Training in Hot Weather or "The Weather is Going to be Perfect!"

[Roger Phillips]

For those that have trained with me across the nation, you may have noticed that I get some of the very best weather possible inside of my courses. You also may notice just how hard I am able to work under these extreme conditions. It is not that I am a bad @$$, it is more about that I know what I need to do to make it possible.

Back in the day when I took 15-20 tactical courses a year as a student, I would plan my training days during the very best weather conditions. If it was going to be 110 degrees, I was going to be there. If it was going to 20 degrees with a freezing rain, I was going to be there. If the humitity was going to be over 90%, I was going to be there. Call me stupid, but when everyone else was to afraid to train, I was taking advantage of the very best training envirovments possible. It would be me, a couple of other "hard core" guys, and an instructor rewarding "the very best students" with "the very best course" he could put on.

This was all about self selection.

If I wanted the best, I had to be willing to do what ever needed to be done, to be in the right position to receive the best.

The summer is coming!

You can sit at home in your air conditioning reading the AAR's or you can be out there training with "the best of the best."

As an instructor, there is nothing more motivating than training in a course with the most motivated students, willing to put in the hardest of work. This is a situation where the instructor feeds off the students ambition and "the student benefit" pays off in spades.

That is the truth of the matter, so let's look at what you need to know to be able to train in hot weather and still remain comfortable and safe.

Proper hydration is an absolute must! You need to be properly hydrated before the course starts and you need to keep ahead of the hydration curve throughout the training time period. You need to drink more fluids that you think that you actually need. You should be urinating once and hour and it should be clear. If you are urinating yellow you are behind the curve. You should be supplementing your water intake with some form of sport drink. Gatorade is not the very best, but it can be bought anywhere and that is important for the instructor/student that flies. But it is the water that is the most important of the fluids.

I have had course where I have poured 6 quarts of fluids inside of eight hours! This is done all while being properly hydrated before and after the class.

Shade, use it whenever you can!

Light color cloths are cooler than dark color cloths.

Sun screen is a must.....get the highest SPF you can find.

A hat for the head and something that you can wrap around the back of your neck to protect you from the sun.

The one's above are things that everyone knows about. Here is one that very few student do, but have the biggest effect on staying cool.

Have plenty of "junk" water for soaking hats, bandanas, shirts and shemaghs. The value of the quality use of a shemagh can not be understated. This is not about looking tacticool, it is about staying as cool as possible so thet you can take advantage of the very best course offering available. When I pull out my shemagh, soak it down and wrap it around me neck, I always get some looks and some comments. But it is one of the very best things that you can do for yourself. They hold so much water, they stay cool and wet for such a long time period. To not understand the value of this piece of equipment is something that needs to be put to rest.

My first experience with a shemagh was when a student was wearing one. Here I was, baking hot, and soaking my bandana once every twenty minutes. I was running the line and doing my typical range master tricks (hand on the students shoulder so he can not turn and point his gun at me) and a felt just how cool his wet shemagh was. I remember making fun of him in my head just a couple of hours before. All of that ignorance disappeared in just one touch.

Here is my best advice to you besides the proper hydration.........BUY A SHEMAGH!

http://www.onesourcetactical.com/tacticalshemagh.aspx

[ArneNV]

Great time for the reminder, Roger! Sold some guns at the Garnerville Gunshow yesterday and ordered my OST shemagh & some mag extentions last night when I got home! Registering for APSP in Reno tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing you then!

Arne

[billinmiss]

As practical as this may seem to be, Roger, I think I would pass on wearing one of these, especially in public. My guess is that you would get more than a casual stare here. You might even see someone put their hand on their gun or near it since this is one of the most recognizable garments worn by our enemy as seen on TV any day of the week.

Call me paranoid but this seems to be the ultimate "shoot me first" piece of clothing and there are a lot of people that carry guns here.

JMO.

[Roger Phillips]

As practical as this may seem to be, Roger, I think I would pass on wearing one of these, especially in public. My guess is that you would get more than a casual stare here. You might even see someone put their hand on their gun or near it since this is one of the most recognizable garments worn by our enemy as seen on TV any day of the week.

Call me paranoid but this seems to be the ultimate "shoot me first" piece of clothing and there are a lot of people that carry guns here.

JMO.

I only use mine when I am training in hot weather. I'm not sure if you are following what I wrote about.

About 1/3 of my students already use them in hot weather......I just don't think the other 2/3 know how well they work.

[billinmiss]

My bad on misunderstanding you, Roger. I took a couple of your statements to mean that you wore this thing in public.

But if I was walking through heavy woods, as is typical of our area and came upon someone, suddenly, dressed in such garb, I can't help but believe my rifle would jump to my shoulder until ID was made.

I think I'll continue to wear my wet hat and a towel around my neck for my own safety.

Take care.

[Pokeguyjai]

About 1/3 of my students already use them in hot weather......I just don't think the other 2/3 know how well they work.

I just like to work on my tan

[bc45]

When I was wearing mine, I know people were making jokes but not to my face.

[cosmotopper]

We have trained with Roger when it is 110 degrees on his home range. The shemagh or its technological equivalent makes things work well as opposed to going down and being "that guy". The key is to cool the base of your neck. The evaporation of the water on your clothing and neck also keeps you in the game. You stay quite comfortable and grow from the training and "get a tan". What a deal. Buy a shemagh. It's inexpensive and requires little care. You are a bad @$$.

[paknheat]

Staying cool and well hydrated is the key. Agree with y'all 100 %. At the point shooting class in Tyler, Tx last weekend it hit the mid 80's i believe, and the sun was'nt a real big factor that day because of all the cloud cover. But, it was very humid, and that will suck the water right out of you down here. Still i went prepared, took a case of drinking water and some Gatorade and we went through over 1/2 of it. I also used sun screen and had a big bandana in my back pocket to wipe the goo off my face. It also works well if i wet it and place it in the back of my ball cap as a cover for the back of my neck, sort of like a red-neck french kepi. With sun not being an issue, i did'nt have to break it out. But you never know....

[s4141]

Timely piece for me Roger. Out at the range this week, and even though it ain't hot yet, I'm not quite used to what we have now. The neck being cool really helps. I saw a few guys wilt out today, and we have 2 days to go.