How to beat the heat at a football match？

With the dog days of summer approaching, you or your players may be preparing for the end of summer practices and tournaments. By preparing to play in exceptionally hot weather and combating dehydration, you will be able to run more effective summer sessions.

Hot weather can directly impact player performance. Players will not run as many miles in hot weather as they would in cooler weather. Additionally, running in hot, humid weather further inhibits the body's ability to sweat.

You Need to Sweat

Sweating is the most direct way the human body lowers body heat. In humid weather, the skin must work overtime to facilitate heat loss, thus directly competing with the muscles in the body that need oxygen during exercise. This is why the body tires more easily in hot, humid weather - the body has to do more to regulate temperature, which takes away precious energy from the muscles.

Stay Hydrated

Dehydration can be the end result of this body trying to perform to its normal capacity in hot weather. In hot weather, the body can lose up to 3.5 liters of fluid during a football game, compared to 2 liters in cool weather.

The easiest way to combat physical fatigue and eventual dehydration is to ensure adequate fluid intake. Thirst is an indicator that the body has become dehydrated. If a player loses an average of 3.5 liters, you can see how much fluid the body needs to offset this loss. Research shows that sports drinks can also go a long way toward preventing dehydration by providing the body with much-needed sodium.

A good idea is to drink a sports drink and then immediately drink an equal amount of water. The sodium in sports drinks increases the balance of sodium within the body's cells; this makes the cell receptors more receptive to water in order to diffuse the sodium content throughout the body (think osmosis in high school biology).

Other hot weather tips

Other precautions include: wearing light-colored, lightweight, "moisture-wicking" clothing; holding practices during the early morning or evening hours, not in direct sunlight or during the hottest hours of the day; and maintaining strict fluid intake rules during practice.

Notes for Coaches

Tell your players that it's okay if they need to take a break because of the heat. Make your players feel comfortable with you so you can prevent any heat stroke, dehydration, or heat exhaustion. You don't want your players to get too scared and tell you that they're not feeling well. Especially if you are running a camp where you may have players from out of state traveling to your facility, give them a day or so to acclimate to the hot temperatures, especially if they are coming from a cooler climate.