I have been an athletic trainer for 26 years, and this is my 1st NATA conference. I have always worked at the secondary school level. I cannot wait to see what is new and bring that information to the start of fall sports in August! See everyone in Philly!

3 hours ago, kluhrsgssi said: Hey @KatieRdATC ! Good to see a familiar face on Fieldhouse! I’m assuming you are talking about our Gx patch? If so, a couple of things: 1) make sure you clean the left ventral forearm thoroughly of any lotions, sunscreen, dirt. Using an alcohol swab is best practice if you have one. Clean the site until no residue is seen on the swab. And make sure the area is completely dry 2) if there is hair on the site it may be best to shave the area to ensure better adherence 3) make sure you press down on the patch firmly for at least 10 seconds using gloves 4) you can also use some tubular elastic stretch netting (a good brand is Surgilast) to wear over the patch. If you are NOT talking about the Gx patch, then I would include the steps above PLUS I would also explore the patch on a different site or multiple sites. We have had practitioners use the forearms on wrestlers but also recommend the scapula as an alternative site. The other sites outside of the ventral forearm and scapula are (dorsal forearm, chest, lower back, tricep, forehead, thigh, and calf). I know there are a LOT of contact areas in wrestling so using multiple sites at the same time might be the best bet (eg one patch on the forearm and one on the scapula OR two on the forearms, one on the scap, and one on the lower back). Lastly, for very sweat athletes that aren’t wrestlers, you don’t have to keep the patch on the athlete the entire practice. Just as long as they wear the patch for at least 20 minutes and the patch is saturated, you can remove the patch and analyze as is. For swimmers, unfortunately you can only sweat rate test these athletes in the pool since patches are not able to be used in the water. You might think about testing them during a conditioning session outside of the pool if the opportunity ever arises. For instance, you could test a swimmer during a run or weight-lifting session if you can get enough of a sweat sample. If there is a movement that could mimic the whole body movement pattern in the pool (maybe a versaclimber?) that might be a good approach. However, keep in mind the sweat profile generated outside of the pool would not necessarily correlate with the same sweat profile in the pool if you were to take this approach. Kevin! Thank you so much for these tips! I was asking about the Gx patch, but I really appreciate how you expanded on other solutions for wrestlers. I love the idea of putting multiple patches on other validated sites to give you the best chance at collecting good data from a session and not having to start all over because an athlete got hit or the patch fell off. I also enjoyed reading through all of the other answers! Thank you and @Veronica Hindle for pouring out your expertise!

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The first official weekend of Summer is here, and with it comes one of my favorite topics to nerd out on with fellow sports dietitians: how do we actually prepare our athletes for the heat — and how do we make hydration something they buy into and get excited about! I'm still thinking about the insights shared at our ASPDA Annual Convention in New Orleans last month, where Dr. Neil Walsh and Dr. Louise Burke both brought the science to life. What the Science Is Telling Us Dr. Walsh's work on heat acclimation is a great reminder that we don't need to send athletes to a sauna or a hot climate to get adaptations. Research from his group has demonstrated that post-exercise hot water immersion on six consecutive days in temperate conditions can elicit meaningful heat acclimation adaptations — including earlier onset of sweating, reduced resting and exercising core body temperature, and reductions in cardiovascular strain. A practical, low-barrier protocol that many of us can implement with our teams right now . Post-exercise Hot Water Immersion Elicits Heat Acclimation Adaptations That Are Retained for at Least Two Weeks On the physiology side, the GSSI reminds us why this matters: heat acclimatization creates biological adaptations that reduce physiological strain, improve comfort, improve exercise capacity, and reduce the risks of serious heat illness during heat stress. Heat Acclimatization to Improve Athletic Performance in Warm-Hot Environments Dr. Burke has long championed the importance of individualized hydration strategies, and GSSI echoes this well: the success of any hydration strategy will depend on the context of the event — duration, intensity, and environment — as well as the characteristics of the individual, including fitness and acclimatization status. https://www.gssiweb.org/en/sports-science-exchange/Article/fluid-intake-strategies-for-optimal-hydration-and-performance-planned-drinking-vs.-drinking-to-thirst Hydration in the Heat: Key Reminders for Practice A few evidence-based points worth emphasizing to your athletes: During intense or long-duration exercise in warm-to-hot conditions, sweat rates can easily top 1 liter per hour . Relying on thirst alone often isn't enough to keep up — a phenomenon called voluntary dehydration — and once a body water deficit passes 2% of body mass, performance starts to take a hit. Athletes who notice white salt stains on clothes or skin may need more sodium during exercise and throughout recovery. A hydration plan removes the guesswork, especially during longer or more intense training sessions. A great plan helps athletes stay ahead of sweat loss and feel better when they're performing. Would love to continue to chat below on exactly how we all are putting these plans together for our athletes! Athlete Hydration 101: A Complete Science & Strategy Guide The GSSI's research also highlights that what's inside the drink matters — from thirst triggers to fluid retention, every ingredient plays a role. https://www.gatorade.com/resources/hydration-science-for-athletes-fluids-electrolytes-recovery Bringing Hydration to Life in Practice This is where I think sports dietitians and athletic trainers have such an edge — we can make hydration fun and memorable for athletes. A few ideas that have worked well (and would love to hear yours!): Sweat rate testing stations during preseason — athletes love seeing their own data, and it's a great anchor for personalized fluid targets Urine color check-ins using the classic hydration chart posted in locker rooms (low-tech, high impact) Summer hydration stations stocked with infused waters, juice and electrolyte mocktails, or even Gatorade Slushies! Pre/post weight checks during hot/high intensity sessions to show athletes how much fluid they're losing and how much they need to drink to get back to baseline Let's Chat What heat acclimation strategies are you implementing this summer? Are you using hot water immersion, sauna protocols, or heat training blocks? And what's your go-to move for making hydration engaging? Drop your questions, tips, beverage recipes, and experiences below. The GSSI library at gssiweb.org is also a fantastic resource if you want to dive deeper into the literature!

