Players Drink From Two Different Bottles on Purpose — Here's the Difference

One is hydration. The other is rocket fuel.

<p>Watch the sideline during a break in play this summer and you'll see players juggling multiple bottles — sipping one, swishing another, sometimes spitting it straight back out. It's not bad manners.</p>

<p>Sports scientists prep different bottles for different jobs: plain water, electrolyte mixes for cramping muscles, and carbohydrate drinks that top up energy in the final grueling half hour.</p>

<p>The spitting? That's 'carb rinsing.' Research suggests just swishing a carbohydrate drink can signal the brain that fuel is coming, giving a small performance bump without a sloshing stomach.</p>

<p>Summer tournaments in North American heat make this bottle ballet even more critical. Hydration plans are now written per player, per city, per kickoff time. That sip you ignored? Someone with a lab coat planned it.</p>