Do you ever wonder why so many trainers are necessary on an AFL field and why they are constantly running out to players offering them a drink during a game?
Obviously, the outcome of not drinking enough fluid is dehydration. The notion of avoiding fluid during sport to ‘train’, ‘toughen’ or ‘adjust’ an athletes body to handle dehydration is extremely outdated and scientifically incorrect. Even a very small amount of dehydration will reduce an AFL player's performance.
The Sydney Swans conditioning and medical staff invest considerable time into ensuring the players are doing everything possible to prevent significant dehydration from occurring during training and games. The effects on performance are not limited to elite athletes. Recreational sports people are also affected, as are children.
An AFL player's performance can be reduced due to dehydration even before they notice they are beginning to fade. An increase in heart rate, body temperature and perception of how hard the exercise feels are the first noticeable affects of dehydration. These are accompanied by a decrease in concentration and mental functioning, and a reduction in skill coordination. It is not overstating the importance of hydration to say that during intense, lengthy AFL games the hydration levels of players in a team can be the difference between winning and losing.
As dehydration progresses further muscle cramping can occur. If higher levels of dehydration (over 3-4%) are reached there is an increased risk of nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and other gastro intestinal problems during exercise.
Most players can expect to lose approximately 500-1500ml of fluid (mostly via sweat) per hour. However some players can experience losses of 2 or more litres per hour. It is not unusual for the Swans to use over 50 litres of Powerade in a training session in order to help maximize their hydration status.
Numerous scientific studies have proven sports drink to be a great choice of fluid during most forms of exercise. Consuming a sports drink such as Powerade, in preference to other fluids such as water or cordial, has been shown to improve performance. This is due to two major factors:
1. Sports drinks contain an optimal combination of fluids, carbohydrates and electrolytes which results in improved absorption of fluid; and,
2. The carbohydrate in the sports drink provides the body with extra energy during exercise.
You may notice during a Swans game, the team trainers running onto the field with their Powerade squeezee bottles at every possible opportunity. This helps ensure that the player has the best chance of avoiding dehydration, which in turn results in a faster, more skillful and entertaining game, and helps avoid the severe health consequences that can occur due to dehydration.
Maintaining hydration and energy levels is a critical part of making sure an AFL footballer or a local footy ‘weekend warrior’ performs at his best. Well-formulated sports drinks can help to achieve both of these things. So next time you’re at a game and you see a trainer stop to give your favourite player a drink, hope that he accepts, because having that drink will help to give a better performance for your team and a more skillful spectacle for the crowd.
