Summer Medic Rules; Your thoughts?

[XanderShadow]

With the weather getting hotter like it has been now we're in the summer time, good hydration is more important than ever as you're much more vulnerable to heat and sun stroke while you're sweating yer butt off in even slimmed down kit.
A problem I've been seeing though is that people often don't carry enough water on them, or straight up forget to bring any out into the field at all and they end up suffering for it... and this got me to thinking.

What're peoples thoughts on perhaps implementing something akin to Mil-Sim medic rules during the summer?
Basics are that you can still be Buddy Aided/Healed by a team mate, but if you're wounded multiple times and use up your buddy aid amount, you cannot be buddy aided again until you've been "Revived" either by designated medics, or by medics at your teams spawn/safe area.
To be revived, wether by a medic or at your team base; they hand you a bottle of water or equal capacity cup of water as your "Medicine". Once you've finished the bottle or cup; you're classed as Fully healed and back in the game like normal.

Idea behind it is, it not only promotes being a little more careful persay as 'death' can slow you down some, but it also means people are going to be somewhat regularly getting hydration wether they remembered their own or not. I've normally got spare plastic bottles in my pack regardless, and a good few of them got used in the last game simply because folks in the field needed a drink.. so having them carried as part of the game as a revival tool both add's a role to be put in teams, and means folks are staying hydrated as games go on.


Packs of bottled water cost bugger all per bottle depending where you get them, so the additional cost is negligible really when you're already got dozens of folks paying £25-30 site fee plus buying extra stuff at the site. (I get 8 335ml for £1.50 down the road from me)

[Tommikka]

As someone who has succumbed to dehydration ....... telling people to hydrate will go further than making ‘medics’ carry water to hydrate people.

 

As a Paintballer .... there is the potential issue of those wearing full face goggles, or who have integrated a face mask element then lifting them to drink

 

As an organiser I can get staff to carry water and deal with players, but asking player medics to carry spare weight in the heat and to be the ones called over to heal is a bit of an ask

 

 

Then there’s all the single use plastic —— or hygiene failure of reusing bottles

 

[Rogerborg]

All true, but I do agree with encouraging players to hydrate.

 

I guess how you do it depends on the site.  On a fairly small one with short games and frequent return to a safe zone, you can just remind folk to take on water there.

 

On a bigger site or with longer games then yes, having water at the respawn would be great, but it's heavy, and having marshals shlepping it around because players can't be bothered is a bit tough on them.

 

Still, water good.  I'll be designated-medicing at a milsim later this month, and plan to carry a spare water bottle in my Magic Bag.

[XanderShadow]

5 hours ago, Rogerborg said:

Still, water good.  I'll be designated-medicing at a milsim later this month, and plan to carry a spare water bottle in my Magic Bag.

 

Thats where the idea originally comes from, Mil-Sims. Predominantly; Mil-Sim west in the states. You can be buddy aided once, but after that you need proper medical attention in the form of water healing, either from a medics supply or back at your nearest base spawn.

All players who sign on as team/company medics carry around three to five small bottles of water in their pack, give them to the player to heal them, and then collect the empty so they can return them to base camp to be exchanged for new ones, and also prevent waste dropage in field. Plus you generally only sign on as a medic if you know you can carry the extra bit of kit; same way you only really do/should go for a heavy/support gunner if you know you can carry the stonkin' heavy LMG and it's kit xD

Given that I carry around four or five 500ml normally, weighs about the same as a two liter of coke, the weight is pretty un-noticeable even with my health issues; my water bladder weighs about the same in the same pack alongside everything else

[Druid799]

Im always banging on about staying hydrated (as an A&E nurse I’ve seen the really shitty end of the de-hydration stick in work) I really do applaud you for putting it out there , only thing is it won’t work after yrs of playing I’ve come to the conclusion most airsofters are thick as pigshit when it comes to taking good advise (mind you the same players are a cracking good laugh to be spending your day with) but just won’t listen . You have a hot sunny day , and I guarantee all you can see strewn around the safezone are energy drink cans . monster , red bull , rock star what ever , there the worst possible thing to drink if your de-hydrated you just need water , H2O , Aqua , the splashy stuff your loosing bodily fluid NOT the sugars that fuel the body . But if you try telling them this a lot will either turn around and tell you to “F*** off mind your own business” or say “it’s what I drink in the gym !”

