First and most importantly, a hydration protocol should be established for his or her athletes. This should include a rehydration strategy that takes into consideration the athletes’ sweat rate, sports dynamics, environmental factors, acclimatization state, exercise duration, exercise intensity, and individual preferences. Making sure the athletes are aware of their hydration status will encourage them to drink more fluids at appropriate times. But in order for them to be able to consume more fluids, these fluids must be easily accessible. Without having access to fluids, the athletes cannot hydrate themselves. It is the responsibility of the coach to make sure there are fluids available for every training session or competition, either by making his athletes come prepared or discussing it with an athletic trainer, if he or she is available at the school.
In order to keep a consistent level of participation, especially in sports that are long in duration, it is important for the athlete to be properly hydrated at the beginning of the exercise session. A healthy way to guarantee proper pre-exercise hydration is to consume about 500 to 600 mL of water or a sports drink 2 to 3 hours before exercise and 200 to 300 mL of fluids 10 to 20 minutes before exercise. Also, for pre-exercise hydration, 2-3 hours before exercise, consumption of some carbohydrates (CHOs) along with a normal daily diet can increase glycogen stores and may be desirable.
Post-exercise fluid replacement is just as crucial as pre-exercise. Within two hours of activity, rehydration should contain water to restore hydration status, carbohydrates to replenish glycogen stores, and electrolytes to speed rehydration. Consumption of sports drinks is favored for immediate post-exercise rehydration. In events such as tournaments held over a weekend, there are many competitions over only a limited number of days. In these situations, post-exercise fluid replacement becomes crucial in order to keep properly hydrated before each game. Perhaps by the coach mandating pre and post-exercise rehydration for all practices and competitions, athletes will grow a habit of rehydrating and maintaining an appropriate level of hydration for every exercise session.
The types of fluids that are being consumed should also be checked for CHO concentrations. The coach should be aware that drinks with CHO concentrations over 8% should be avoided during exercise because it decreases the rate of fluid emptying from the stomach and absorbed from the intestine, and may have a negative influence on athletic performance. Such drinks include fruit juices, sodas, and some sports drinks.
Finally, the coach should make sure the athletes are aware of the dangers of dehydration. Being aware to these signs and symptoms will highly reduce the chance of dehydration. Signs and symptoms to look out for are: thirst, irritability, general discomfort, headache, weakness, dizziness, cramps, chills, vomiting, nausea, heat or neck heat sensations, and decreased performance. If any of these appear, the athlete should take it upon themselves to rehydrate properly.
Coaches in a high school setting may not always have athletic trainers to support them with matters like this. In those cases, the coaches must take responsibility to make sure there are fluids available at their practice sessions and games. They also have to keep motivating their high school athletes to start thinking seriously about the concept of hydration. In a high school setting, good, effective rehydration comes from things like being aware of daily lunch menus, or staying away from candy and soda. It must also be taken into consideration that most high school facilities are not as well equipped as in most college settings. In most cases, coaches are responsible for all of their athletes’ conditions, so fluid replacement is a good concept to know to keep their kids in shape.