i heard this same debate with some freinds of mine, but it was over nicolas anelka and his poor performance due to apparently fasting, it's hard to say, i remember freddie kanoute explained he was fasting, yet it didn't have too much of an impact on his playing, also kolo toure, so it can come down to the individual, i myself have played in football games while fasting and fought in amatuer boxing matches, i found it harder but i was still able to perform well, there could be other reasons for sissoko not plaiyng well, but fasting could be a factor
IE - Sissoko runs a lot and Anelka walks half the damn game.
OBJECTIVE: Ramadan is a period of daylight abstention from liquid or solid nutrients. As sports continue to be scheduled, an understanding of the effects of Ramadan on Muslim athletes is warranted. DESIGN: Two Algerian professional soccer teams (55 men) were studied. Field tests of physical and soccer performance were collected before, at the end and 2 weeks after Ramadan in 2004. Players were queried on sleeping habits and personal perception of training and match performance. SETTING: Field setting at club training ground. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Performance on fitness and skill tests. RESULTS: Performance declined significantly (p<0.05) for speed, agility, dribbling speed and endurance, and most stayed low after the conclusion of Ramadan. Nearly 70% of the players thought that their training and performance were adversely affected during the fast. CONCLUSIONS: The phase shift of food intake and disruption of sleep patterns affect actual and perceived physical performance. Islamic athletes need to explore strategies that will maximise performance during Ramadan.
This might interest some of you. And I still don't care about monks who are in a completely different situation doing things that aren't even remotely similar.
This might interest some of you. And I still don't care about monks who are in a completely different situation doing things that aren't even remotely similar.