Plus as Tommikka said you have the added problem of a lot of players wear full face at ‘ordinary’ scurmish games (I do , I can use my camel bac but certainly can’t drink from a bottle) where as at mil-sim it’s almost the complete opposite , very few players do wear full face so yes you could use the ‘drink a bottle your alive again’ rule ? 

When you come down to it the old saying applies to this situation ‘you can take a horse to water but you can’t make it drink’  OR in our case ‘you can take an airsofter to water but you can’t make him think !’🤦‍♂️

😂😂😂😂

[Luke85]

Really like the idea in theory, just implementing it in practise that could be tricky due to the issues already covered. 

[mogaly674]

I have attended a couple of milsims and their medic rule is straight forward and involes taking on water. 

1st hit apply medic tag by dedicated medic, 

2nd hit drink a bottle of water (carried by yourself) at least 300ml in presence of medic (if no water carried back to respawn), 

3rd hit dead and respawn refill or resupply water and back in the game. 

The only time these rules don't apply is grenade and silent kills. 

 

You also have the option to not take on water and just respawn so if you feel you would be more use to your team by respawning then you can, also if your a bb magnet you don't need to drink water every time as what goes in must come out. 😆

 

 

[clumpyedge]

19 hours ago, mogaly674 said:

I have attended a couple of milsims and their medic rule is straight forward and involes taking on water. 

1st hit apply medic tag by dedicated medic, 

2nd hit drink a bottle of water (carried by yourself) at least 300ml in presence of medic (if no water carried back to respawn), 

3rd hit dead and respawn refill or resupply water and back in the game. 

The only time these rules don't apply is grenade and silent kills. 

 

You also have the option to not take on water and just respawn so if you feel you would be more use to your team by respawning then you can, also if your a bb magnet you don't need to drink water every time as what goes in must come out. 😆

 

 

 

Ive been to one that did similar, good idea. The game I played there wasn't an option for not taking on water but if you didn't then well I'd suggest its natural selection. Same as any hobby really. If you don't look after yourself then no-one else will.

[Aengus]

On 10/07/2019 at 09:48, Druid799 said:

 all you can see strewn around the safezone are energy drink cans . monster , red bull , rock star what ever

Every time, caffeine well known for its hydrating properties 🙄.

[clumpyedge]

What a lot of people don't realize is they not only need to drink a lot but also replace things such as salts back into their system at the same time.

[Musica]

I'd be concerned if water is suddenly a respawn commodity then people won't drink their water if they are thirsty because they might need it to respawn. Resulting in the exact problem your trying to avoid. 

 

Lets introduce snakes to take care of the rat problem 

[Tommikka]

2 hours ago, clumpyedge said:

What a lot of people don't realize is they not only need to drink a lot but also replace things such as salts back into their system at the same time.

That is also a key point 

 

I think I’ve already posted somewhere on here about hydrating energy drinks.

Not all the dodgy Monster caffeine energy drinks, or so called ‘sports’ drinks but proper sports energy drinks such as SiS Go and High5.

Use them in conjunction with other things like eating food.

 

 

[Samurai]

We should also install loudspeakers throughout the sites telling players to breathe in, breathe out on a loop...

[Rogerborg]

29 minutes ago, Samurai said:

We should also install loudspeakers throughout the sites telling players to breathe in, breathe out on a loop...

 

Nobody has suggested that marshals should be carrying oxygen cylinders to deal with that issue.

 

I mean, not yet.

[Tommikka]

I know better, I told people to

hydrate at every opportunity, I deposited a crate of water for everyone,  I didn’t drink in the heat of summer -

 

Theres no better way of teaching than to let people fail by themselves 

[clumpyedge]

15 hours ago, Tommikka said:

That is also a key point 

 

I think I’ve already posted somewhere on here about hydrating energy drinks.

Not all the dodgy Monster caffeine energy drinks, or so called ‘sports’ drinks but proper sports energy drinks such as SiS Go and High5.

