Beat the Heat

By Bob Temple, Red Line Editorial

Coaches always worry about players when they leave the field.

Are they staying out of trouble? Are they keeping up with their work in the classroom? Are they eating properly? Are they hanging out with the right kids? Are they getting enough sleep?

The list goes on and on.

Once the players arrive at the field, coaches focus on the drills and putting the team together, getting ready for that first game. In recent years, more focus has been put on another in-practice worry for coaches--keeping the players hydrated.

(Back in the day, as the kids say, we called it drinking enough water. But hey, times change.)

Gone are the days when coaches said water breaks were for sissies, or withheld water breaks due to poor performance in practice. These days, we're all enlightened enough to understand that restricting water from players is a dangerous practice. Right?

By the beginning of August, four young football players had already died as a result of heat stroke suffered during football. That's four too many.

There have been a number of well-publicized changes that have come about due to the rise in awareness about hydration. Among them are forced water breaks (coaches making players drink water during practice), "cool tubs" and "cool rooms" being used to keep players' body temperatures in check, holding night practices, allowing players to practice in lighter or no equipment more often, etc.

Helping players get acclimated to the heat by gradually increasing the length and intensity of workouts will help avoid problems, too. I can remember a time, not that long ago, when the first few practices of any sport's season would be the longest and most physically demanding of the entire season. "Gotta get 'em in shape," was the mantra. No more. Or at least, it's less common.

Weighing players before and after practice, which allows coaches to monitor weight loss, also helps.

But there are a couple of less well-known ways to make sure players are staying hydrated. And we can add these to the list of coaches' worries for when the athletes are away from practice.

The first is the color of a player's urine. Not kidding. It may be the simplest way for a player to check, on their own, whether or not they are hydrated.

The test is simple. According to Dr. Bob Murray of the Gatorade Sports Science Institute, if it looks like a very light lemonade, you're hydrated. If it looks like apple juice, you're not.

The second is helping players understand the importance of hydrating themselves before they arrive for practice.

Dr. Murray's recommendations here are simple, too. About two hours before practice, the athlete should drink 6-20 ounces of fluid--water, milk, or a sports drink are OK, sodas and "energy" drinks are not. About one hour before practice, the athlete should drink 6-12 more ounces of water or a sports drink. During and after practice, players should drink as their thirst dictates.

But the key is arriving for practice hydrated at the correct level. If an athlete arrives dehydrated, the chances of them ever getting back to full hydration during practice are small, Murray says.

If coaches take a few minutes to educate their players about these few simple tasks, it will give them a lot less to worry about, both during and after practice.

Story courtesy Red Line Editorial, Inc.

Bob Temple can be reached at btemple@reditorial.com