You have got to have a canopy as far as I am concerned. I agree with the hydration guys and the physical fitness guys but if you are not taking a canopy to tournaments then you are missing out. Besides keeping the sun off them, it also provides a place for them to relax and stay together. Put you a couple of fans in there, have ur frogs togs, and water then you will be set.
Playing tournaments in the heat - advice from the experts
- Thread starter Mom_Coach_Fan
- Start date
Welcome to Discuss Fastpitch
Your FREE Account is waiting to the Best Softball Community on the Web.
Coconut water hydrates really well. It also comes in orange and lemon flavors too. Non-flavored shaved ice..... we do this before, during and after games. Just another way to get fluids.
We just found Ojio Sport electrolyte packets - they work really well and the flavor isn't bad. We also have "Ice cold towels" - they stay cool for hours. icecoldtowels.com. These are great for hot days for athletes and for elderly spectators.
We just found Ojio Sport electrolyte packets - they work really well and the flavor isn't bad. We also have "Ice cold towels" - they stay cool for hours. icecoldtowels.com. These are great for hot days for athletes and for elderly spectators.
Thanks to all for the advice and recommendations. The girls played much better this past weekend and thankfully the heat was not an issue. I believe we have two areas for improvement for the team - conditioning in the heat/humidity and hydration (especially well before the weekend).
- May 17, 2012
- 2,848
- 113
Did you stop the tournament and do baseline testing on all teams to determine fitness levels?
All the teams? I made a statement about the teams "on the field" during my game (that would be two). It's usually not that tough to see who is in shape.
Im here in good ol' Texas and the heat gets bad here. We practice our girls in the heat every Sunday so they get use to it as the days get hotter. We encourage them to be hydrating early in the week and to stay as hydrated a possible during tournaments. We stress off your feet during water breaks so the girls learn to truly rest and get water so there bodies can preform at an elite level in the heat. I highly recommend G2 over Gatorade it has been recommended by many doctors to our team and works wonders even on me as a coach. The frog togs are awesome too. We like to keep a lot of fruit around as well to help the girls. The best you can do is encourage your girls to get there body use to the heat so instead of sitting around in the AC all week have them sit out side for a bit and When it comes time to play in there heat the body can adjust better if it has spent time in the setting. And stay hydrated constant water water water.
- Sep 29, 2014
- 2,418
- 113
I was in Texas for many years, the canopy hangout area between games is a must thing we usually put 3 or 4 together. Hydrate then hydrate some more it is possible to over hydrate but not as likely as dehydration. If she is catching and the schedule has you playing 3 games either in a row or with only one break you might want to consider playing your #2 catcher, I know that is usually trying to come up through the loser bracket but you can see it in their eyes. I have had a catcher say she wants to keep playing she looks like she just got out of a swimming pool and you can tell she is dragging, you just make the switch anyway, it's just not worth messing with. Also in blow outs either way pull your catcher and make her sit in the shade. cool towels that go around the neck are something the girls seemed to like too not sure how effect they were but it made them feel better
Hydrate, hydrate and hydrate. Start two days before tournaments and encourage a no-soda drinking policy as a honor code, encourage healthy eating habits, go lightly on sugar sport drinks, cooler with Florida water (cheap cologne mixed with ice water to dip towels in) and relax at the pool at end of day. We also provide our girls with food during the tournament to discourage them from fried stuff out of the ball field slop.
Just about everything has been covered already. Water is 75% of the body so when the body is low on water it's going to slow down. Hydration is the key but what is hydrated? For my DD she will drink 15 bottles of water on a Saturday and then another 10 before bed that night. Seems like a lot but the first 8 cups of water are just what the body needs on a normal day.
Dinner on Friday or Saturday needs to cover all the food groups, we eat a lot of pasta on Friday and Saturday nights. If it works for Marathon runners it should work for softball players also.
Conditioning program will make the difference and you will know which girls worked hard during conditioning and which ones didn't come june/july. You will also know which ones didn't hydrate before bed and which ones stayed up late.
Dinner on Friday or Saturday needs to cover all the food groups, we eat a lot of pasta on Friday and Saturday nights. If it works for Marathon runners it should work for softball players also.
Conditioning program will make the difference and you will know which girls worked hard during conditioning and which ones didn't come june/july. You will also know which ones didn't hydrate before bed and which ones stayed up late.
