Summer Heat Strategies

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marriard

Not lost - just no idea where I am
Oct 2, 2011
4,312
113
Florida
Hydrate... and hydrate...

Start 2 days before - in 100 degree weather you can maintain your hydration level but you are not going to re-hydrate.

If you are in the dugout, you have a water bottle in your hand and you continue to sip from it continually Don't gulp water - drink it constantly. First thing you do when you get into the dugout - have a drink. Most of our players just drink a LOT of water.

Fruit salads - cantaloupe, watermelon, grapes, pineapple - all are really good. It is pretty much all my DD eats through the day.

We use ziploc bags full of water and ice rather than cooling towels. Just take one, fill it with ice and water and put it on the back of your neck/top of your head. Avoids the issues [MENTION=10413]riseball[/MENTION] brings up. We don't reuse the bags.

Get the shady dugout if possible (i.e. get their first)

Buy some big old industrial drum fans and a generator. These help as well and for ~$200 they pack a wallop.

Lastly - stay in the winners bracket. The schedule and heat are much easier to handle if you are in the winners bracket. :)
 
Feb 17, 2014
7,152
113
Orlando, FL
Often after the first inning we utilize a hurry up defense. One and down, no infield balls. No high fives in the circle. Pitcher works efficiently pitching to contact. Looking for a 3 pitch inning. We very often spend only about 5 minutes on defense and put the competition right back in the heat while we sit in the shade. On weekends with no tournament we practice 3-4 hours in the heat of the day. We know we know that on hot days we can out last any team.
 
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Mar 8, 2016
313
63
Riseball is correct girls should not be sharing a cooler for their towels. DD's current team had half the team come down with a skin infection after doing this at a tournament. The risk of this happening is low but it is easily preventable. The girls need to have their cooling towels in individual ziplock bags before they go into a shared cooler.
 
Mar 1, 2016
195
18
If the girls want to share a cooler for their towels, that's fine, but make it one of those coolers with a spigot on the bottom so they can just soak their towels with untainted water. They might even use it for what it was intended - drinking.

DD is a catcher is southeast Texas. Only thing she does is drink water, water, and more water. We also spend more time outside doing stuff (tee work, batting cage, blocking and framing drills, mowing yard) than we do inside where it's air conditioned. I think that has helped her get used to the heat and humidity, so now she doesn't suffer nearly as much at age 16 as she did when she was 12. 2 days ago was 95 degrees, 60% humidity, on turf. Her uni was soaked, went through a gallon of water, never complained, never slowed down.


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I have a one-gallon Igloo container that is meant to keep beverages cold. On game day, I fill it to the top with ice and then fill about three quarters with cold water. I put a very thin (cheap) dish towel in there and my daughter always has it in the dugout with her. The thin towel is good because it doesn't hold a lot of water and make a big mess, but it stays really cold when you wring it out and can be used to wipe the face and neck. Also, just submerging your hands in ice-cold water makes you feel cooler (a trick I learned as a short order cook in my college days). The igloo does a pretty decent job of holding the ice for a day, except when the top is left off.

She does not share her towel or ice water (it's not for drinking, just dunking the towel and her hands). DD caught five games in 90+ heat this past weekend -- her backup was kind enough to spell her for one inning before asking out. We also have plenty of fruit and a protein-heavy sandwich for between games, turkey or BLTs are a favorite. I've heard others express concern about Gatorade, but DD has been naturally gravitating to water bottles on her own.
 
Aug 24, 2016
16
3
On warm-to-hot days we have a bucket of ice water in the dugout, and we require every girl to have a cooling towel in their bag as part of their game gear. At the start of the game, all the girls drop their towel in the bucket to soak. Between innings, a chilled on the back of the neck (or face, or head) does wonders for cooling down.

Of course, this is in addition to staying well-hydrated.

Also, add a 2oz. bottle of spirits of ammonia (Aromatic Ammonia Spirit U.S.P.) to every couple of gallons of water and ice. Breathing thru your nose (from the soaked towel) on occasion will help clear your head and cool you down. Try a little at a time so not to be to strong.
 
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