Football success is a recipe with many ingredients. Like a favorite meal, though, there are some that just can’t be left out, if the meal’s to be lip smacking good.

Here are three things every young football player must take care of to get the most out of their talent.

Hydration

A generation ago, stopping practice for water was seen as a sign of weakness. Thankfully, things have changed. Proper hydration is now recognized as a key health and performance component. Numerous studies demonstrate the importance of staying properly hydrated.

A study on hydration and muscular performance conducted at the Human Performance Laboratory at the University of Connecticut summarizes hydration’s performance impact this way: “A critical review of the available literature suggests hypo-hydration limits strength, power and high intensity endurance and, therefore, is an important factor to consider when attempting to maximize muscular performance in athletic, military and industrial settings”

Consuming water at regular intervals, especially in hot weather, not only maximizes performance, it promotes health and protein synthesis required for muscle growth. Its benefits don’t stop there. Enough water helps ensure the kidneys function normally and flush toxins out of the body. During hard training sessions, there’s plenty to flush out, too. For so many Americans who eat processed foods, water helps rid the body of the sodium found in most packaged meals, snacks and fast food.

Just so we’re clear: Water means the cool, clear, good stuff. Soda and sugary drinks passing for beverages in most convenience stores and supermarkets don’t count. Ditto for coffee and other caffeinated drinks. Caffeine is a diuretic, meaning it actually causes you to lose water.

How much water to drink? An average adult can consume about a half-gallon daily. Hard training athletes, especially in warm climates, need twice that. While younger athletes can do with less than high school players, they still need plenty of clear water to support their training.

Rest and recovery

Muscles and brains develop mostly when you’re sleeping. Muscles grow through adaptive change. They adapt to overcome severe stress caused by training sessions, whether that’s lifting weights, running hills, biking or swimming.

Hormones responsible for growth are produced during REM sleep. Failure to get enough REM can see young athletes go lacking on these important growth stimulators. For those focused on growing bigger and stronger, it seems a poor trade off.

The National Sleep Foundation reports insufficient sleep hampers quick decision making, something football players need to win. Quarterbacks, defensive backs and linebackers especially can’t do their jobs without instantly making good decisions.

As athletes age, they have so many competing activities: athletic, social and academic. They stay up late reading, studying or on social media. Sleep gets the short shrift.

Mental toughness and self-discipline

No question: Football has a well-earned reputation for toughness. The physical toughness often pales in comparison to mental toughness it requires, however. The fortitude to push through one more maximum effort shuttle run wearing full pads in August is more mind than body. It is also what helps players give the 100 percent needed to win close games, especially in the fourth quarter.

Mental toughness isn’t something an athlete can just drink more of like water or get by being in bed before 10 p.m. each night. It comes from within and can be developed. Football both demands and develops it. However an athlete becomes mentally tough, it’s an essential ingredient to the winning stew – and not only on the football field.

It’s true for any endeavor that requires pushing oneself to the limit when you’d rather be doing something else. The kind of mental toughness football requires serves young players in all walks of life.

Let’s face it. Everyone hits bumps in the road. The mental toughness and confidence built during come from behind victories and “one more rep” training helps overcome them, on the field and off.

Steve Faber is a freelance writer and content strategist who’s been marketing online since a stint with a high profile e-commerce start up during the first Internet boom. His firm, Most Pixels Marketing, works with organizations to create content and formulate effective content strategies to get noticed, engage customers and drive sales. His son will be playing his fifth football season this fall. Catch him at http://www.mostpixels.com.