Athletes can improve physical performance by up to 9.3% through targeted cooling strategies during competition, according to research from the Helsinki-based HULA sports medicine clinic. By utilizing ice-gel vests during hydration breaks, teams can manage core temperature more effectively than through passive rest, a practice recently adopted by the Norwegian national football team during tournament play.
How cooling vests impact athletic performance
The strategic use of cooling vests during matches addresses the physiological reality that heat accumulation limits endurance. According to the HULA sports medicine clinic, cooling the body during intermittent, high-endurance sports—like football—significantly delays the onset of heat-related fatigue. Pre-cooling athletes in the locker room before a match can provide an additional 5.7% boost in performance, according to the same clinical synthesis.
This is supported by earlier data from the University of Georgia, where researchers found that athletes wearing ice-gel vests during warm-ups performed 5-kilometer runs an average of 13 seconds faster in 32-degree Celsius heat. The study, published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, also noted that these athletes maintained a lower heart rate throughout the exertion period compared to control groups.
Why core temperature is the primary target
Effective thermal management requires lowering the body’s core temperature rather than merely improving subjective comfort. The Hirosimai University research team, writing in Frontiers in Physiology, reports that internal cooling allows athletes to sustain high-intensity effort for longer durations before reaching a state of thermal exhaustion.
The choice of a vest over other cooling methods is a tactical decision based on surface area. Cooling the face or neck provides a rapid improvement in “thermal sensation,” but offers negligible benefit to actual physical output, according to the HULA synthesis. Conversely, cooling the legs is often avoided in football. While the legs offer a large surface area, over-cooling the muscles can hinder explosive power—a critical requirement for players who must transition from walking to sprinting on a moment’s notice.
Cooling the legs of a football player is generally discouraged by sports scientists. While it effectively lowers temperature, it can lead to “over-cooling” of the muscle fibers, which negatively impacts the explosive speed required for short sprints.
The future of tactical hydration breaks
What began as a mandatory break for fluid intake is evolving into a formal window for sideline coaching and physiological recovery. Teams are increasingly treating these intervals as “tactical timeouts,” similar to those seen in American basketball or volleyball. By layering physical cooling—such as the ice-gel vests used by the Norwegian team—with strategic team briefings, managers are turning a regulation-mandated pause into a competitive advantage.
Frequently asked questions
- Do cooling vests actually work? Yes. Studies from the University of Georgia and HULA indicate that pre-cooling and in-match cooling can improve endurance times and lower heart rates in heat.
- Why don’t players use ice packs on their legs? Cooling the legs can reduce the explosive power needed for sprinting, which is counterproductive for footballers.
- Is facial cooling effective for performance? It improves comfort and helps athletes feel better, but it has a minimal impact on overall physical performance compared to core cooling.
Have you noticed teams using new technology during hydration breaks? Join the conversation in the comments below or subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates on sports science and performance trends.
Related reading