Drink before you are thirsty
Start drinking an hour before you play: about 500 ml of water. On court, take a few sips at every change of ends. For sessions over an hour, add a sachet of oral rehydration salts or a sports drink to one bottle.
Pick your hours
Between 12:30pm and 3pm the court surface can pass 50 degrees. We do not run junior sessions then. Early mornings from 6am and evenings from 5pm under the floodlights are the best times to play in Abuja.
Harmattan mornings
From December to February, dust hangs in the air in the mornings. Players with asthma should keep an inhaler courtside, and everyone should warm up longer, because cold dry mornings make muscles stiff. Wipe the balls and grip between games: dust makes them slippery.
Dress for it
Light, loose clothes in pale colours, a cap or visor, and sunscreen reapplied every hour. Wet towels kept in the ice box are a quick way to cool down at changeovers.
Know when to stop
Dizziness, headache, cramps or no sweat at all are signs to stop at once, sit in the shade and drink. Our coaches carry ice towels and a first aid kit, and will always pause play when a player looks unwell.
The best players in hot weather are not the fittest. They are the ones who drank earlier.