Hey guys!

Seeing how we just finished with a massive heatwave here in California, I felt I simply had to address the issue of playing in the intense heat without… well… passing out.

You see, playing in extreme weather conditions can really be a serious blow to your game. For me, the heat was and still is the absolute worst of them all. It doesn’t matter if you’re a pro like Elena Dementieva or it’s your first day on the court, it’s going to have an effect on you.

Your hands perspire, making it difficult to hold your racket. You begin to feel tired even though it’s only the second game of the match, it’s like your entire energy source has just been sucked out of you.

The merciless heat can weaken your body to the to the point where you need to retire or worse, immediately head to the hospital. Oh no, this isn’t something to take litely.

So, if you’re going to be involved in a match (…for fun or competitive tournament play), you have to be well equipped just in case mother-nature decides to turn it up a notch.  Now, there are quite a few things that’ll save your body from breaking down, but the most important thing on that list by far is staying hydrated.

When you’re in the sun, you’re going to sweat (…duh right).  So, what’s the problem? Well, if the loss of moisture is greater than the fluid that you’re taking in, it’s very likely that you’ll become dehydrated.

And once your dehydration level reaches the amount of 1-2% of your body weight,  it’ll start to significantly affect some of your body’s functions and send your level of performance into the toilet. That’s exactly why you begin to get that sluggish feeling and often times cramp up; your body isn’t getting what it needs to survive and produce.

You see, your body (…muscles, organs, limbs) is  your engine, and whatever liquid you choose to ingest acts as the lubricant or the oil. So, the more liquid you put into your body, the chance you have to effectively fight off the harmful effects from the heat dramatically increases. Everything will run a whole lot smoother.

You won’t find yourself as tired. Your joints won’t feel rigid and rocky. You’ll be moving to the balls much better, and you’ll be able to give your opponent a much harder time throughout the match – thus improving your probability of emerging victorious.

Here are Some Great Drinks 4 You To Energize Your System:

1. Water: Water is the cleanest beverage for your system. It’ll keep you feeling refreshed and hydrated out there. I actually recommend you drink tons of this stuff every single day, not just on match days. This will help you last longer during practice and get more out of it. It’ll make hydration more of a priority in your mind because you’ve incorporated it into a daily routine.  And most importantly, it’ll increase your health overall by eliminating many of the toxins that contaminate your body and make it difficult to perform.

2. Sports Drinks: Sports drinks like Gatorade and Powerade help retain fluid in your system by giving your body a solid dose of  electrolytes and also help maintain sodium balance in the blood. If you choose sports drinks over water, do the same thing as I mentioned above and make it a routine. Indulge during every practice and stay hydrated with it whenever your out there attempting to give a high-level performance.

NOTE: Cooler drinks are absorbed into the body much quicker. So bring a cooler filled with ice if you’re going to be playing on a hot day.

Now listen, you don’t want to just put any old liquid in your system. In fact, certain ones can leave you much worse off than if you didn’t drink anything at all. And by ingesting these types of liquids, they’ll be acting more like sludge in your system rather than lubricant.

So, these are the ones you want to STAY AWAY FROM:

1. Alcohol - This is an extreme toxin to your system and literally sucks the water and any other hydrating liquids right out of your body. Not to mention, it slows your body and your reaction time down tremendously. So, if you think you’re having problems now, add a little Budweiser, and you might as well not even show up to the match .

2. Coffee – Caffeine depletes electrolyte levels and speeds up your cycle of dehydration. No, you don’t want to do that. A cup of  Joe every now and then on a relaxing weekend is ok, but definitely not something you want to do on match day

3. Soda – Soft drinks like Coke or Pepsi have the same effect as coffee. They greatly deplete electrolyte levels. And if you think you can escape these effects by trying caffeine free coke, you better check the label and look at the sugar content, because you definitely don’t want to be gulping down a candy bar’s worth of sugar only to face the infamous “crash” when you’re trying to close out a match or mount a furious comeback.

——-

Listen, I’ve seen too many talented players lose their matches to the scorching sun from trying to be tough and saying “I don’t need to drink, I’ve got it under control.”  I don’t want you to make the same mistake. Develop a hydration routine that does the job, bring along a small ice chest with some water as well as your favorite sport’s drink, and kick the sun’s and your opponent’s butt out there!

All the best,

Brian Hall, Head Coach
TennismindCamp
webmaster@tennismindcamp.com

Tagged as: beat the heat, extreme weather conditions, tennis and the weather, tennis in the sun, tennis strategy