Use them in conjunction with other things like eating food.

 

 

 

 

That's exactly what I use or I use the sachet powders designed for running etc

[Tommikka]

1 hour ago, clumpyedge said:

 

 

That's exactly what I use or I use the sachet powders designed for running etc

.... and this weekends survival kit consists of.....

 

 

The post exercise recovery protein chocolate shake will stay in the box.  I’m not that committed

 

Ive a health issue going on with a mystery finger situation and the tests & scans are going further around my body to find a cause.  I had a scan yesterday which involved a lot of water drinking beforehand and needs to be followed by much much more to flush me out today —— but that’s allowed to be any drink today.

 

Im off to a couple of things across the weekend.  Today setting up gazebos stall at a show, then trader party night.  I’ll be there until the early hours of Sunday when I’ll roll out of my back of a van bedroom to head off to play a days Paintball ... and announce the next game of this years ‘collective’ which will be our first big game for 6 years, whilst still readying up for our games at Paintfest / airfest. 

I’ve got plenty physical and mental activity going on this weekend so I’m going to need to keep well fueled

 

I like the powder drinks, and find best vfm of drink per £1 is the big tubs.  But for practicality out and about its between the packets and tablets.  The packets when using proper sports drinks bottles, tabs for popping into water bottles.  I rarely used gels in the past but do use them for fast shots when I’m running games, photographing events etc.

 

I switch between what’s on the best deal, in the past most often SiS, currently it tends to be High5, occasionally others

I keep an eye out in the unusual places such as TK Max, Lidl’s and Halfords for the best reduced deals, then Amazon etc 

Depending on the deals and what surpluses I have left over from packs in the cupboard I go for running packs or cycling packs.  Running packs tend to have more gel and less drink.

 

The sun spray is not part of the pack.  I’m sensitive, so will be avoiding the burn with all this being outside in daylight 

... the caffeine gels will be used to threaten Kate who I’ll be spending the first half of the weekend with.

She used to consume horrific amounts of dodgy energy drinks, takes coffee with coffee (she’s off the coffee at the moment) and caffeine does things to her.

 

Electrolytes with added caffeine send her buzzing 

[clumpyedge]

21 minutes ago, Tommikka said:

.... and this weekends survival kit consists of.....

 

 

The post exercise recovery protein chocolate shake will stay in the box.  I’m not that committed

 

Ive a health issue going on with a mystery finger situation and the tests & scans are going further around my body to find a cause.  I had a scan yesterday which involved a lot of water drinking beforehand and needs to be followed by much much more to flush me out today —— but that’s allowed to be any drink today.

 

Im off to a couple of things across the weekend.  Today setting up gazebos stall at a show, then trader party night.  I’ll be there until the early hours of Sunday when I’ll roll out of my back of a van bedroom to head off to play a days Paintball ... and announce the next game of this years ‘collective’ which will be our first big game for 6 years, whilst still readying up for our games at Paintfest / airfest. 

I’ve got plenty physical and mental activity going on this weekend so I’m going to need to keep well fueled

 

I like the powder drinks, and find best vfm of drink per £1 is the big tubs.  But for practicality out and about its between the packets and tablets.  The packets when using proper sports drinks bottles, tabs for popping into water bottles.  I rarely used gels in the past but do use them for fast shots when I’m running games, photographing events etc.

 

I switch between what’s on the best deal, in the past most often SiS, currently it tends to be High5, occasionally others

I keep an eye out in the unusual places such as TK Max, Lidl’s and Halfords for the best reduced deals, then Amazon etc 

Depending on the deals and what surpluses I have left over from packs in the cupboard I go for running packs or cycling packs.  Running packs tend to have more gel and less drink.

 

The sun spray is not part of the pack.  I’m sensitive, so will be avoiding the burn with all this being outside in daylight 

... the caffeine gels will be used to threaten Kate who I’ll be spending the first half of the weekend with.

She used to consume horrific amounts of dodgy energy drinks, takes coffee with coffee (she’s off the coffee at the moment) and caffeine does things to her.

