
bowl of sugary cereal – their blood sugars will spike and then crash; leaving
them feeling hungry and lacking in energy. Instead they should opt for low GI
foods (e.g. fruits, veggies, high fibre cereals – bran flakes) and lean sources
of protein (chicken, cod, beans and lentils). Greek yogurt is also great to
have at Suhoor as it is high in protein and has a high water content – which
will help with hydration.

For Iftar, your athletes should consume low fibre, high GI
carbohydrates (e.g. pasta, white rice, bread) as this will help replenish
glycogen stores after training. In addition to this, your athletes should
consume fast digesting proteins – this could be in the form of whole foods
(chicken, cod, egg whites, etc) or supplements such as whey protein (if they
are over 18).

4) Time for Technique

Ramadan is demanding on the body and your athletes may lack in
energy at times. When coaching your athletes, try to focus on technique (rather
than strength, speed etc.), as your athletes will be dehydrated and lacking
nutrients, which will make them more susceptible to injury.

If you’re coaching a contact sport, sparring is off the table!

5) Know your athlete!

As coaches, we all have athletes that go above and beyond, with
some of them pushing themselves too far and not knowing when to stop! It is
important that we know our athletes and know when we need to intervene. Each
athlete is an individual, some can cope without food and water, whereas others
may struggle. Don’t be afraid to step in and ask them to sit out and have a breather
for a couple of minutes…Remember as coaches our duty is to safeguard and
support all our athletes!

I hope you enjoyed this blog, if you’re interested in finding out more about coaching/training during Ramadan, then follow me on Instagram @naadrah_1, as I’m currently posting regular health and fitness content tailored to Ramadan!

Contributor: