Off-season: what to do?

I've been thinking about this for a couple of weeks now and these are my final thoughts.  What is the off-season to you? 

For some it is the season in which it is almost impossible to play due to work, weather,  or in my case weather and family.  Don't get me wrong,  this is not a bad thing. My wife is very understanding and supportive of my desire to play paintball but playing paintball also takes me away from my family on weekends.  

The off season for me is a time I don't get to play paintball, but that doesn't mean I do nothing.  It is an opportunity to concentrate on my fitness. It is a time to watch YouTube videos of paintball games, training, tech videos, etc.

To expand on YouTube:
1. Paintball Games: Whether the game is a good or bad; new and valuable information can be extracted for use. You can usually learn what not to do or a new way of doing something you've always done.

2. Training: there are plenty of video on how to work as a team either tactically or through communication.  As a Rec ball player I have even learned some valuable information from X Factor on those tryout videos online.  Training can be applied to any form of paintball regardless of style of play.

3. Tech Videos: I find these videos to be the most valuable in my opinion.  These can be anything from moding vest to real tech issues with your marker. Even if you don't have the particular marker in the video the issues can usually be solved the same way. (Not always)

Finally: the off season is a great time to improve flexibility and strength.  My personal workout is stretching, 15 push ups, 25 crunches, and 10 leg lifts. I will vary occasionally and add in squats and calf raises to break up the routine and to add a change of pace.  I do all this 5 days a week before getting ready for work.

I hope you have enjoyed this post. I apologize for the hiatus but I have been working on some articles for a magazine that doesn't serm to be working out.
Time to start posting again.

See you on the field and "lets burn it up".
-Fenix

TGR2 Mark2 first impressions

I have had the recent opportunity of playing with the TGR2 Mark2. My over all opinion is an 8 out of 10 stock out of box.  Initial upgrade needed is a barrel.  The 10 inch barrel is not very accurate. A 14/16 inch barrel should be fine. My other complaint is a ball chop. I had one issue of ball chop and the issue had me leaving the playing field to go work on the marker. I was able to get back out to play but I lost about 30minutes of play. I did use the sock tank and a remote line and at this point I cannot say I saw a difference,  but I may update that comment later. If you have questions feel free to contact me and I will be happy to answer them.
-Fenix

DP G5 Programming Cheat Sheet

I have received several comments on my cheat sheet for my G5 programming. I thought I would just post the picture on here so anyone who wants to look at it can. Below is how I was able to stream line the programming procedures. If you have questions just let me know!(In the last column the number represents the trigger pulls necessary to make the changes needed, therefore, for rate of fire 1=10 means that 1 trigger pull equals 10 BPS)

Visitors Take: Air Force member!

During the Go'N Postal Event in June I was able to invite someone who served in the Air Force. For privacy reason I will not share how and where I know this individual, but I was able to catch him between assignments.

Q. What is your title and job in the Military? (if you wish to answer)

A. USAF Security Forces

Q. How long has it been since you played paintball?

A. It has been approximately 10 years.

Q. How has the sport changed since you last played?

A. There are two changes there were the most obvious. First is the change from CO2 to just compressed regular air. Second is the advances in the technology for the paintball gun, including the changes to fully automatic weapons and hopper advances.

Q. How does it compare to your world? Good or Bad?

A. It does not really compare with military training because it is a game versus training for the real world. In a game you can take chances that you would not take in the real world because the ramification are different.

Q. Di you have fun and what was fun or not fun about it?

A. It was absolutely a blast to get a chance to play paintball again and see how the sport has evolved over the years I have been away.

Q. Did you like the field? Why or why not?

A. The field was good. I would have liked a larger field with longer game times better but overall the filed was well setup.

Q. Will you be picking up paintball again or just go on occasion?

A. I will play when fields are located in my local area.

Q. Final thoughts either paintball related or having nothing to do with paintball for my readers?

A. The sport has changed a lot over the years. Ten years ago most people played with either a pump gun with same CO2 containers and straight paint tubes and semi autos where the new thing and limited to three balls in the air at a time. The increase in speed ball changed all this and I was never a fan of spray and pray speed ball although I do recognize how that style of game did help expand the sport. I am excited to see how the evolution of play with the addition of magazine operated guns may bring back some of the strategy style of game play that I enjoy the most.

I'm sure this goes without saying but a big thank you to our military friend and to all of our military in general for thier service to our country. God Bless and come home safe!

"Let's Burn it Up"
-Fenix

Two man advance-Paintball Tactics

I recently watched this video on YouTube on how to do a two man advance by Johnathan Vadasz.
His page: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWm5j_gstZs

I found this very informative and decided that I wanted to post this on my blog page and add some drawings so you can visually see what was going on.

A couple of general rules apply. You do not need full auto or even 3 shot burst. Semi-auto should work just perfect for this maneuver and you will also conserve ammo by using Semi-Auto.

First part of this tactic is to not stay in one place, move from one side of your cover to the other. This keeps your opponent guessing. (All illustrations will be as if looking down from the sky.)

The next step is to provide consistent cover fire while your teammate moves.

The next step is where you teammate provides consistent cover fire while you move.

You do this repeatedly until you reach the desired location or until you take out the other team. Now I want to draw your attention that this does become harder the more opponents you have to worry about so use your team to spread out the other team so that you don't have to worry about more than 2 maybe 3 at a time.

Thank you for checking out my channel and please leave comments or suggestions below. Also please feel free to subscribe to this blog and my youtube page which I will provide below.

As always, "lets burn it up"

-Fenix

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/louKYpb

First Major Issue and How I Handled It: Part 1

To my readers, I apologize for taking so long to another post up, however, life is life and if you work and have kids you may understand.

While getting ready for the June go'n postal event I went to fill up my tank and the nipple pin burst/broke/didn't work and the air would not remain in my tank. I promptly went into the pro shop to get help and the tech immediately attempted to help me replace the nipple. However, he had issue and the threads ended up getting stripped.

Here is your lesson. The reg I had used a metric system and most of the paintball world uses 1/8 NPT. So if you happen to have to replace anything on your reg make sure you know measurement system is being used.

For the event I ended up renting a tank (at no cost, because the pro shop guy was awesome in helping me out) and was able to get out and play ASAP.

Since then I have ordered a ninja pro reg which I have received, however, I have not replaced it yet. I plan on doing a video on this and that will be part two.

Thank you for checking out my blog and "Lets burn it up!"

-Fenix

YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/louKYpb

First Event Hightlights: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly...

The Good

     This event was a lot of fun to participate in. Kenny (the owner) and his staff were very friendly and my friends and I needed help with a few things and they made time to help us (which was amazing because they were very busy that day). On top of the Paintball Asylum staff, the 502^nd SOG paintball scenario team were amazing refs. They were available for paint checks fairly quickly. They were doing random chrono’s making sure everyone on the field was safe, and they did a good job keeping play going.

     The layout and set up worked really well for all types of play and players. What I mean by that is if you were a run and gunner or a stealth and crawl your way to victory, or even a tactical team then the layout was advantageous to all types of playing styles.

     With regard to the teams, I was on red team and we did a great job with tactical planning and communication. I can remember one time that I took out the last guy on the right side of the field and I yelled to everyone to “move up, right” and all those on the right side of the field took off without hesitation. That is what I call teamwork and trust. Imaging if I was wrong, all those on the left side would have been lit up most likely. This is where I give a shout out to the UPPK (United Paintball Players of Kentuckiana) paintball club. I have played with them a couple of times now and I think I have enough clout that they trust me especially on the field.

The Bad

     One of my biggest complaints about this event was the marketing or advertisement of the event. I feel that they should have had the online registration open a month before the event and posted more stuff on their website, Facebook, and paintball forums that they are a part of. Now granted I called the Wednesday before and Kenny said they have been having issues with their PayPal account linking correctly. That being said, if they had started a month earlier and tested it then they would have had time to fix any bugs. Excluding that, there was no push to get the event name out there.

     At the end of the day right after the raffle, Kenny asked us all to support the event and get the word out. I will be happy to do so, but the same could be said for his website and Facebook. If he would market that information earlier I could have blown up all my friends and family on Facebook and linked the website to my forums and blog site and so on.

The Ugly

     This event was a very hot and humid day. By the end of the second series of attacks I was starting to get over heated and I had made the decision to sit out the last hour just to rest and cool off. However, at the end of that second attack series everyone was finished so it wasn’t just me and due to heat and wanting rest we all decided to call it a day. What could have made the day better were longer breaks between attacks or even short breaks where we would be allowed to take off our mask and get air to our face. An hour of fighting and not being able to take your mask off will take its toll on anyone.

Takeaway’s

     What I will take away from this event is first off I will offer my help with getting the website up and running if he wants it. I will also make sure to make up my own information so that I can help market the event and get more people out! Finally, I will first off not be afraid to just walk off and take a break, get some water and cool off. Though there was ample seating, I will make sure to take my own chair in the future just in case, that way everyone will have a seat (hopefully).  Will I go back and do this event, absolutely, however I think I will do the events that take place in the fall and in the spring when it is cooler and stick to partial days during the summer/hot months.

Thank you for checking out my blog and as always, "lets burn it up"
-Fenix

Special Thanks:
Paintball Asylum: www.pbasylum.com
502nd SOG:  http://www.facebook.com/502ndSOG
UPPK:  http://www.facebook.com/groups/UPPK.SPC/

Upcoming Blog Posts

This past weekend I played in my first scenario event and I had a lot of fun. I do have quite a bit of information that I would like to post so I'm using this post to give you a heads up on what's coming.

1. First event highlights! The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

2. Update review of DP G5 (it is a good review)

3. Review of Proto Axis mask and other Proto mask (comparison)

4. Visitor's take! Air Force MP went with me and hadn't played in 20+ years. What he has to say!

5. First major issue and how I handled it!
     -This one may or may not take a bit of time because I have to get some help on some tech questions.

If anyone has any questions about these subjects they would like answered please leave them below or send a private message which you can find the contact form to the right of this post.

Thanks for coming to my blog and as always "lets burn it up"!

Fenix

Anticipation of First Scenario Event Ever

This weekend (6/15/13) I will be playing in my first scenario event ever. Go N Postal at Paintball Asylum in Louisville, KY.


Anytime I plan on playing paintball, the anticipation, excitement, and adrenaline just build the closer I get to the day of play. I cannot explain the feeling, but it is fascinating how much excitement builds when that day of play comes. However, I have to say that with my first scenario event coming up these feelings have been doubled. Maybe it is a first time occurrence or maybe this will happen every time, but this is why I love this sport. My blood boils and my adrenaline just builds like no other when it comes to playing paintball.

With the upcoming event I have started to think about how I will play that day. What I mean by this is that I wonder how prepared one can be. I obviously will have my allen keys on me and extra batteries and the typical pods, marker (the whole package set up), head wrap. I start to think about other things like what shoes to wear. I currently only have tennis shoes, but do I want to spend the money on boots or not? Do I want to make sure I take a two way radio? Should I wear gloves or not? How much "junk" do I want to put in my car to make sure I have what I want or need.

I have a busy day tomorrow so I will not be able to post any updates to this post, however, I will be keeping notes of my day and I plan on doing a follow up, post event. Of course I will have pictures and I will get video up ASAP on my YouTube channel. If there is anyone who reads this and wants to meet me at the field please look for me. The more ballers there are, the more fun it will be.

I hope to see you at the field and "lets burn it up".

