Water Breaks....Really?

TripDDs wrote:Apparently the trend of competitive soccer becoming rec soccer continues..... get out the participation trophies and make sure all players, regardless of skill or condition get equal time.

MoveYourFeet wrote:

go99 wrote:Water breaks are there to supplement bad parenting.  A kid that is properly hydrated before the game should be able to make it to the half.  And if you are dehydrated at the water break and taking on water at that point it is really too late.  But the reality is there is no way they can count on parents to make sure that their kid has been drinking not only regular fluids but extra to account for the additional activity.

There was a hydration study done years ago where they set up doctors to test the hydration levels of kids before their games. I wish I could find it again, but I can't seem to. From what I remember, well over half the kids were already at dehydrated levels going into their game. They were already at such a disadvantage going into their matches, and it was all because of their parent's ignorance.

And if my kid's team loses a competitive advantage over another team because safety is being administered, so be it. I'll take the health of these kids over competitive edge any day. And being that this is in an 03 forum, really?!?! These games mean very little. Come back to me when your kid is in college and tell me how important the grade school game results were.

rdwntx wrote:FYI for you drill sergeant mentality coaches before you end up with a kid with heat stroke during your practice session.

There are quite a few basic differences in the chemical makeup of children that make it harder for them to regulate body temperature than adults.

1. Children have more body surface area than body weight, so when the outside temperature is higher than body temperature, children tend to gain heat faster than adults. Don’t let their smaller size deceive you.

2.During exercise, children generate up to 20% to 25% more heat for their body weight than adults. Youngsters’ higher metabolic rates also contribute to the higher amounts   of heat that kids can generate with exercise and activities.

3. Movements that are unrefined and inefficient produce more heat in kids than older athletes who have mastered their techniques and have more smooth movements.
   
4. The amount of blood pumped during exercise is less in children than adults, so there is less ability to move heat to the skin to give off heat.

5. Children have immature sweating mechanisms and also sweat less than adults, so they have less ability to get rid of heat by evaporation of sweat. They do not have as many sweat glands, and those sweat glands are not as efficient as adults. Getting sunburned also decreases the ability of the sweat glands to perform, so wearing sunscreen is a must (in addition to protecting their skin from premature aging and skin cancer).

6.Children adjust to the heat more slowly, so it will take longer for them to get used to summer temperatures and humidity than adults. This process of adaptation is called acclimatization.
   
7. Core body temperature in children rises higher and more quickly with dehydration, so it is even more important to provide drink breaks for young active children. The thirst drive in a child is not as good as an adult’s thirst drive, so taking frequent breaks to drink fluids should be mandatory.

JustaSport wrote:If the players drink before the game, at halftime, and then after the match... the human body is surely built to survive while missing a sip of H2O for 30-35 minutes during play.

. wrote:

rdwntx wrote:FYI for you drill sergeant mentality coaches before you end up with a kid with heat stroke during your practice session.

There are quite a few basic differences in the chemical makeup of children that make it harder for them to regulate body temperature than adults.

1. Children have more body surface area than body weight, so when the outside temperature is higher than body temperature, children tend to gain heat faster than adults. Don’t let their smaller size deceive you.

2.During exercise, children generate up to 20% to 25% more heat for their body weight than adults. Youngsters’ higher metabolic rates also contribute to the higher amounts   of heat that kids can generate with exercise and activities.

3. Movements that are unrefined and inefficient produce more heat in kids than older athletes who have mastered their techniques and have more smooth movements.
   
4. The amount of blood pumped during exercise is less in children than adults, so there is less ability to move heat to the skin to give off heat.

5. Children have immature sweating mechanisms and also sweat less than adults, so they have less ability to get rid of heat by evaporation of sweat. They do not have as many sweat glands, and those sweat glands are not as efficient as adults. Getting sunburned also decreases the ability of the sweat glands to perform, so wearing sunscreen is a must (in addition to protecting their skin from premature aging and skin cancer).

6.Children adjust to the heat more slowly, so it will take longer for them to get used to summer temperatures and humidity than adults. This process of adaptation is called acclimatization.
   
7. Core body temperature in children rises higher and more quickly with dehydration, so it is even more important to provide drink breaks for young active children. The thirst drive in a child is not as good as an adult’s thirst drive, so taking frequent breaks to drink fluids should be mandatory.

Sounds like someone that knows what they are talking about.  Great post.  Thank you

txtransplant wrote:

JustaSport wrote:If the players drink before the game, at halftime, and then after the match... the human body is surely built to survive while missing a sip of H2O for 30-35 minutes during play.

This time last year, I found my DD's teammate in the bathroom at the practice fields, passed out and lying on the dirty bathroom floor. She'd vomited several times, had no color in her face and couldn't stand or walk on her own.

