Fall is the perfect time to take advantage of your sports court and to practice basketball, tennis, pickleball, or another sport. Many people don’t use their sports courts in the winter, though, so as temperatures start to cool, it’s important to be aware of how to prepare your sports court for winter so that you can keep it in good condition for as long as possible. Winter can cause all sorts of problems for your court, but with proper preparation, you can help your court remain functional and beautiful.

Here are some useful ways to prepare your sports court for winter.

#1. Clear Away Any Debris

Fall colors are gorgeous, and it’s fun for people of all ages to rake up leaves into big piles and jump into them. However, you don’t want to let fallen leaves accumulate on your sports court. These can deteriorate and stain your court and can lead to mildew and mold growth, which can damage it. You want to clear away any debris from your court in order to prevent such damages, whether it be branches, fallen leaves, dirt, or some other type of debris. 

#2. Take Care Of Any Repairs

If you’re starting to prepare your sports court for winter, you want to take care of any repairs before the snows hit. While some may be tempted to put off repairs until the spring when they use their court again, this can lead to far more extensive damage. During the freezing and thawing cycles, cracks and birdbaths and other damages to your court surface can be worsened. It’s best to ensure that you take care of any repairs before the cold strikes, to ensure that your court stays in good condition for as long as possible.

#3. Remove And Store Your Equipment

If you’re not going to be using your court in the cold, you can prepare your sports court for winter by removing your nets, windscreens, and other such equipment. You want to look to see if they need any sort of repairs before you store them in a clean, dry place until it’s time to bust them out again. Leaving this sort of equipment up during the winter months can result in damages as winter weather takes its toll. 

#4. Clean Any Stains

Another way to prepare your sports court for winter is to take care of any stains. This is another aspect of winterizing your court that you may be tempted to put off until you’re going to be using your court again. However, if stains are left on your court surface for too long, they can be very difficult to move, especially if you leave them there during the cold winter months. As such, you want to clean any stains right away. 

#5. Consider A Court Cover

If you’re not planning on using your sports court this winter, you may consider getting a court cover to protect it from the elements. Court covers keep the snow and ice off your court surface so that it can last as long as possible. Whether or not you choose to get a court cover depends on your budget and how severe the winters are where you live. If you don’t get much in the way of snow and rain, you may be fine without a court cover. However, if your area gets a lot of snow and ice, you’ll probably want to ensure that your court has that extra bit of protection.

#6. Prepare For Snow Removal

If you’re not going to cover your court, you’ll want to remove any snow from it as it occurs. This is because moisture can cause significant damage to your court surface, especially when it’s over the course of months. You’ll want to use a soft-bristled brush for this, as hard-bristled brushes, snow shovels, and other motorized snow removal equipment can damage your court. 

Prepare Your Sports Court For Winter And Get More Out Of It

By ensuring that you are careful to prepare your sports court for winter, you can both make it easier to get back on your game when the weather warms up and help your court last as long as possible. Maintenance is everything when it comes to preserving your court’s condition and longevity. 

Here at Utah Court Surfacing, we’re passionate about providing people with beautiful, functional sports courts that they can enjoy for years to come. If you have any questions about other ways to prepare your sports court for winter, please don’t hesitate to contact us today! We’re here to help.

Temperatures are rising, making it harder and harder to safely stay active. It’s important to move your body, but you don’t want to get heatstroke. You don’t want to sacrifice your time outside playing your favorite sport to the heat, and with the proper safety precautions, you can safely play sports in the heat. 

Here are some of our top tips for how you can safely play sports in the heat so that you can stay healthy and happy and still enjoy your outdoor court. Let’s get into it!

How Heat Impacts Your Body

In order to safely play sports in the heat, you want to be able to understand the dangers high temperatures pose to your health. Part of how you can determine whether or not it’s safe to play sports in the heat is looking at the heat index and whether or not it is too hot. Heat can be very dangerous, especially when you’re playing sports. 

Some of the ways heat impacts your body include:

• Sweat evaporates very quickly, making it harder to recognize how much water your body has lost. 
• Higher humidity makes sweating less effective at cooling your body down. 
• Exercising in the heat puts extra stress on your body and can result in serious illness. 
• Your body temperature can increase as your body tries to cool itself down due to exercise and high temperatures.
• If your body isn’t able to keep itself cool, this puts you at risk for heat-related illnesses, such as: heat cramps, heat syncope, heat exhaustion, and heatstroke. These can necessitate immediate medical attention in order to prevent serious consequences such as organ failure and even death.

How To Safely Play Sports In The Heat

With the proper precautions, you can keep yourself protected and able to safely play sports in the heat. Knowledge is everything when it comes to staying healthy in high temperatures, especially if you’re going to be playing sports. Here are some of the ways you can safely play sports in the heat.

#1. Watch The Weather

As mentioned before, you want to keep an eye on the heat index. While you can safely play sports in the heat, that’s only to a certain extent. There is such a thing as being too hot to safely exercise or to exercise for long. If temperatures and/or humidity levels are high, you’ll want to take it easy out there. A normal workout on a temperate day could be extremely dangerous on a hot and/or humid day. 

#2. Get Acclimated

If you aren’t accustomed to high temperatures, you’ll want to acclimate your body to it. This means that you start out gradually and slowly build up the amount of time that you’re playing in the sun. 

