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Old February 10th, 2015, 16:57   #56
BattleBorn
 
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Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Caledon East
A few little pointers, more generalised than specific:

Drink a few more litres of water the day before (and 1L before you go to bed the night before) a long OP. No point "water loading" weeks or even a few days prior as it doesn't work.

DO NOT oversleep/undersleep prior to a big match. Just sleep to what your body usually takes. You'll feel worse if you stray from your normal cycle. Mind you, quality of sleep outweighs quantity, so have a hot chocolate or something before you shut your eyes and try to stay away from electronics at least an hour prior.

As for sleeping during a game, TBH if you can't go for more than 18 hours without sleep, it's not a sleep issue it's a fitness issue. BUT, if you must sleep, just use your head. Hit up a SL or PC or even someone who is "in the know" as to what's going on. You may find that you can sneak a few minutes here or there. IF you can help it, try not to sleep for more than 40mins. This is basically a magic number, anything less and you usually don't feel rested and anything more (if you are awoken abruptly), you'll feel more lethargic.

NOTE: Make sure that you and your squad have sufficiently cleared an area or enemy BEFORE you take short halts. Take the extra time to clear that last room or clear just over that ridgeline. It'll help prevent you being caught with your pants down.

Keep hydrated during the entirety of the day that an OP is on. If you find yourself being thirsty, you're already dehydrated. Just sip along every 20mins or so. You want to have either clear or a light yellow coloured urine, and piss between 5-7 times a day (that's optimal). If you have sports drinks like Powerade or Gatorade drink the suckers. Depending on how hot the day is try to keep it to 1L water and then drink a 750ml sports drink. Your body needs the extra salts that water alone doesn't provide. And that brings me to my next point.

Take snacks with you. Things like Cliff bars and protein bars are a lifesaver. I can't tell you how many times small morsels of food like that have saved my ass during a 36-72h OP in the boonies. It's not just about hunger, they also have vitamins and minerals that help your body function during excessive working periods.

Kit checks, check your kit EVERY TIME you find yourself having a small break. Check your weapon, mags, equipment, water/food (so you can ration it if need be), everything. Keep a mental note on what you have on you. What mags are full and what are empty and where they are on your rig.

Once you've given yourself a once over, check your mates equipment. Check to see if they have had anything to eat or anything to drink. Distribute ammo if applicable. The onus is on the squad to keep each other combat ready and combat effective. In saying that, the squad is only as effective as the weakest link. Having a good skill set within your squad gives the individual within it the ability to trust that the arcs that they aren't covering, are being covered by someone else.

Kit checks; self checks and buddy checks.
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