Come to find out she'd been out at the lake all day with one parent and hadn't drank anything aside from soda throughout the day. The few sips of water she had at the beginning of practice did nothing to help her at that point. Within 20 minutes of her being there, she collapsed. Her mother arrived at practice (her parents were divorced) just as we were carrying her out of the bathroom. She acted as if it was no big deal I'd just picked her daughter up off the floor.

These are the kind of parents the league is protecting these children from.

JustaSport wrote:

txtransplant wrote:

JustaSport wrote:If the players drink before the game, at halftime, and then after the match... the human body is surely built to survive while missing a sip of H2O for 30-35 minutes during play.

This time last year, I found my DD's teammate in the bathroom at the practice fields, passed out and lying on the dirty bathroom floor. She'd vomited several times, had no color in her face and couldn't stand or walk on her own.

Come to find out she'd been out at the lake all day with one parent and hadn't drank anything aside from soda throughout the day. The few sips of water she had at the beginning of practice did nothing to help her at that point. Within 20 minutes of her being there, she collapsed. Her mother arrived at practice (her parents were divorced) just as we were carrying her out of the bathroom. She acted as if it was no big deal I'd just picked her daughter up off the floor.

These are the kind of parents the league is protecting these children from.

I don't understand the last statement.  Are you suggesting that the water break in the middle of the game would have been the caveat for the girl you've described?  The girl in your description was a victim of idiotic parenting.  Like I said, I don't have a problem at all with water breaks during games.  But the league's water breaks could not have helped the young girl... since she was at a practice, right?

rdwntx wrote:Justasport - Whether parents are negligent or ignorant is irrelevant. As a coach you are responsible for that player's welfare when they are at your practice or game.

JustaSport wrote:

txtransplant wrote:

JustaSport wrote:If the players drink before the game, at halftime, and then after the match... the human body is surely built to survive while missing a sip of H2O for 30-35 minutes during play.

This time last year, I found my DD's teammate in the bathroom at the practice fields, passed out and lying on the dirty bathroom floor. She'd vomited several times, had no color in her face and couldn't stand or walk on her own.

Come to find out she'd been out at the lake all day with one parent and hadn't drank anything aside from soda throughout the day. The few sips of water she had at the beginning of practice did nothing to help her at that point. Within 20 minutes of her being there, she collapsed. Her mother arrived at practice (her parents were divorced) just as we were carrying her out of the bathroom. She acted as if it was no big deal I'd just picked her daughter up off the floor.

These are the kind of parents the league is protecting these children from.

I don't understand the last statement.  Are you suggesting that the water break in the middle of the game would have been the caveat for the girl you've described?  The girl in your description was a victim of idiotic parenting.  Like I said, I don't have a problem at all with water breaks during games.  But the league's water breaks could not have helped the young girl... since she was at a practice, right?

RunsLikeWind wrote:All of you people with this "flow of the game" stuff crack me up.  This is 03 soccer, there is no "flow" to the game.  As much as the parents like to think their kids play at an expert level, it is all pretty ugly to watch when compared to real soccer.  There is a lot of booting the ball, a lot of chasing, a lot of slow movement and a lot of uncoordinated people trying to do something their bodies are not used to doing.  That is all ok, as that is why they are practicing and working on these things.  But lets not get carried away, there is no reason to insist the "flow" of the game is disturbed by a water break.  That is pure comedy.  

Give the kids a water break and lets keep them safe.  This is supposed to be for fun.  If you want them to "toughen up" have them join the military when they get out of high school.

soccerdad1969 wrote:Water breaks were handled differently at Puma than I've seen elsewhere. Most tourneys let the players go to the sideline but not leave the field for there break. At Puma, they were several minutes long and allowed the players to leave the field and sit in the shade. I think they need breaks during summer tournaments, but keep the players on the field so as to keep disruptions to flow of the game to a minimum.

silentparent wrote:

RunsLikeWind wrote:All of you people with this "flow of the game" stuff crack me up.  This is 03 soccer, there is no "flow" to the game.  As much as the parents like to think their kids play at an expert level, it is all pretty ugly to watch when compared to real soccer.  There is a lot of booting the ball, a lot of chasing, a lot of slow movement and a lot of uncoordinated people trying to do something their bodies are not used to doing.  That is all ok, as that is why they are practicing and working on these things.  But lets not get carried away, there is no reason to insist the "flow" of the game is disturbed by a water break.  That is pure comedy.  

Give the kids a water break and lets keep them safe.  This is supposed to be for fun.  If you want them to "toughen up" have them join the military when they get out of high school.

Rollin on the floor, Rollin on the floor....i love it..   



   

axlefoley wrote:
Rollin on the floor, Rollin on the floor....i love it..   



   

flounder wrote:Water Breaks may be the worst thing for soccer.  I get it if the kids are playing in 100+ weather and you can see they are about to pass out.  Under 100 degrees it totally ruins the momentum of the game.  Part of the game is fitness of the team and substitution management.  Stopage of play totally ruins it.    Back in the day you just sub out of your were out of wind or need water.