While discussing the horrific shooting in Colorado, a poster on a forum I peruse a member posted the following regarding the Aurora, CO shooter, James Holmes: "I dream of a day when everyone has forgotten this dirt bags name. That way no one will remember him. because he doesn't deserve remembrancea day when we only remember the people who he killed that day. A day where him, his thoughts his plans and his life are forgotten."
I personally disagree. I think his name needs remembrance. We all remember Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini. We remember Saddam Hussein, Muammar Quaddafi and Osama bin Laden. We remember Ed Gein, Lee Harvey Oswald and Charles Manson. History needs villains. People need to be able to look back on history and see what happens when villains are allowed to practice their craft. What happens when no one stands up and says "no more."
Heroes are the antithesis of villains. For every Hitler there has to be an Audie Murphey. For every bin Laden there has to be a Navy SEAL who double-taps him into oblivion. Heroes are what happens when an otherwise ordinary individual steps up to the plate and says "you have come this far, but no further." When someone forgets about themselves and focuses on fixing the problem, no matter the cost. But a hero isn't just someone who fixes a problem. It's someone who fixes a problem no one else can or will. Anyone can rescue a cat from a tree, or even tackle a mugger or give CPR to someone after an accident. Not that those people aren't good, commendable people. But to be a hero requires one make or be willing to make a greater sacrifice. Heroes stare death in the eyes and continue forward. I'll see your passerby who stops and gives CPR to a heart-attack victim, a truly commendable and selfless act to be sure, but I'll raise you the random passerby who sees a child about to be hit by a vehicle and risks their own life and limb to toss them out of harm's way, or the warriors on the beaches of Normandy who knew there was a good chance they may not come back. Heroes are extraordinary people who combat extraordinary evil at potential great cost to themselves.
Now I'm not saying that we need people to display great evil so that we can have heroes. I'm saying that people will display the capacity and willingness to do great evil one way or another. We need heroes to fight that great evil. Heroes exist because a few stand up in the face of danger. Without great evil there would be no heroes. That's why we need to remember the evil. People need examples. Without examples, evil is just an abstract concept, maybe even an artificial construct. When someone cries "evil", people go on with their lives. When evil has a face people stop and take notice. Faces and names serve to remind people of what evil is capable of, what happens when its leash is too long and that it is indeed real. So history needs villains. Villains frighten the common man deep inside, but for some... For a few among us, villains inspire resolve and strength. Those few will look upon the face of evil and say to themselves, though they may never meet such evil, "this far, and no further." They will resolve to stand in the face of some great, as-of-yet unknown villain, look them in the eye and stop them dead in their tracks.
We need to raise up our heroes and show the world what people can be. We need to remind people that humans have the capacity for extraordinary behavior and accomplishment. People like superheroes because while stylized and over-exaggerated, superheroes represent someone who will fight what they themselves fear. Heroes are who everyone else looks up to. But if we don't remember the villains, people will see no reason for heroes. So give evil a name and a face. Give them their lasting infamy. Maybe that's just what someone needs to strengthen their resolve. Maybe someday someone will look at the name James Holmes and decide there and forevermore that they will not allow such evil on their watch. Let history remember the villain. Maybe he's just what a soon-to-be hero needs to see.
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Self-Defense Philosophizing
As many of my (very few) readers probably know, I am a huge self-defense advocate. Concealed carry, open carry, you name it. Something that has been sadly neglected despite my advocacy has been the art of hand-to-hand combat. There are places and situations that will prohibit the use of deadly force, or the deployment of a weapon of any kind. I have always been aware of this, but haven't been able to find a martial art that I felt really suited me. A couple years ago I started looking for one in earnest. I looked at Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Judo, Jiujitsu etc., but couldn't really be satisfied with any of them. Without even trying, I knew they were all good martial arts, and if I ever have a son I'd give serious thought to putting him in one for fitness, self-defense and discipline.
But I don't need all those things: art, tradition, discipline, showmanship, competition or rules. Many of the usual martial arts are just that though. Steeped in tradition, focused on the execution of their particular forms with rigid perfection, laden with rules based on their respective competitive arenas. Effective styles, to be sure, but I needed something simple, adaptable and utilitarian. Something that didn't restrict some of the most useful moves and forms to higher levels that can take years of dedication to attain.
I had heard about Krav Maga, but hadn't done much research into it because I knew no one in the OKC area taught it. Having moved up north though, I started looking again and found someone here who does. I started researching more about the system and found it to my liking. Developed by Imi Lichtenfeld on the streets of Bratislava during pre-WWII. Originally just his own unique style combining street-fighting and boxing, he eventually moved to Israel and began teaching the style to what would become the IDF. Over time the system has evolved, incorporating what useful tidbits they find from other systems into their own, and adapting them. What has come of that evolution is a system based on simple, effective moves. There's no focus on rigidly following tradition. Of great importance, there are no competitive Krav Maga leagues which would lead to watering down the system to accommodate for rules. This is where a lot of arts like Karate fail for me. Official competitions have rules, and those rules inevitably make it into the curriculum for the system so there's no re-training needed for students who wish to engage in those competitions.
