Most Young Athletes Start Practice Dehydrated. Here's the Fix.

Reviewed by a board-certified sports dietitian

Here’s a number that should stop every sports parent: in one study of elite youth athletes, 76.3% were already dehydrated when they showed up to train (Arnaoutis et al., 2015)^[1]. Not at the end of a hot session, at the start.

Dehydration isn’t just about cramps. Even mild fluid loss can reduce endurance, sap concentration, and raise the risk of heat illness, and kids are more vulnerable to heat than adults.

How much should a young athlete drink?

The American Academy of Pediatrics offers practical targets (via NATA): drink on a schedule around activity, roughly 3–8 oz every 20 minutes during exercise depending on age and size, and rehydrate afterward until fluid losses are replaced^[2]. The simplest at-home check is body-weight change and urine color.

Sodium matters, not just water

Sodium is the main electrolyte lost in sweat, and it helps the body actually retain the fluid it takes in. For longer or hotter sessions, or repeated same-day training, plain water alone isn’t ideal, a drink with sodium helps maintain hydration status (NATA; ACSM)^[3].

The practical routine: arrive hydrated (fluid + a little sodium 30–60 minutes before), sip during, and replace losses after. RALLY Ready puts the fluid and the key electrolytes together in one caffeine-free stick, so “arrive hydrated” is something an athlete can actually do on the way to practice.