{"id":1936615,"date":"2026-05-15T10:00:52","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T07:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1936615"},"modified":"2026-05-15T10:00:52","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T07:00:52","slug":"an-nba-wake-up-call-why-coaches-are-giving-smelling-salts-a-try","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1936615","title":{"rendered":"An NBA wake-up call? Why coaches are giving smelling salts a try"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Smelling salts have been around for centuries, common around sports to give athletes a quick jolt of adrenaline.<\/p>\n

Search the internet and there are coaches and players spotted sniffing the ammonia inhalants before a game, with their instant reactions \u2014 a noticeable head jerk or contorted face \u2014 going viral. Sports like football, hockey, boxing and powerlifting have long been associated with smelling salts. They\u2019re used in basketball, as well.<\/p>\n

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Athletes looking for any type of edge before or during a game isn\u2019t unusual. Competitors have a lot of different ways to hype themselves for a game.<\/p>\n

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But what about coaches?<\/p>\n

Jamahl Mosley, who coached the Orlando Magic for five seasons before he was let go earlier this month<\/a>, was captured using smelling salts<\/a> before Orlando\u2019s first Play-In Tournament game against the Philadelphia 76ers last month.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt heightens your awareness,\u201d Mosley said in April. He added it was only his second time using them.<\/p>\n

Smelling salts are thought to stimulate consciousness, a pick-me-up of sorts to boost vivacity and sharpness. They can also be used to prevent fainting or for someone who is woozy. The ammonia inhalants are not banned by most of the major sports organizations, but endorsements by the leagues are few. As of August 2025, the NFL no longer allows teams to provide them<\/a> in part because they can mask the symptoms of a concussion.<\/p>\n

Sacramento Kings coach Doug Christie\u2019s reaction to smelling salts went viral before a game in March. Smelling salts are a pregame ritual for Christie, which he explained last year.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust trying to wake it up,\u201d Christie told reporters last January<\/a>. \u201cI haven\u2019t had any sleep. I did it as an assistant coach, but you just didn\u2019t pay attention to me, that\u2019s all. \u2026 Just trying to wake the brain up and be ready to go.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are no recorded studies that show smelling salts improve athletic performance.\u00a0Patrick Inglot, president of Ward Smelling Salts, a company popular with hockey players, said the effects can be \u201cvery much mental,\u201d which could appeal to coaches.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThey get a sense of alertness and wakefulness, mental acuity and clarity,\u201d Inglot said. \u201cLargely when they\u2019re using smelling salts, they\u2019re after that mental effect and getting their head in the game. I can see in this intense, fast-paced environment that is a game the coach equally wants to have this mental clarity and, for lack of a better word, energy.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Coaching often means less-than-ideal sleeping patterns. The travel and long hours of preparation can result in a coach dragging before a game, as game-day provision starts long before tipoff. The rigors of a high-profile job make rest hard to come by \u2014 which can result in a need for a sudden boost.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s this anxiety, this pressure that exists in high-stakes games that can really affect your sleep,\u201d Inglot said. \u201cIt just makes complete sense for the coaches to be looking for something that can just put their heads in the game.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some experts believe the effects of smelling salts are purely psychological. Dr. Thomas Waters, team physician for the Cleveland Guardians who formerly served in a similar role with the Cleveland Browns, said the use might be more about a ritual, because there is no long-lasting impact.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re cleaning your bathroom with ammonia, you want to put the fan on and air the place out, but you\u2019re basically inducing that in yourself when you do this stuff,\u201d Waters said. \u201cIt\u2019s a risk-benefit thing, and I think for the very brief moment of alertness that may come with it, and the lack of lasting effect, I don\u2019t think the bang is worth the buck. But that\u2019s why I think the leagues have moved away from allowing it or endorsing it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Erin Manning, an attending neurologist at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, echoed Waters and Inglot, saying that no studies have shown that smelling salts improves performance. Manning said smelling salts have only been approved for fainting because of the temporary increase of blood flow to the brain, and increased heart and respiratory rates can wake a person up.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s not really a medical basis behind it in that some people report that they feel more alert when they use it,\u201d Manning said. \u201cBut basically, all of the studies have really shown that there\u2019s no effect on athletic performance by doing that.\u201d<\/p>\n

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So what\u2019s a coach to do for energy? Waters said a simple start is hydration, rest and a healthy pregame routine.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you\u2019re dehydrated, you\u2019re slow. You are slow physically, you are slow mentally,\u201d Waters said. \u201cMaking sure you\u2019re hydrated and eating well, especially before a game, is probably more important.\u201d<\/p>\n

Game days can be filled with multiple obligations for work, not to mention any personal tasks. A meal might be considered as grabbing something quick rather than having time to eat healthier options. Manning suggested another alternative if healthy food is unavailable.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you really want to be kept awake during a game,\u201d she said, \u201ccaffeine\u2019s probably a better bet for you than using smelling salts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Waters hopes that coaches would turn more to moderate caffeine use in an effort to provide alertness. As athletes and coaches are big on ritual, a soda or cup of coffee can replace smelling salts as a part of their routine<\/p>\n

He added that the mental effects simply might be a part of what they choose.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that there\u2019s more natural ways and certainly healthier ways and better ways for your body leading up to game planning accordingly, rather than that little quick hit of stimulation,\u201d Waters said. \u201cThat\u2019s also going to be longer lasting through the game. The positive effects of (smelling salts), they\u2019re so short lived.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Smelling salts have been around for centuries, common around sports to give athletes a quick jolt of adrenaline. Search the internet and there are coaches and players spotted sniffing the ammonia inhalants before a game, with their instant reactions \u2014 a noticeable head jerk or contorted face \u2014 going viral. Sports like football, hockey, boxing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,241],"class_list":["post-1936615","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-nytimes-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1936615","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1936615"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1936615\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1936615"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1936615"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1936615"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}