Keeping Your Team Refreshed During the Game: 10 Tips

Preserving your players’ health begins with preventing dehydration and heat-related illnesses. It can be easy to forget these smaller details when you and your team are excited to compete, of course. But proper hydration is crucial.

Here are the top ten tips for keeping your team refreshed during the game.

1. Ditch the Caffeine

All fluids provide relief from thirst, but you should advise your players to stay away from energy drinks. Caffeine prompts your kidneys to flush extra sodium from your body, increasing urination — and dehydration.

Another reason to avoid such beverages besides dehydration is the risk to those with heart conditions. The electrolyte imbalance from sodium loss alone could affect those with hidden defects, and 34 people have died from cardiovascular issues after consuming energy drinks.

2. Have Water on Hand

You probably heard the 8-ounces of water, 8-glasses a day rule. However, those guidelines apply only to the average individual, and you and your teammates are each unique athletes.

The amount of water you need varies based on your level of exertion, external temperature and body composition, so it’s impossible to pinpoint a precise formula that fits all. However, experts recommend drinking 17 to 20 ounces of water two to three hours before practice or a match.

Athletes should also consume water every 15 to 20 minutes of play, and you can’t rely on them to bring bottles. Coaches should invest in coolers ranging anywhere from 20 gallons to 140 gallons in capacity, depending on their sport and team size.

3. Understand the Mechanics of Heat

Your body heats up in the following four ways — radiation, convection, conduction and evaporation. While you can’t do much about the weather or sweating when you work out, you can use your knowledge to stay fresher during the game. Pre-cooling your body with a cold shower or damp towels can help you perform better on sticky days.

4. Hold Weekend Games Before 11 or After 2

If you play an outdoor sport like soccer, try to host weekend matches in the morning or after 2 p.m. The sun is hottest during midday, and you also increase the risk of sunburn during these hours. Both other players and spectators will thank you.

5. Have Players Dress Appropriately

You don’t want your players to overheat, but nor do you want to risk hypothermia while playing winter sports. Advise your team to dress in layers on game day and bring a change of clothes for after the game. Once their core temperature drops after exertion, they can start to shiver even in warm conditions.

6. Keep Refrigerated Towels Handy

Applying ice directly to the skin can lead to frostbite within minutes in some conditions. Here’s where a larger capacity cooler comes in handy — stock it with refrigerated towels your players can use to cool down during the game. 

7. Provide Plenty of Fans

No, not the kind who cheer, though hopefully, you have plenty of those, too. Remember, one of your body’s mechanics for dispelling excess heat is evaporation. Getting a breeze going replaces humid air with a cool breeze, letting sweat dry.

8. Put a Cool Rag in Their Helmet

While it’s not true that you lose half your heat through your head, it is responsible for around 10%. Placing a cool rag inside your players’ ball caps or helmets can help lower their body temps. Make sure you use something absorbent so that the water doesn’t trickle into their eyes. 

9. Embrace Misting Devices

If you go to nearly any outdoor shopping plaza in the desert southwest, you’ll stroll below lines of misting fans designed to keep folks cooler. You can do the same. Consider providing your team members with a wearable misting fan — they cost little because you can buy in bulk, and they make a fabulous “welcome back” gift.

10. Learn the Warning Signs of Heat-Related Illness

Finally, as a coach, you should learn the signs of heat-related illness and teach them to your players. If your team members exhibit symptoms like heavy sweating and a fast, weak pulse coupled with weakness and nausea, don’t encourage them to “play through.” Get them out of the heat and into a shady, cool place immediately.

If their condition doesn’t improve, seek medical attention. While it’s okay to let a player sip a cool (not cold) drink if they are coherent, you should never administer fluids to those with heatstroke — call 911 instead.

Keep Your Team Refreshed During the Game With These 10 Tips

You and your players are probably more excited to hit the field or court this year than ever. Ensure your team has a safe season by following the above ten tips for keeping your team refreshed during the game.

Author Bio:

Oscar Collins is the managing editor at Modded. He writes about cars, fitness, the outdoors and more. Follow @TModded on Twitter for more articles from the Modded team.