Coaches & Parents
When Is It Too Hot to Play?
Heat stroke is the 3rd leading cause of sudden death in teen athletes. As adults and guardians, be wary of your responsibility to keep athletes healthy and train them to spot and act on heat illnesses.
This also means recognizing when and how to make adjustments to training, practice, games, and other activities according to the weather.
Coaches: You Set the Standard
Coaches are responsible for building asafe, heat-aware culture that involves athletes, parents, and medical staff.
Gradually acclimate athletes to the heat.
Do not limit water access and incorporate frequent water breaks.
Modify or shorten practices in extreme temperatures.
Respect medical staff, parents, and students’ decisions to pull athletes.
Your coach should establish a protocol in the event of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. In the event of heat stroke, emergency services should be called immediately. While waiting for help, cool the person as quickly as possible— move them to a cool place, place ice packs on their pulse points, and soak them in cool water.
Build a Heat Safety Plan
Every team should have a heat emergency plan and should incorporate heat safety into every drill and training.
Set work-to-rest ratios.
Be aware of sweat rate tracking.
Use tools like NWS/CDC HeatRisk and CalHeatScore to assess risk.
California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) schools must follow the Heat Illness Prevention and Acclimatization Policies under the CIF Extreme Heat & Air Quality Policy, including the use of wet bulb globe temperature.
Remember, you don’t need to make a diagnosis.
If a player is showing symptoms of heat illness, remove them from the field. Provide:
Water
Shade
Cold, wet cloth for head and pulse points
Ask someone to get a medical professional