Jun 12

Bring the Heat pt.2

Category: One Shots, Tactics & Strategy

Camo-Turtle_Boss Paintball In the first part of this a couple of days ago, we were telling you the joys and thrills of playing and practicing paintball in 100 plus degree temperatures. It’s not for the weak. It’s not necessarily for the overly-bright either. Below are more recommendations on how to not only thrive playing in the heat, but to live to brag about it later.

How NOT to Become a Camoflaged Puddle of Goo

  • Hydrate - modern marketing has seen fit to sell us the most common element on earth more expensively than gasoline… water. Water bottles can be used over and over again and filled with tap water from the sink (don’t tell Dasani or Avian). They can be frozen to be better kept cold all day and can be stored in tactical vests in pod carriers for breaks.
  • Fan out- get a fan for your mask. These are typically for keeping fogging down, but can also be used to pump some air INTO your mask. They aren’t tremendously helpful, but every bit helps. I have a DYE Invision I3 mask and Dye has a contoured fan for it which works quietly and well. I switched it off for a while and noticed an immediate difference.Unloading on enemy territory
  •  Piss off- this sounds stupid, but one sign of dehydration is not being able to urinate. Go as frequently as you can. No, not in you own camo! And not during a battle. However, that would be fun to watch, particularly the reaction of your enemy when they spot you and the dance you’ll do when shot at an inopportune moment after they get over the shock of seeing a soldier with his ”weapon” hanging in the wind. Where was I? Oh yeah. The military has a saying to “never pass up a  chance to eat, drink, sleep or hit the head, you never know when your next opportunity will come up.”
  • Avoid Alcohol - No. Wait. I can say that with a straight face. Really. Let me try again. “Avoid Alcohol.” Nope. Still laughing. Seriously, alcohol contributes to dehydration. So lay off the twelve pack and Purple Hooters for a few days before playing in the heat. Easier said than done, but just as ugly as dehydration is, imagine trying to play with a hang over. 
  • Hydrate - not just that day, but for a day or two before a planned practice where you intend to ignore the Weather Channel, drink more than your share of water. This builds up a reserve of fluid in your body. You won’t feel bloated after the second or third gallon you have sweated out.
  • Monitor Warning Signs - Assign one team member as the team medic (Loki has EMT training on our team) and make them responsible for asking everyone about how they feel, warning signs, etc. At one point one of our guys started to get a headache.  At the very least, monitor your own vital signs. You can learn more about the signs to watch for at WebMD.
  • Sweat - If you STOP sweating, STOP! Dry skin, nausea, weakness, disorientation are signs of heat stroke. Your body sweats to cool down your skin. If you can’t sweat, it means you are malfunctioning. This is a bad thing.
  • Walk It - There is no rule that says every drill has to be at full speed. “Train hard and fight easy” is a great saying if you are still alive to say it. Learning the moves and focusing on team work can be just as positive as a hard work out in those temperatures.
  • Hydrate - Not to be a commercial for Gatorade, but sports drinks do contain electrolytes that your body sweats out and replacing these are critical. Tell the store clerk at your local convenience store that you heard about the sports drink you are buying at TangoAlpha2.com. Just watching his face will be worth it as he tries to figure out “what kind of crack you are being on”.

    • When it’s all said and done, we don’t recommend that you play or practice in these types of heat. Leave that to a REAL team. While you are sitting at home in the air-conditioning eating Cheetos in your underwear, Team: Tango will be dragging my dehydrated remains out of the woods. We may not be smart, but we will be a lean, mean comatose machine. If you are just as stupid as we evidently are, drink plenty of fluids, don’t overdo it and be careful.

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