Summer pickleball feels great until the heat quietly narrows your focus, dulls your reactions, and turns easy rallies into slow motion. That's usually when cramps and sloppy decisions begin to creep in.

This week we'll separate myth from physiology so you understand what heat truly does to your body, then lay out a simple match day plan for fluids, electrolytes, and pacing that keeps you cooler, clearer, and on court longer. If you play at midday or indoors without strong airflow, this is the issue to read before your next session.

Also if you get a chance, please take a look at the poll at the end of this week’s issue.

What really breaks down in hot matches and how to protect performance

As temperature and humidity climb, your body shunts more blood toward the skin so sweat can evaporate and carry heat away. This leaves less blood available for working muscles and your gut, creating a slow drift upward in heart rate where the same pace feels harder while decisions get a touch sloppier, even before your legs truly feel heavy. Many players describe this as the court feeling larger, the ball arriving sooner than expected, and a noticeable lag between what they see and when their feet cooperate. This reflects your nervous system protecting itself from overheating while circulation fights to keep up.

Exercise associated muscle cramps rarely stem from a single cause. The usual recipe includes local muscle fatigue, shifts in fluid balance, and sodium losses that change how nerves signal muscles, making late match contractions misfire and refuse to relax. You can cramp while dehydrated, you can cramp while mostly hydrated if sodium intake falls too low for your personal sweat rate, and you can cramp from simple overuse when intensity outpaces conditioning. The smartest prevention plan addresses all three factors rather than chasing one magic fix.

Sweat rates for many recreational players in summer conditions fall somewhere between half a liter and one and a half liters per hour, and your gut can usually absorb close to one liter of cool fluid per hour when the drink contains a modest amount of carbohydrate. A small amount of sugar helps pull fluid across the gut wall more efficiently while sparing muscle glycogen so your legs fatigue later. This lowers cramp risk because tired muscle is the most cramp prone muscle.

Arrive hydrated by sipping steadily in the two hours before play, then aim for roughly two to four good swallows every change of serve or every few points. For most players this lands near 500 to 1,000 ml per hour depending on heat, body size, and pace. If you feel fluid sloshing, burp frequently, or notice your stomach feels heavy, you are outdrinking your gut. Ease the volume and increase frequency because small and steady usually absorbs better than large and infrequent.

Sodium replacement is the quiet hero in hot pickleball because it supports both fluid retention and nerve function. A practical starting point is about 500 to 800 mg of sodium per liter of fluid for average sweaters, while very salty sweaters sometimes need closer to 1,000 mg per liter. You know you live in that group if you see white salt streaks on your hat or shirt after play or if your eyes sting when sweat runs off your brow. If you prefer drinking mostly water, pair it with a small sodium source like salted pretzels, broth based snacks, or a measured electrolyte capsule. Remember that light cramping around the hands or calves late in a match often signals that sodium has fallen behind.

Cold feels good on the skin, yet only certain strategies meaningfully pull down core temperature. Slushy ice drinks before play act like an internal ice pack and can buy you a few cooler minutes at the start. Mid match cooling works best when you place cold towels or ice at the neck, under the arms, and at the groin where blood flow runs high. Shade plus airflow proves more powerful than shade alone, and a light water mist with a fan accelerates evaporation, the mechanism that removes most of your heat during outdoor play.

Your stomach and small intestine adapt to predictable fueling just like muscles adapt to practice. This means you can improve comfort and absorption by rehearsing your drink and salt plan during practice sessions rather than saving it for league night or tournament day. Start with smaller sips more often, build up toward your target hourly volume, and notice which combinations of flavor, temperature, and sweetness you actually enjoy. The best plan is the one you will follow in real heat.

If goosebumps persist in the heat, if your skin feels unusually cool while you feel unwell, if your heart rate stays high when you stop moving, or if your thinking feels foggy, you are drifting toward heat illness. The right move is to cool down in the shade, sip fluids with sodium, and pause play until you feel normal again. Mild dehydration tends to harm decision making and reaction time before it crushes your legs, which is why unforced errors often spike late in hot matches even when rallies still feel manageable.

Most of your cooling during outdoor play comes from evaporation rather than from the coldness of the drink itself, which explains why airflow matters so much and why a wet towel plus a breeze beats a cold towel with no breeze. Menthol mouth rinses can change thermal perception and make you feel cooler, yet they do not reliably lower core temperature, so treat them as comfort rather than protection. A small amount of carbohydrate in your drink can speed fluid absorption, yet too much sugar slows the gut, so think light and steady rather than sweet and heavy.

• Heat shifts blood toward the skin for cooling, leaving less for muscles and gut, so heart rate drifts upward and thinking slows before your legs feel heavy

• Cramps usually reflect a mix of fatigue, fluid loss, and low sodium, so prevention works best when you address all three together

• During play aim for about 500-1,000 ml per hour, taken as small frequent sips, and remember that cool lightly sweet drinks absorb more easily

• Most players do well with about 500-800 mg of sodium per liter, while very salty sweaters may need close to 1,000 mg per liter or salty snacks with water

• Cooling works best through evaporation, so pair shade with airflow and place cold towels at the neck, armpits and groin, while respecting early warning signs like mental fog and elevated resting heart rate

Fluids, electrolytes, cooling, and pacing that fit real pickleball

Begin topping up with steady sips of cool fluid so you arrive ready rather than playing catch up. Aim for about 500 to 750 ml of water that includes a light carbohydrate mix and a measured sodium source, since a little sugar improves absorption and the sodium helps you hold on to what you drink. Eat a small snack that sits well for you such as yogurt with fruit or toast with peanut butter, because a touch of carbohydrate steadies blood sugar and delays fatigue when the court heats up. If the day is very hot, consider an icy slush drink in this window because precooling lowers your starting core temperature and buys you a small buffer before the heat builds. Finish sunscreen and shade planning now so you are not juggling logistics once the first game starts.

