Sports drinks like Gatorade and others are flavored liquids fortified with electrolytes, potassium, and sodium, all of which the body loses during strenuous exercise. However, according to most experts, losing your body’s stores of these minerals is unlikely to be something to worry about, unless you are doing intense workouts of 3-5 hours or more. In long intensity activities of 3-5 + hours, the athlete may be at risk of excessive hydration called hypoantremia, due to drinking excess water without adequate sodium replacement.

For youth soccer players who practice 2 to 2 1/2 hours straight, the greatest danger seems to come from not drinking enough fluids. Numerous studies have shown that children will drink more of a sports drink than normal water. So compared to water, sports drinks are better as the player will stop drinking water much earlier than a sports drink.

Youth soccer players should drink at least 16 ounces of fluids at least 2 hours before activity and another 48 ounces during a typical 2-hour practice.

Energy drinks should be avoided. Anything caffeinated like Red Bull will give your youth soccer player a quick buzz and a burst of energy, as Red Bull has an amount of caffeine equivalent to about 2 cups of coffee. But the buzz of energy is short-lived and the player is left in a lethargic state. Caffeine actually acts as a diuretic and robs the body of fluids, adding to the dehydration caused by strenuous activity. Make sure your parents know this and do not allow their children to consume these types of drinks before, during or even after practices.

Numerous scientific studies have shown that a well-hydrated player will play with greater intensity, speed and with much higher concentration levels than a poorly hydrated player.

Make sure your players are well hydrated. Ask them to bring water bottles or pitchers with their names on to help their breaks flow more smoothly and avoid confusion. It’s usually quite hot for most of us during that first month of practice, this can be a life and death situation for some players. Always mistake on the safety side. Don’t forget to push for fluid replacement even during cold weather games in November, something many youth soccer coaches forget.