SNOW- Say it aint so!

It’s the playoff’s and both Colorado and Minnesota have made their impressions upon the NL and AL division series respectively. Weather conditions have proven to be an issue for teams and with the opening of target Field in Minnesota next year – an outdoor stadium- should we be gearing up for playoffs in the snow? If so- what does a strength and conditioning coach need to be aware of when it comes to climate?

From a broad sense- we are aware for the effects of excessive heat- and in baseball- we are generally geared for this- increasing hydration and electrolytes, and using cold vests to core temperatures for pitchers and catchers.
In cold environments- the key issue is the rate of cooling between innings. Players may need to keep moving around in the dugout and re-address warm ups between long innings- or when coming into the game as a substitution. Urine production also increases in cold weather- which may increase fluid loss in the athlete- so what may not be apparent here too- is the need for hydration monitoring.
Remember- a “thirsty” athlete is one that has already hit the dehydration mark. As a general rule athletes should try to consume 200-500ml of fluid (Gatorade or water) 2 hours prior to activity time. This for some is both prior to – and immediately following or during Team Batting practice.
Players should consume 125ml of fluid every 30 minutes to ensure hydration consistency.
Jackets of course- and keeping extremities warm (players hands specifically) will add to normalizing the core temperatures, and also assist in the maintenance of high performance.
Snow… Get ready…as payoffs go later into the year- and organizations build the latest trend in ballparks- we could be in for more snowball fights than we have seen in the history of the game.

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