Bracing for the Cold Season

As autumn and colder weather approach, many sports team websites will be advertising for heavier clothing and gear to protect from the chill. It is important that, as a coach of young athletes, you make sure your players are dressing appropriately. Kids have a tendency to act recklessly and head out into snowstorms without a hat and gloves. Cold weather can be tough on the joints and muscles, not to mention performance, for youngsters.

These are a few tips to keep warm during the fall and winter seasons:

• Layer up. This is perhaps the best-kept secret of the well-dressed New England athlete. Have your athletes show up to the game or practice with three of four layers on, and shed them as necessary. This has the duel benefit of ensuring that the kids are warm enough, and also will helping them get their muscles going and work up a sweat before the match. Plus, they will feel lighter and more responsive as the layers come off.
• Wear gloves in frigid temperatures, not mittens. Mittens have more area in contact with cold air and they keep fingers more isolated from each other. Gloves provide the same barrier, but also allow the fingers and hands to huddle together and rely on existing body temperature to stay warm.
• Put in an extended warm up. The body is like a car - in cold weather, the engine takes longer to get up and running at full capacity. Before jumping into rigorous exercise, make sure your athletes warm up longer than they normally would so that their muscles and ligaments are fully acclimated to the colder temperatures.
• Get warm after the game. Once the race or game is over, youngsters should get back into those layers and get inside if possible. If there is no access to a building, they should stay moving for as long as they can until everyone is ready to get on the bus or head home. If they stagnate after the hard effort, their body temperature can drop with the cold temperature and depleted energy supply.
• Drink hot chocolate. Not only is it delicious, but it provides a welcome mental boost for a job well done along with the sugar the body craves after going deep into its back up supply. Plus, the warm liquid will help restore an athlete’s core temperature.

Coaches should be particularly careful with their athletes in cold weather and can offer their own advice on their team websites.