Pain free vs. Pain threshold hamstring rehab. 2020.pdf Hey Joe, Thanks for the question(s). As I am sure you are aware, hamstring injuries in baseball and really in any sport are an extremely hot topic. To answer your first question, I feel like a lot of my thoughts have changed throughout the years on hamstring rehab, particularly the early phase. There is an article (attached below) that supports early activation of a hamstring injury without exceeding a 3/10 in pain or discomfort with exercise. We have utilized this with nearly every hamstring injury and seems to 1. get the hamstring feeling better faster and 2. gives the athlete more confidence to progress. Gone are the days where I am waiting for the hamstring to be asymptomatic before starting exercise. Another thing that I have changed is not rushing back into the running progression. In my experience, you can start a running progression too early but rarely can you start one too late. Stressing the hamstring in the training room, weight room, pool, with running mechanics or agilities can be better than starting the linear and curvilinear program too early. A few other things as it relates to the actual running progression - 1. we will use 30 and 60 yard times (home to 1st & home to 2nd) to dictate our percentages as we increase from 70-90ish%. This gives us an accurate time they should be running 30 or 60 yards and to ensure they aren't running too fast for the prescribed intensity. 2. we track yardages. Daily and weekly yardages matter to us to make sure we are dosing total volume appropriately and not spiking weekly volume, particularly when we get closer to games and into a baserunning progression. As always, like you mentioned, each athlete is going to respond differently and the nature of the injury and injury history of the player is going to matter a ton. Curious what you have changed your mind on over the years and what you have done differently?

I love the topic!

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On 5/18/2026 at 6:45 PM, ssehnert said: @Carolina241 Carbs, carbs, and more carbs. Carbohydrates are the fuel for high intensity, repetitive sport. Whether it’s fig bars, bananas, or chews, these types of athletes need carbs to fuel the work required and (carbo)HYDRATE their four quarters. "(carbo)HYDRATE their four quarters" - I LOVE that, Scott!

This weekend, I presented at the Coach Em Up Conference in Austin, TX. I shared my athlete bucketing system for speed development using quadrant systems. Basically what I have done is timed sprints and recorded splits for 0-10yds and 10-20yds and plotted athletes on a quadrant system. I then created a regression line that acted a way to predict the athlete's cumulative 20yd acceleration time based on their 0-10yd split (which is the X variable). Based on this, I can determine if athletes are outperforming or underperforming relative to their predicted 20yd time. This is the late acceleration & maxV bucketing piece. At the same time, I am bucketing them into acceleration proficiency or deficiency by seeing which side of the quadrant they land on (fastest times are on the bottom left). Practically, we are trying to determine if the athlete is able to continue accelerating beyond the first 10yds. If they can't, this indicates a lacking ability to express power and force under shorter and quicker time constraints. I would love to answer questions about this and also hear how all of you profile your athletes!

Hi Brittany! There is no coach-specific app. More information on the Gx app can be found here: https://www.gatorade.com/gx-app