Training Habits

The Sip System: Your Plan for In-Session Hydration

Rhema Adelaja · National Champion & 4x DUX · September 2026 · 6 min read

Feeling your energy drop mid-session? Your random sips of water are not enough. Here is a simple, repeatable plan for hydrating during training to maintain focus and finish strong.

You know the feeling. You are in the last twenty minutes of a tough session. Your legs feel heavy. Your mind feels fuzzy. The simple drills you did easily an hour ago now feel complex. You look at your water bottle, still more than half full, and take a big gulp. It is too little, too late.

This drop-off in energy and focus is not a sign of weakness. It is often a sign of poor hydration management during your session. Most athletes I work with are good at drinking water before and after training. The part they neglect is the bit in the middle. The part that makes all the difference.

You think you are doing enough because you drink when you feel thirsty. This is the single biggest mistake you can make with your hydration. It is a reactive habit, and high performance is built on proactive habits.

Why 'Drinking When Thirsty' Fails You

Waiting until you feel thirsty is like waiting for the fuel light to flash in a car before you look for a petrol station. By the time the warning appears, the problem is already here. Thirst is a delayed signal. Research shows that by the time your brain tells you to drink, your performance is already impaired.

Losing as little as 2% of your body weight in fluid can seriously affect your physical ability. For a 70kg athlete, that is just 1.4 litres of sweat. It is an amount you can easily lose in a single hard training session, especially in the heat. This is not a small detail. It is a fundamental part of managing your body.

It Is More Than Just Tiredness

Dehydration does more than make your muscles feel tired. It directly impacts your brain. Your concentration suffers. Your reaction time slows down. Your decision-making becomes poor.

Think about what that means in your sport. It means being a fraction of a second late to a tackle. It means choosing the wrong pass under pressure. It means missing the shot you would normally make. These small moments are what separate good from great. Your hydration strategy is directly connected to your mental sharpness.

The Sip System: A Simple Plan for Fuelling Your Work

The solution is to stop guessing. You need a system. A simple, repeatable plan for taking in fluid throughout your session, not just when you remember. This is not about complex science. It is about building a professional habit that supports your performance from the first minute to the last.

I call it the Sip System. It has one clear rule and a simple rhythm to follow.

The Rule: A Few Big Gulps Every 15 Minutes

Forget thirst. Your new cue is the clock. The goal is to consistently replace the fluid you are sweating out. Leading sports science bodies recommend a steady intake during exercise. A good target is to drink about 200 to 300 millilitres every 15 to 20 minutes.

Do not get obsessed with the exact measurement. Think of it as three or four big gulps from your bottle. The important thing is the consistency. Small amounts, often. This approach maintains fluid balance effectively without making you feel bloated or full.

The Rhythm: Find Your Cues

The best way to build this habit is to link it to the natural rhythm of your training session. Do not wait for a formal water break that might never come. Create your own.

Link your sips to specific cues. For example, you could drink every time your coach stops a drill to explain the next one. Or every time you switch from offence to defence. Find the small, two-minute windows in your session and use them. This turns hydration from an afterthought into a deliberate part of your training behaviour.

I Learnt This Lesson the Hard Way

Early in my career, I played in a major tournament final. I felt fantastic during the warm-up. I started the game strong, full of energy. But as the match went on, I faded. Badly. In the final quarter, I felt like I was running in sand. I made simple mistakes. I felt a step behind everyone else. We lost the game.

Afterwards, my mentor did not talk about my skills or my fitness. She asked to see my water bottle. It was almost full. She told me, 'Your talent means nothing if your body runs out of fuel'. I had been so focused on the game that I completely forgot to drink. I relied on thirst, and it cost me.

That day changed my entire approach. I started using a timer. I made a conscious plan to drink at every single break in play. The difference was immediate. My energy was consistent. My focus stayed sharp right to the final whistle. It was not a magical change in fitness. It was just a simple, repeatable plan.

Make Your Plan Automatic

You can make this change too. Your goal is to make consistent hydration an automatic habit, something you do without thinking. Here are three simple ways to start.

What About Sports Drinks?

For most sessions under an hour, water is perfect. But if you are training for longer than 60 minutes, or in very hot conditions, a sports drink can be more effective. The carbohydrates provide extra energy, and the electrolytes like sodium help your body absorb and retain the fluid you are drinking. Choose a standard sports drink, not a sugary energy drink. The purpose is fuel and hydration, not a caffeine hit.

Your next training session is your first opportunity to put this into practice. Do not try to be perfect. Just try to be consistent.

Here is your task. Before your next session, set an alarm on your watch to repeat every 15 minutes. When it goes off, stop what you are doing and take three big gulps of water. That is it. Do just that one thing. Notice how you feel in the last part of your session. See for yourself what a difference a simple system can make.