#3. Stay Hydrated

In order to safely play sports in the heat, you need to keep your body hydrated. You sweat normally when it’s hot out and you sweat normally when you work your body hard. Combined, this makes it very easy for your body to get dehydrated. Ensure that you begin hydrating hours before hitting the sports courts and that you continue to hydrate throughout the activity. Water is better than sugary sports drinks for hydration.

#4. Avoid Playing During The Heat Of The Day

The best way to safely play sports in the heat is to avoid playing when it’s the hottest time of day. You should stick to early morning and late evening practices and games to minimize your chances of heat illnesses and injuries. 

#5. Dress In Cool Clothing

Another way you can strive to safely play sports in the heat is to dress appropriately. Light-colored clothing is cooler than dark colors because it won’t absorb heat. The lighter weight the material, the better. You also want to opt for sweat-wicking clothes that will help keep your body temperature down. 

#6. Take Plenty Of Breaks

You want to push yourself in your workouts, but when it’s hot out, you need to ensure that you take plenty of breaks so that you don’t push your body too hard. If you feel like you need to rest, rest. If you feel dizzy or fatigued at all, get out of the heat.

#7. Watch For Signs Of Heat Illness

One of the most important things you can do to safely play sports in the heat is to both be aware of and to watch for the signs of heat illness so that you know when you’ve gone too far and should seek treatment. 

Some of the signs of heat illness include: 

• Headache
• Dizziness
• Irritability
• Fatigue
• Nausea/vomiting
• Heat cramps

Utah Court Surfacing makes it easier to play sports in the heat with our quality sports courts. When you have a sport court in your own backyard, it makes it easy to step inside for some shade and a glass of water, and allows you to play during the cooler hours of the day. Contact us to learn more about our sport court surfacing services. 

Are you considering having an outdoor basketball court put into your yard? Basketball is an excellent form of exercise, making having a court put into your property a wonderful choice and way to encourage activity. But did you know that the kind of basketball that you play on your outdoor court is likely different from NBA basketball? There are differences between streetball and basketball! While it’s common for people to shove all forms of basketball under the general ‘basketball’ umbrella, what you play on your outdoor courts is more likely than not a variant of basketball called streetball.

Many people do not realize that there are differences between streetball and basketball, since they have the same general structure and objective. You bounce a ball around your court and try to dunk it through the hoops and keep your opponent from scoring points of their own. That’s that, right? While true that they are very similar, there are actually quite a few differences between streetball and basketball. Here’s what you need to know about the differences between streetball and basketball. 

What You Need To Know About Streetball And Basketball

You know how you have professional basketball players who play in these big indoor courts and then you have basketball players who play on outdoor courts in less formal settings, like New York City, and throughout the country? While you can have expert streetball players, there have been instances where they’ve gotten basketball scholarships and ended up dropping out of the program. This is because in spite of their same general structure, there are differences between streetball and basketball. 

Unless you are aware of the differences between streetball and basketball, you’d likely be in for quite a shock if you are a basketball player who tried to join in on a streetball game, and vice versa. Here’s what you need to know about the differences between streetball and basketball that make this so. 

How Streetball Works

Streetball is a variant of basketball that is played on outdoor courts. It’s much less formal and the rules vary depending on who is playing. It has the same overall objective and idea of basketball – it is street basketball, after all. Streetball is much more improvisational than traditional basketball and requires different court surfaces and types of balls, since it’s played outside.

How Basketball Works

Basketball is typically played in enclosed, specially equipped spaces. It has set rules and regulations and referees who watch out for any fouls. It’s more regulated and standardized and requires special court surfaces and balls for the players to use inside. 

What Are The Differences Between Streetball And Basketball?

For two versions of the same sport, there are a surprising number of differences between streetball and basketball! Some of the differences between streetball and basketball are as follows:

• The spaces

Streetball is often played outside, on outdoor courts under the open sky. The court sizes vary and can be much smaller than your traditional basketball court. Basketball is usually played in an enclosed area with specially designed and equipped platforms.

• The number of players

One of the key differences between streetball and basketball is the number of players. You probably don’t have a set team when you play in your backyard – you just play with whoever is there. Basketball has set teams, and you usually know who you are playing with. If you’re playing streetball in the streets, teams constantly change and you probably won’t know your team. 

• The positions

Another of the key differences between streetball and basketball is that in basketball, everyone has a set position they are meant to adhere to. In streetball, there is no such thing. 

• The play style

Streetball is much more flashy, less structured, and improvisational than basketball. If someone hits you in the face with a ball, they’ll apologize, but it’s not a foul. Basketball has set zones and set-plays and the like, having a more organized structure.

• The rules

As you can gather from the above points, one of the major differences between streetball and basketball is the fact that there are no set rules in streetball while there are in basketball. Streetball is a lot more physical than basketball, people can self-call fouls, and generally is not subject to all the considerations of basketball.

• The energy levels

Basketball tends to have higher energy, due to the fact that it is a more professional sport and people need to try hard to succeed. Streetball is more often than not played for fun, so in general, the energy is more random and laidback.

As you can see, though streetball and basketball are almost the same, there are quite a few differences between streetball and basketball. They both require similar skill sets, though, and they are both excellent for your health, not to mention fun! If you’re considering having a basketball court put into your yard, Utah Court Surfacing can help you out. Contact us today to learn about our basketball court options and all the ways you can customize them to make them truly your own.