Take a few calm swallows rather than a big chug, then add a small measured amount of sodium if your drink is plain water. Do a short dynamic warm up that includes gentle split steps and easy shuffles so blood flow is up without creating early fatigue. If you are prone to overheating, place a cool towel across the back of your neck for a minute and let sweat start to evaporate before the first point. Evaporation is the main engine of cooling during outdoor play and getting air moving early helps more than many players expect.

Most players do well with roughly 500 to 1,000 ml of fluid per hour in summer conditions, which works out to a few good swallows every couple of changeovers. It is better to drink small amounts often than to wait and overload your stomach. Use a sodium concentration near 500 to 800 mg per liter for average sweaters, while very salty sweaters can move toward 1,000 mg per liter. You will know you are in that group if you see white salt lines on a hat or shirt after play or if sweat stings your eyes. If your session runs past an hour, include a modest amount of carbohydrate in the drink or through a simple snack so you spare muscle glycogen and reduce the fatigue component that often triggers cramps. Keep flavors light enough that you actually want to keep drinking in the heat.

Seek shade whenever possible and pair shade with airflow since moving air is what lets sweat evaporate and carry heat away. Use a light water mist plus a small fan if your courts allow it because that combination accelerates cooling more than cold liquid alone. Place cold towels or ice at the neck, in the armpits, and at the groin during breaks, since those areas have higher blood flow and help pull heat from the core more effectively than placing ice on the calves or forearms. Menthol rinses can make you feel cooler for a few minutes but they do not reliably drop core temperature, so treat them as comfort rather than protection and keep focusing on evaporation and airflow.

Open the first game at a controlled effort and build intensity over the first ten to fifteen minutes, because cramps are most likely when fatigued muscles fire repeatedly at high effort without enough recovery. Use the time between serves to take two calm breaths and a sip when needed, call an early timeout if your heart rate feels stuck at a high level, and rotate positions during rec play so you are not repeating the same high stress movements point after point in the sun.

Pause play and move to the shade, then gently lengthen the cramping muscle while you contract the opposite muscle, such as contracting the shin muscles while you lengthen the calf, since that reciprocal pattern often lets the spasm release without a fight. Sip a sodium containing drink and continue light cooling at the neck and groin, and once the cramp eases, return to play with shorter rallies and a little more recovery between points. A small shot of pickle brine can sometimes shorten a cramp through a reflex in the mouth and throat that modulates motor neurons rather than through fast electrolyte replacement. If you use it, treat it as a neural trick and still follow with proper fluids and sodium.

Weigh yourself before and after a long or hot session a few times to learn your personal pattern, and for each pound of body mass lost aim to drink about 500 to 700 ml of fluid over the next hour or two while including sodium and a normal meal so you restore both fluid and electrolytes. If weighing is not practical, continue sipping until your urine returns to a pale yellow and you feel normal again. Avoid the trap of drinking only plain water in large volumes because that can dilute blood sodium and leave you feeling worse.

Pack a large insulated bottle, two or three electrolyte packets with clear sodium content, a cooling towel, a small zip bag for ice, a compact fan or mister if your facility allows it, a brimmed hat, impact rated eyewear if you are playing fast doubles, and a few salty snacks that sit well for you such as pretzels or crackers. When everything lives in one bag you will actually use it, which is the difference between good intentions and real protection during hot spells.

• Before play, start sipping steadily two hours ahead with 500-750 ml of cool fluid containing light carbs and sodium, add a small snack, consider icy slush on very hot days, and finish sunscreen and shade planning

• During play, drink small frequent sips totaling 500-1,000 ml per hour with 500-800 mg sodium per liter for most players, up to 1,000 mg for very salty sweaters, and add carbs after one hour

• For cooling, pair shade with airflow since evaporation pulls heat away, use water mist with a fan when possible, and place cold towels at neck, armpits and groin during breaks

• For pacing and cramps, start controlled and build intensity, take breaths between serves, call timeouts if heart rate stays high, and if cramping starts then lengthen the muscle while contracting the opposite, cool in shade, and sip sodium

• After play, drink 500-700 ml per pound lost with sodium and food, or sip until urine is pale yellow, and keep a kit with insulated bottle, electrolytes, cooling towel, fan, hat, and salty snacks

Hot days reward the players who plan ahead, and if you bring a simple kit, sip steadily, and respect the first signs of heat strain, you will feel fresher in the final games and play with a clearer head. Try the summer match day plan the next time you head to the courts, then let me know what worked for you and what did not, because your feedback helps me refine these guides for real play. If you have a minute, please vote in the poll at the bottom and share which parts you want me to explore next so we can build the next issue around the questions that matter most to you.

Boris.

Disclaimer: This newsletter is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of something you have read in this newsletter.