Fenix

Go N Postal Scenario Event

Refereeing by the 502nd S.O.G. Recreational Paintball Team
Their facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/502ndSOG
Register 1 week prior at www.pbasylum.com/events

Highlights:
Unlimited respawns -  Simply return to your entry point & re-enter the game.
Attacking team - Capture each progressive flag within the allotted time for points.
Defending team - Stop the attackers from taking your flag and deny them points.
Random mail drops throughout the field for bonus points!
Prize Raffle at the end of the day! Come score some of the best prizes in Kentucky!
Two prize package levels (Winning team draws from the better prize pool)
Roving referees actively checking for hot guns and ensuring safe and fair play.
Final hour long big battle in "The City" - This where you GO POSTAL Trying to get control of the flag and secure the win for your team!! This station is worth mega-points, so pace yourself ands stick around for the biggest , most intense battle of the day.

Schedule:
Players Briefing - 10am
Chrono Stations open immediately after Player Briefing
Game Start: 11am (Stages 1 & 2)
Lunch break: 1pm
Game Start: 2pm (Stages 3 & 4)
Final Battle: 4pm
Game over: 5pm
Raffle 5:30ish
Times are approximate

Ask about nearby hotel discounts too
Call Asylum for Event and Paint Pricing!
502-937-9370
or Asylum Extreme in New Albany, IN
1-877-9-ASYLUM

(All information provided by the 502nd SOG)

The budget baller tip!

How to much your own ball hauler.

I hope this helps you budget ballers out there! (And even those cash heavy ballers so you can have more money for something else)

Enjoy!

http://youtu.be/-hS3W6ghxUU

I recently finished my review video of the DP G5, just wanted to post it here for anyone who wants to see it.

http://youtu.be/6Q1zZaHs_dk

News and Support

I wanted to do an additional post to show my support of local Events and other Misc. things I support.

First of all I will start with my favorite website to purchase paintball stuff from:
www.hustlepaintball.com
I have made a few purchases from them and other sites like ANS Gear and Ultimate Paintball and I have received the best service and advice from the staff at Hustle Paintball. Please go check them out.

In a related note Hustle Paintball has also created a forum site so that paintball players can communicate about anything and everything paintball and a few things not related to paintball.
www.pbriot.com
Those at Hustle Paintball make sure that the forums remain clean and they have no problem banning people from their site. (Unlike a few others that will remain unnamed)

I have had several conversations on the forums specifically one I would like to add here are my personal goals for the 2013 paintball season.

1. Be more methodical and aggressive with play.
1. Let me stress that this does not signify that I will be mean and light someone up, the idea is to make sure that I'm advancing on the field and not camping.
2. Help those that are new.
1. I want to take the time to make sure that those new players enjoy paintball and come out again to play.
2. A side goal that comes part of this is the fact that it should help my communication and leadership on the field.
3. Finall: Introduce 2 new people to PB Riot (see above).

If you watch any of my videos down below, I typically use a Drift HD720 camera. Drift makes very good cameras for action sports and you should go check them out.
www.driftinnovation.com

Upcoming Events: Near the Louisville, KY Area
Conders Paintball in Elizabethtown, KY is having a Normandy Event
Date: June 1st 2013
Flyer: http://www.conderspaintball.com/uplimg/documents/big%20game%20flyer%20NORMANDY(2).pdf
Website: www.conderspaintball.com

Paintball Asylum in Louisville, KY is having a Go N' Postal Event
Date: June 15th, 2013
Website: www.pbasylum.com

New Field: Battle Groundz is having a Jungle Run Event
Grand Opening will be held June 8th 2013
Event Date: June 21-23.
Website: www.battlegroundzpb.com

Thanks for checking out my blog and subscribe at the bottom of the page in order to get email notifications,
Fenix

"Lets burn it up"

First Post Ever!

Welcome to my blog and I hope that you enjoy it. I'm sure there will be comments that you may disagree with and I welcome any and all criticism, but please keep the criticism appropriate. If you start using vulgar language I will make sure to block you from by site or delete your comments and I definitely will not respond to you. However, if you disagree with what I say, in an appropriate manner and respectively, I will be happy to comment and/or respond to you.

Thank you in advnace,
Fenix

"Lets burn it up"

Image: "Spin Serpent: From the Ashes" pulled from Google Images