You play the way you practice. Every athlete at any level has heard this motivational speech from his coaches before. Coaches know that practicing is essential to progress, but if done inefficiently or incorrectly, it can actually hinder one's improvement.
JohnEric Smith, Ph.D., a Senior Scientist at the Gatorade Sports Science Institute, wants athletes and coaches to use that same concept and apply it to proper hydration during cold weather seasons.
"Coaches and athletes should realize that practice is not only the time to learn plays and improve skills, it is also the practice time for identifying proper hydration and nutrition plans for the athletes," said Smith, who also serves as a member for USA Football's Football and Wellness Committee. "It would be unfortunate for athletes to make a more focused effort of staying hydrated or nourished in a game only to make themselves uncomfortable or sick from drinking or eating more than they are accustomed to."
According to Smith, over-heating and dehydration remain concerns for the performance and health of athletes during the cold seasons. Even though the weather is cooling off, athletes still produce a significant amount of heat which leads to profuse sweating and loss of fluids. To make matters worse, the cold weather often reduces their drive to drink and can ultimately lead to dehydration and fatigue.
Smith emphasizes the importance of monitoring a player's hydration before and after workouts.
"The best way to be sure athletes are properly hydrated is to weigh them before and after games," he said. "Proper hydration will be reflected by maintenance of pre- to post- body weight. It should be stressed that body weight should not increase from the pre- to post- measure."
Making sure your athlete arrives to practice or games at the sufficient hydration level will greatly decrease the chances of dehydration and even injury.
"Most athletes arrive at practices and games below adequate hydration levels," Smith said. "A good indicator of hydration is urine color. Ideally urine will be a lemonade color. If urine is darker than lemonade, an athlete should likely drink more fluid, if urine is clear an athlete may need to drink less in the future."
Besides hydration, proper rest and nutrition are also important for performance. Also, coaches and parents need to be sure that their players are dressed appropriately based on the conditions in which they will be playing.
Every situation will be different, but the only way to ensure the safety and health of youth players is to identify good habits and try them out in practice. As Smith points out, "It's better to identify the best hydration, nutrition, rest, and clothing strategies in practice rather than making the changes when the game is on the line."
