With summer in full swing and NFL teams beginning to report for training camp, one thing is certain:

Football is back.

In the coming weeks, football players at all levels across the country will take to the field to begin preparing for the start of their 2014 seasons.

August is one of the hottest months of the year, and with so many young athletes on the field, heat and hydration preparedness – including heat acclimatization – is important for every player and coach.

Dr. Douglas Casa, chief operating officer for the Korey Stringer Instituteand a member of the USA Football Medical Advisory Committee, defines heat acclimatization as a series of adaptations that happen inside the body, which prepares it for exercise in the heat.

“The changes that take place during heat acclimatization allow the body to stay cool during physical activity,” Casa said. “This allows the athlete to stay safer during the practice session.”

Proper heat acclimatization isn’t something that happens overnight. It’s something that needs to be part of a regular process for before players actually take the field.

“There is no question that you can get a good jump on heat training in June and July to make the transition to August practices easier,” Casa said. “This way you can slowly increase the intensity and activity outside and be used to the environment by the time practices come around. This has become rare, though, for today’s athletes. For college players and even some high school student-athletes, they do their offseason conditioning inside in air conditioned weight rooms and training facilities. Players may have been working hard all summer, but the first time they actually step outside is on Aug. 1.”

SEE ALSO: Korey Stringer Institute’s preseason heat acclimation guidelines for practices

Times and attitudes have changed. Football coaches are long past the days of using water as a reward for players. However, proper hydration can be overlooked as enthusiasm for early practices rise.

Casa said the simplest way to tell if an athlete is properly hydrated is to test urine color.

“Tell your kids when they go to the bathroom: If it looks like lemonade, they are good to go. If it looks like apple juice, go drink some more,” he said.

Casa recommends water during all types of exercise. Sports drinks are encouraged during rehydration as it provides important electrolytes and sugar during the rehydration process.

SEE ALSO: Staying cool in the summer starts with going outside more

Players, coaches and parents should keep be aware of the four types of heat illness and what to do in each instance:

• Heat syncope: a fainting or lightheaded episode during exercise
• Heat cramping: muscle cramping because of fluid and electrolyte loss
• Heat exhaustion:  inability to continue exercise because of weakness or fatigue
• External heat stroke (EHS):  Central nervous system dysfunction and body temperature more than 104 degrees.

 “With proper information and quality planning coaches can acclimatize their athletes, monitor external risk factors and encourage proper hydration on the field and at home,” Casa said. “All coaches should be able to recognize the signs of heat illness and know the proper care.”