I need help with game 1 leg cramp issues

This has been talked about for years here, but I don't know what "search" would take you there. Here, in Florida, this is something we deal with constantly. We talk hydration constantly, he boys just don't listen to us.

I've found that pickle juice is not a preventative, however we use it to stop a cramp once it begins. Also, it works better on some people than others. On those it works on-it's instant, on those it doesn't-it makes them better.

So, it works. But, no one knows WHY it works because the "cure" is instant. So there's no time for it to be digested.
But it's just vinegar that is a little easier to drink because it takes like dill pickles.

Bike riders carry little mustard packets, but I think that make me barf. Mustard has vinegar in it.

Here's the article I read a few years ago.
well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/09/phys-ed-can-pickle-juice-stop-muscle-cramps/

Pickle juice and spoon full of mustard do work.

We have signs above all the urinals that color code what your pee should/shouldn't look like.

Hydration is part of the equation, diet and the trace minerals are another.

Time of hydration and meals play a role.

An individual's ability to deal with lactic acid build up also are a part of the equation.

Also, kids with very little body fat tend to have a problem with cramps, especially early in the year. I keep a box of power bars/protein bars in my locker and give them out to the kids that I know struggle with cramps from time to time

So all in all, there really is not a magic bullet.

This is what we preach to our kids.

DRINK. Drink beyond your thirst. We allow athletes to keep a water bottle with then all during the day. (as long as it is not a distraction/problem) Avoid caffeine. You should drink so much that you are urinating clearly (no color to the urine) as least every 2 hours.

EAT. Most kids don't eat enough of the proper foods, so I am constantly telling athletes in the cafeteria to eat the fruit that is offered (they can get pretty much as much as they want to eat -- apples, bananas, fruit cocktail, etc....) Salt your food. Eat breakfast every day. Even if all you eat is a peanut butter sandwich. We keep jars of peanut butter and loaf bread around all the time in the locker room for kids make a snack. Bring snacks to keep your book bag. EAT SCHOOL LUNCH! It always kills me to see athletes in the cafeteria skipping lunch.

PREGAME MEAL. We eat about 3 1/2 hours before kick off. Chik-Fil-A, chips, banana, brownie, sports drink.

HALF TIME SNACK. We started this a couple of years ago and it has paid dividends. We have 1/2 of 2 types of fruit (apple, banana, pear, grapes) and 2 fig newtons in a cup waiting for the kids when they come off the field.(Parent group sets this up) They also get 12 oz of sports drink with added salt (about 1 pack worth that you get at a fast food restaurant)

AFTER WORK/GAME FOOD. We don't provide food afterwards, but we do encourage kids to replenish not only the fluids they lose, but to eat hardily after they exert themselves. Of course we always have that peanut butter around if they don't/won't/can't get something at home. Getting the right food in your system within 30 minutes of a strenuous work out is important.

Just work hard to educate your kids about nutrition. Make hand outs, put up signs/posters in and around the locker room as reminders, tell the kids over and over, and communicate to parents (many of them need to be educated as well!).

We give them guidelines to help them make wise choices about what and when to eat. We have a recipe for a 'get huge' shake that can be made at home for much less than can be bought in stores.

If you have kids from low income areas, try and provide extra food/meals/snacks since they won't get it from home. A local grocery store gives us the day old bread and perishables close to expiration date stuff once a week for the kids. Often local restaurants will offer to give team meals as a public out reach/advertisement.

Once you do all that, it is still up to the kids to follow through.

Eliminate knee high socks....

Coached about as far south in Louisiana as you can go. With the heat and humidity, breathing in August down here is the equivalent of placing a hot, wet wash cloth over your face and running a couple of 40's.
As mentioned before, eliminate knee high socks. Cramps were a big problem for us when we had all of our players wearing them.
Pedialyte mixed with water worked great for us. Its the stuff recommend for infants and toddlers when they run the risk of dehydration from having diarrhea.

Pedialyte...the kids hydration drink. Had a former NFL player on staff...he swore by it. Kind of expensive so we get it for our guys who get the most PT or those prone to cramping pre-game.

Thank you gentlemen! I took your advice yesterday and had both my running backs go down in the 3rd quarter with leg cramps (unfortunately right toward the end of a drive we couldn't finish). They were back in the game within 5 minutes! It helped a lot, just wish we would've won the game!

OK fellas -
PICKLES???
how much pickle juice? Straight from a jar of pickles? just take out the pickles? or should they eat a pickle?

MUSTARD???
how much? 2 packets? ounces?

any specifics would help...

For those of you guys that use pickle juice on the sidelines, how do you store it on the sidelines? Like do you put it in a special, or labeled, water bottle? We had our first game tonight and had a few starters all cramping up.

Sent from my MB865 using proboards

A mouthful of mustard right as the cramps start. If you don't get them before they have a couple it will not work.

I know this is an old thread, but... there is alot of advice on how to supplement a poor diet. But little to no info on how to adjust the diet of crampers.

In my experience just about every cramp can be put down to poor nutritional habits, especially cramps in the lower leg. How much information do you give your players regarding nutrition? How many of you can afford to have a pregame meal?

In looking at the broader picture of an ahtletes health I have seen a few programms like Jamie Oliver trying to create food awareness in schools. Does anyone have a programm and still has problems?

The best I have found to prevent cramps is coconut water. The stuff with pineapple taste much better than the plain. I started drinking it before any long runs (10+ miles) and it really helped me.

This year we had a player who was getting cramps in the first few games. I started giving him coconut water to drink a half hour before the games and he never had them again.