Best Fluids to Drink Before a Basketball Game

Basketball is an intense, full-contact sport that requires a wide range of motions, dexterity, and spatial awareness.  And while preparing for a game of basketball can best be done via individual and team practices and drills, a game of basketball also requires proper nutrition and fluids to perform at your peak.

Below, we are going to review and discuss the best fluids to drink before a basketball game.  In addition to helping you to perform at a higher level, drinking the correct and proper amount of fluids will help to reduce fatigue, exhaustion, and injury.

Why is it Important to Drink a Proper Amount of Fluids Before a Basketball Game?

Basketball is an intense sport.  It requires both offensive and defensive specialization and many NBA and basketball players will complete many total miles from running back-and-forth on the court.  This exertion can cause both a high caloric deficit and an increase in sweat.

Due to the loss of water, via sweat, a basketball player is more likely to face and endure bouts of cramping, headaches, early onset fatigue and exhaustion.  These ailments, while admittedly not deadly, can affect your overall play on the court and may lead to more significant injuries.

Best Fluid to Drink Before a Basketball Game?

Due to the loss of water, via sweat, while you play basketball, the absolute most important and vital fluid to drink before, during, and after a game of basketball is water.  Water makes up nearly 75% of your body’s muscle tissue and helps to regulate your internal temperature.

In addition, water is a natural, uncontaminated fluid.  Containing neither sugars nor calories, water can decrease the likelihood of fatigue, exhaustion, cramping, and headaches.  Water is also a great fluid to quench your thirst, a common complaint of both athletes and basketball players as they compete at higher levels.

And whether you’re looking to play a pick-up game at your local park, a junior varsity game on your high school’s team, or before the NBA Finals, water is the go-to fluid of choice and should be prioritized over other fluids.

Alternative Fluids to Water to Drink Before a Basketball Game

However, there are some alternatives to water which can make a great replacement.  While it is recommended and encouraged to drink water, these alternatives can be both substituted and used in conjunction to drinking water. 

These alternatives are none other than sports drinks.  Popularized in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, sports drinks are a growing market and oftentimes make a great replacement, alternative, or supplement to water. 

The major three sports drinks currently on the market are Gatorade, Powerade, and Body Armor.  Although each brand has a specific, formulated, and patented blend, they typically produce similar results via the replacement of electrolytes lost via sweat.

And sports drinks, unlike water, contain a number of electrolytes which can be used to replace, replenish, regulate,  and help control the balance of fluids in the body.  And, unlike water, many sports drinks also contain a mix of vitamins, sodium, and calories to help replace and replenish that which was lost during play.

While it is always encouraged to drink and prioritize water over any other drinks or fluids, sports drinks can be a great alternative.  However, unlike water, sports drinks can have an excess amount of calories, sugars, and sodium.  If you are looking to limit your caloric, sugar, or sodium intake, you should consult with your doctor before consuming sports drinks.

How Much Fluids to Drink Before a Basketball Game?

Generally, an athlete or basketball player should drink roughly half their body weight in ounces of water per day.  For example, a basketball player weighing in at 200-pounds should look to consume 100-ounces of water per day.  Similarly, a basketball weighing in at 150-pounds should look to consumer roughly 75-ounces of water per day.

However, due to the stress and exertion placed on a basketball players body during a game, it is important to increase the total amount of proper fluids consumed before a game. 

While there is no hard-and-fast rule, generally a basketball player should look to drink 16-ounces of water or a sports drink within two-hours of an upcoming basketball game. 

Similarly, that same basketball player should continue replenishing the fluids lost during play by drinking approximately 4-6 ounces of proper fluids every twenty minutes during play.

And lastly, that same basketball player should continue to hydrate and replace lost fluids after a basketball game by consuming an additional 16-24 ounces of proper fluids post game.

And while these are not hard-and-fast rules, they are rough guidelines which can help you to reduce the likelihood of fatigue, exhaustion, cramping, and headaches.  However, each individual athlete knows their own body best.  If you feel thirsty or fatigued or cramping, then be sure to replenish lost fluids immediately.

Similarly, if you feel that you may have consumed too many fluids, then don’t continue to overdo it.  Let your body properly and fully digest the fluids already consumed before continuing to drink additional fluids.  Again, trust your body and be sure to speak to a medical professional with any concerns or questions you may have.

Fluids to Avoid Before a Basketball Game

While it is extremely important to ensure that you are hydrating properly before a basketball game by drinking both water and sports drinks, there are a number of drinks you should avoid as best as possible before a game of basketball. 

These drinks will not only provide little to no additional nutritional value, but they can also increase your chances of cramping, developing a headache, and feeling dehydrated while out on the court.  To avoid those issues, you should both avoid these fluids and drinks and stick to both water and sports drinks.

• Coffee
• Tea
• Energy Drinks (Red Bull, Monster)
• Juices
• Milk
• Alcohol

Can You Drink Too Much Water?

Perhaps surprisingly, but yes, you can in fact drink too much water.  Doing so is called water intoxication and can potentially be fatal.  However, to best avoid water intoxication, you should consume your allocated amount of water within a few hours.  Don’t chug or force yourself to consume water in a short-period and be sure to space out the amount of time in which you consume the water.