Hydration - Critical to Athletes Health

Summer is in full swing and so are your players. Summer should be full of open gym practices, tournament teams, and camps, but not emergency room trips for dehydration. Remember that in any given practice or game your players will loose between 4-8 pounds of sweat that will drain their bodies of vital fluids, nutrients, and energy. To maximize your players' performance, injury prevention, and health in the hot summer games and practices; remember to talk with them about hydration and best practices.

General guidelines for how much athletes should be drinking:

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  Drink 12-20 oz 2-3 hours before exercise.


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  During exercise, drink 6-12 oz every 15-20 minutes.


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  After exercise, drink 24 oz of fluid for every lb. of weight lost through sweat (this can be measured by weighing themselves before and after practice)