Endurance and strategy tips for playing outdoors in hot, dry weather?

[chelster 0]

Next weekend my team's going to be playing an inline tournament in Guadalajara, Mexico. It's going most likely going to be very dry, hot, and sunny. The high for the day is usually in the low to mid 90's. Unfortunately our women's team just split in half so we're most likely not going to have any changes and may even have to play shorthanded (3 vs. 4). Obviously not ideal but we don't want to miss the tournament because there are only three or four each year. We're used to 80 degree weather and a more humid environment so it's going to be rough. I'm running stairs to build up my endurance, but does anyone have any good tips on how to play 40 minutes straight (with two timeouts and one half time break)?

And any strategic tips? Perhaps some good plays to maintain possession when we're tired? Endurance aside, with the players we have we're probably in the top half or top third of the teams in the tournament skill-wise, but we will be playing with a novice goalie most likely.

Thanks for any advice!

[Speedz98 15]

By the beard of Zeus, stay hydrated.

[chippa13 1844]

Absolutely, fluids are your friends. Be sure to get plenty of fluids in you the day before and prior to the game. Also, make sure to take water during the game. The rule goes: if you wait until you feel thirsty then you've waited too long.

[shotty 7]

moisture management, hydration and protection from the sun. wear ultra-light, super breathable clothing with UV protection, have a ton of water and sport drink on hand and make sure you've got lots of sun block. i think there is special formula for athletic user that either resists sweat or penetrates quickly. another tip bring a few pairs of socks to every game & change them whenever you get a chance. comfy feet are imperative.

[flyers10 57]

For your playing style try to focus on more spreading out and passing the puck a lot rather than wasting energy skating through people. Let the puck do the work for you.

[Thinkingjack 51]

guadalajara is kind of humid so water is a necessity man, good luck on the trip and the tourney, thats awesome

[fatwabbit 93]

Lots of fluids, and stay in the shade as much as possible. I played in Singapore for years, and always took along 3 litres of water for a 1-2hour session of hockey. 2 and half litres were to drink, the other 0.5 were to pour over the head after (somehow reduces the occurance of headaches from playing in the sun the whole time)... dont ask me the logic on the last one, but its worked for me.

[chelster 0]

Great tips everyone! Thank you! Any meal recommendations for maximizing energy and endurance? I know carbs are really important, and I've also found that taking a couple Omega-3 capsules before playing gives me an extra boost, but is there anything else we could do?

[jds 20]

Great tips everyone! Thank you! Any meal recommendations for maximizing energy and endurance? I know carbs are really important, and I've also found that taking a couple Omega-3 capsules before playing gives me an extra boost, but is there anything else we could do?

Absolutely avoid energy drinks with caffeine as this will dehydrate you and negate the "boost" you may get. The verdict is still out on whether it is better to drink cool beverages or room temp. Some camps say room temp will allow for faster absorption and the other camp suggests that an athlete is more likely to drink more if the beverage is cool and may actually get more fluids into their system. I have always gone with cool when in endurance events for that reason. It is also best to dilute gatorade a bit so you don't consume too much sugar too fast if you are gulping which can lead to stomach distress. Actually, avoid gulping in general-sipping a lot is best. I have actually set my watch during triathlons to beep every 15 minutes or so to remind me to drink because, as an earlier post said, if you wait until you are thirsty, it's too late. Sorry, not much in terms of what to eat in this but hydration is huge. You may dry those energy gels during competition as they are easy to digest.

[#44wannabe 4]

Dilute the Gatorade to 50% of standard concentration and add a teaspoon of salt per 500ml.

Also look into getting some nuun tablets to drop in your water. LINKY DINK

[jds 20]

It should be stated that you should try out any of these products/combos BEFORE your games to see how your body handles them. Everyone is different.