• Improve your physical fitness and adjusting your body to the heat over several days will lower your risk of heat stroke.
• Get fit first, and adjust to the heat for a week or two before formal practices begin by jogging 30-45 minutes a day in the heat in shorts and t-shirt. Be prepared.
• The higher risk for heat stroke occurs in the first few days of training in hot weather. The largest and fattest athletes are the most heat-sensitive.
• On the field, read your body, don't defy Mother Nature, and never ignore early warning signs of illness. Train, don't strain. Don't drive yourself halfway to heaven to make the team.
• Take full advantage of every rest break. Seek shade, take your helmet off, get in front of a misting fan. Sit in a cold tub after practice. The cooler you stay, the better you play.
• Off the field, never skip meals, get plenty of fluids and salts, avoid alcohol, stay cool when you can, and get plenty of sleep.
• Heat stroke is a medical emergency. Early recognition and proper treatment can save lives.
• You may be the first to notice early signs of heat stroke in a teammate or training partner. If so, pull him out, cool him down, and get help fast. When in doubt, cool first and transport to the hospital second.
• Report fever or any illness to your athletic trainer.
• Avoid all stimulants like Ephedra.
• Stay fully hydrated.
• Watch your weight - early weight loss is fluid loss. After a workout drink 16 ounces of fluid for every pound lost.
• Dizziness on standing up is caused by fluid and salt loss.

What to Watch For: Signs of Heat Stroke

Fuzzy Thinking

• Can't follow the plays
• Seems confused
• Suddenly forgetful
• Runs the wrong way

Bizarre Behavior

• Talks nonsense
• Blank stare
• Laughs or cries at the wrong time
• Yells in rage at coach or peers
• Wants to fight for no good reason

Physical Decline

• Begins to lose coordination
• Sudden or unusual fatigue
• Nausea and vomiting
• Chills and goose bumps
• Over breathing, tingly fingers
• Wobbles or staggers, collapses
• Seizure or coma