 

Electrolytes with added caffeine send her buzzing 

 

 

Only thing I dont like about the SiS stuff is the taste, I'm still looking for something that is palatable as most things are either way to over powered or just have a hint of taste... then you just have the stuff that is god awful.

[Rogerborg]

Huh, I just drink plenty of water and eat some salted peanuts or a pork pie.  Now I find I've been dicing with death all these years by not popping Proton Energy Pills.

 

 

 

[Druid799]

At an Airsoft event (even a wknd’er) you don’t really need any supplements just good old H2O and lots of it will work , cyclists/runners/climbers/etc do need them as there continually operating in muscle ‘burst mode’ so will need to replace them , but airsofters ? unless you are literally running around continuously all day your just not going to loose enough electrolytes to ‘need’ to taking any supplements on board , it’s that bit of glucose or other sugar source in them that’s the bit your body craves so just a good old choccy bar will do the trick just as well , and taste nicer !😂😂

[clumpyedge]

1 minute ago, Druid799 said:

At an Airsoft event (even a wknd’er) you don’t really need any supplements just good old H2O and lots of it will work , cyclists/runners/climbers/etc do need them as there continually operating in muscle ‘burst mode’ so will need to replace them , but airsofters ? unless you are literally running around continuously all day your just not going to loose enough electrolytes to ‘need’ to taking any supplements on board , it’s that bit of glucose or other sugar source in them that’s the bit your body craves so just a good old choccy bar will do the trick just as well , and taste nicer !😂😂

 

When its hot I cant stand eating things like chocolate hence I go for the sugar supplements from the water mixtures. I tend to suffer a fair amount from fatigue if I don't and cramping so I guess it works for me. I know a few people that also do the same and swear by it but I will take what you have said on board as a seasoned professional in your field 😗

[Druid799]

Just now, clumpyedge said:

 

When its hot I cant stand eating things like chocolate hence I go for the sugar supplements from the water mixtures. I tend to suffer a fair amount from fatigue if I don't and cramping so I guess it works for me. I know a few people that also do the same and swear by it but I will take what you have said on board as a seasoned professional in your field 😗

Nail and head my friend , it’s most definitely a case of “suits you sir !” I’ll be honest I’m more that a bit partial to a bottle of lemon still lucozade sport when I’m on my chinstrap!🥵 yes it’s all ‘isotonic’ and all that bollox but it’s that lovely little sugar rush I’m craving , and it tastes bloody lovely! 😉👍

[djben9]

i used to drink / eat the H5 stuff, got 'told off' by some as its designed for 'pro athletes' in mind and not me who was only playing volleyball twice a week or 5 a side....this was a few years ago so the ingredients may have changed

 

just stick to water now, and sometimes not enough!

[Musica]

Yea airsoft is exercise but nothing like a gym workout or long cycle you don't need to intake calories as you play at a skirmish and in a milsim from what I understand you would get breaks for meals so  other than water a couple of snack bars would be fine. I personally take belvita 4 hour energy breakfast biscuits with me to a skirmish day but I think my body runs on carbs only. A crisp sandwich for lunch and a chocolate bar keeps me going. 

 

Just like in cycling I'd expect everyone is different some professional riders could go an hour - an hour an half with just 1 water bottle. some need 2 water bottles some need the water or maybe a water mix and 2 energy gels. We are all different so it's hard to comment on other peoples habits as they might suit them. 

 

I guess since we draw a lot of parallels between soldiers and airsoft players (at least when it comes to wearing and holding what they do) does anyone know if a solider would be chugging energy drinks and sucking down energy gels? Not trying to start a fight genuine question of a deployed soldiers nutrition outside of set meals. 

 

[GeorgePlaysAirsoft]

It depends how hard you go at it. An hour of airsoft isn't like an hour on a bike or gym, sure, but its a decent 6 hours of atleast moderate activity - even if you are old and unfit i'd say its relativly exerting.  I try to keep my fluids up and a 4 pack of isotonic drinks always comes with me - but invariably im dehydrated by the end of the day. 

 

That being said i think the medic water bottle is a fun + useful idea for multi-day milsims but for the average skirmish i wouldnt bother.