In American football, every coach, athletic trainer, and performance professional understands the dangers of catastrophic heat injury. The headlines about heat stroke and heat exhaustion in athletes are sobering reminders of what can happen when things go wrong. But here’s what many in football don’t realize:
Even before heat illness is a threat, rising body temperature is already stealing performance—limiting speed, power, decision-making, and recovery.
In other words: temperature management isn’t just about safety—it’s about winning.
The Hidden Performance Killer: Heat
When football players are wearing full pads and helmets, training or competing in high ambient temperatures and humidity, their bodies have to work overtime to stay cool. The challenge? Football uniforms and equipment trap heat, and the sport itself limits natural cooling methods like sweat evaporation.
From a thermodynamics perspective, as core temperature climbs toward and above 102°F (38.9°C), muscles fatigue faster, nerve conduction slows, and reaction times drop. Mentally, rising temperature is linked to poorer decision-making and reduced focus—bad news for quarterbacks reading coverages, linemen reacting to a snap count, or defensive backs tracking receivers.
Even small rises in temperature can cost performance:
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Strength & power drop — Repeated sprints, hard cuts, and explosive drives are harder to sustain.
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Skill execution falters — Decision-making slows and accuracy suffers.
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Recovery stalls — Once overheated, athletes take longer to get back to peak output.
The Physiology of Heat Dissipation — and Why Football Gear Gets in the Way
The human body has specialized areas for heat exchange—glabrous skin surfaces like the palms, soles of the feet, and face—where blood vessels and specialized structures (arteriovenous anastomoses) allow heat to transfer efficiently between blood and the environment.
In football, these portals are often covered: gloves block the palms, helmets cover the forehead, and thick socks insulate the soles. This reduces the body’s ability to dump heat when it needs it most.
Two easy coaching adjustments:
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Tip the helmet back during breaks to expose the forehead and face—simple, but highly effective for radiant heat loss.
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Limit gloves in hot conditions, or encourage players to remove them between reps or during breaks so palms can cool.
Palm Cooling: The Game-Changer
Cooling the glabrous skin isn’t just a comfort measure—it’s a powerful performance tool. By actively drawing heat from the palms (and therefore the circulating blood), palm cooling can bring down core temperature faster than traditional cooling methods like ice towels on the neck.
In controlled settings, palm cooling has been shown to:
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Extend time to fatigue in repeated sprint efforts.
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Improve recovery between high-intensity bouts.
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Help athletes sustain higher power outputs in the heat.
A recent peer-reviewed study using AVA Cooling Technology demonstrated that palm cooling improved repeat sprint performance, giving athletes more consistent speed and explosiveness deep into training or competition.
Why Consistent Cooling Matters for Safety
While the primary focus here is performance, consistent temperature control during practice and games also reduces the risk of athletes creeping toward dangerous thresholds.
For players with sickle cell trait, temperature and exertion management is particularly important. Elevated body temperature, combined with intense exertion, can increase risk of exertional sickling events. Regular palm cooling breaks can help keep temperatures—and risk—lower.
Programs Leading the Way
Top football programs have already embraced glabrous skin cooling, including:
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University of Georgia
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Virginia Tech
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NFL teams like the Buffalo Bills, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Las Vegas Raiders
They’ve integrated AVA Cooling Technology into their sideline and training protocols to give their athletes an edge when heat is a factor.
📹 See the Bucs in action using AVA Cooling Technology
Practical Tips for Implementing Cooling in Football
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Plan for cooling just like hydration. Schedule cooling breaks into practice structure—not just reactive cooling when players look tired.
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Remove barriers to heat loss. Helmets up, gloves off, and palms accessible during breaks.
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Use palm cooling devices (like the Anti-Fatigue Charge Bar) to quickly drop body temperature and restore performance capacity.
- Staff should actively hand cooling devices to players during timeouts. -
Educate athletes so they understand cooling isn’t just for when they “feel hot”—it’s a performance strategy.
The Takeaway
Heat isn’t just a safety concern—it’s a competitive disadvantage if unmanaged. Football is a game of inches, and if your players are losing speed, power, and focus because of rising core temperature, you’re giving those inches away.
By making temperature management a performance priority—leveraging strategies like palm cooling, helmet tipping, and glove removal—you can keep your athletes sharper, stronger, and safer in the heat.
AVA Cooling Technology is here to help programs at every level keep their players at peak performance, no matter how hot the conditions.
Sideline Heat Management: Quick Reference for Football Coaches
Boost performance. Reduce risk. Keep your players sharp in the heat.
1. Helmet Tip for Head Cooling
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During breaks, tilt helmets back to expose the forehead and face.
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Allows radiant and convective heat loss.
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Do not fully remove helmet unless safe per equipment policy and when no penalty will be called.
📌 Pro Tip: Combine with shade or a sideline fan for faster cooling.
2. Gloves Off for Palm Cooling and Heat Dumping
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Palms = powerful heat exchange portals.
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Remove gloves between series or drills to release heat.
- Avoid excessive taping over palms if not medically necessary.
3. “Staff-Delivered Cooling” with Palm Cooling (Glabrous Skin Cooling)
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Use devices like the AVA Cooling Anti-Fatigue Charge Bar during breaks.
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Cools blood through palms → lowers core temperature faster.
- Enhances repeat sprint ability, power output, and recovery.
- Staff should actively hand cooling devices to players during timeouts.
4. Cooling Schedule
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Pre-practice/game: 2-3 min cooling just after completing warm up and before kickoff.
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During breaks: 1–2 min between series.
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Halftime: 5 min cooling protocol before second half.
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Post-practice/game: 5–10 min for recovery.
5. Safety Benefits
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Helps prevent dangerous rise toward heat injury.
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Extra protection for players with sickle cell trait.
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Reduces mental fatigue and keeps decision-making sharp.
Programs Already Using This Approach
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University of Georgia
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Virginia Tech
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NFL: Buffalo Bills, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Las Vegas Raiders
Remember: Managing body temperature isn’t just about avoiding heat illness—it’s about keeping players faster, stronger, and sharper when it matters most.