This is where Krav Maga really started to appeal to me. It cuts the unnecessary and teaches its students the important things. Stance, effective strikes, disarms and basic kicks. The focus on adaptable attacks and efficiency of movement is exactly what I was looking for, but Krav Maga also has its own philosophy. Rather than focusing heavily on defense and tit-for-tat counter-attacks, one of the basic principles is that the best way to ensure your safety is to end a fight quickly, and in such a fashion that your assailant is unable to attack you again. I won't go into all the principles and tactics taught in Krav Maga, but I highly suggest anyone looking for an effective, no-frills self-defense system look into it.
What I will do is tell you that learning the principles and basics of Krav Maga has caused me to examine my own philosophy on self-defense. When I first started carrying, I knew that if I should ever need to use my weapon (God forbid) I would have to be in the right mindset to take care of business. I realized when I started thinking more about it though, that while I knew I'd need to be in the right mindset I hadn't really thought about what that was. I have given it more thought recently though, and without further ado here are the basics of what I've decided self-defense means for me.
Be prepared, both mentally and physically.
An attack could come from anywhere at any time, always be aware of your environment and everything within it. This also includes fitness and training. If you are overweight/underweight/poor cardio/etc., you cannot fight back effectively. Get fit and get training. If you can't get fit, carry a weapon. Canes make good beating sticks if you can't carry anything else.
Most importantly, protect yourself and those in your charge.
If you are injured, you can't effectively protect yourself or your family. Do what is best to achieve that end. This may mean fighting ferociously to stop an attacker, or getting the heck out of Dodge. Which brings us to the next point.
If escape is an option, it is quite likely the best option.
You cannot lose a fight that does not happen. Perhaps this means running away, or perhaps this means driving back or stunning your attacker just long enough to let your wife and kids (if you have them) get in the vehicle, then jumping behind the wheel and taking off. If you cannot escape, get in the mindset to fight. This person means to hurt you/loved ones, take what doesn't belong to them and possibly kill you. Do. Not. Let them.
Defense is good, but the most effective way to defend and prevent injury to yourself is to remove your assailant's ability to injure you.
This isn't to say you shouldn't take a defensive posture or block attacks, but rather that you should do so while looking for the first and best opportunity to bring the fight to them. Every defensive move should be followed by a counterattack. If they commit their weight to a strike that you deflect, strike back in a way that follows the next note.
Be fast. Be brutal. Do not relent until the threat is over.
The longer the fight, the greater the chance of wearing out or being injured. Don't strike at them and then wait until they try again to perform another counter-attack. Once you've beaten their guard, keep pounding away, quickly and forcefully, until either the assailant cannot fight back or you need to deflect another attack. Remember, broken bones weaken the integrity of any attack or defense. This is not a sparring match or a playful joust. This is a fight for your life, and the goal is to end that threat. Hit them with everything you have until they can do you no more harm.
There are no rules; use what works.
This may be the most important thing to keep in mind once you've engaged in combat. The only exception is: most laws frown upon using weapons against a weaponless attacker, unless there's a disparity of force. If you can't bring a weapon into play you need to remember that anything goes. This is not a Karate competition or boxing match where you can't hit below the belt. Your assailant doesn't care about rules or laws or they wouldn't have assaulted you. If you see an opportunity to grab your assailant's hair, poke out his eyes or kick him in the groin, do it.
Obviously one has to be reasonable. If you disable the attacker, you've done your job. That's the goal here. Now call the cops and let them deal with the cleanup. If you continue stomping their skull into the pavement until they bleed out, you're taking your living arrangements for the rest of your life into your own hands. This philosophy applies to preparing for the possibility of a fight for your life, and how to make sure you come out on top. I am not advocating killing an unarmed attacker. If the attacker chooses to bring a weapon to the fight, the paradigm changes. The philosophy still applies, but take the last point up a notch. If they introduce a weapon, so can you. Be safe, friends.
But I don't need all those things: art, tradition, discipline, showmanship, competition or rules. Many of the usual martial arts are just that though. Steeped in tradition, focused on the execution of their particular forms with rigid perfection, laden with rules based on their respective competitive arenas. Effective styles, to be sure, but I needed something simple, adaptable and utilitarian. Something that didn't restrict some of the most useful moves and forms to higher levels that can take years of dedication to attain.
I had heard about Krav Maga, but hadn't done much research into it because I knew no one in the OKC area taught it. Having moved up north though, I started looking again and found someone here who does. I started researching more about the system and found it to my liking. Developed by Imi Lichtenfeld on the streets of Bratislava during pre-WWII. Originally just his own unique style combining street-fighting and boxing, he eventually moved to Israel and began teaching the style to what would become the IDF. Over time the system has evolved, incorporating what useful tidbits they find from other systems into their own, and adapting them. What has come of that evolution is a system based on simple, effective moves. There's no focus on rigidly following tradition. Of great importance, there are no competitive Krav Maga leagues which would lead to watering down the system to accommodate for rules. This is where a lot of arts like Karate fail for me. Official competitions have rules, and those rules inevitably make it into the curriculum for the system so there's no re-training needed for students who wish to engage in those competitions.
This is where Krav Maga really started to appeal to me. It cuts the unnecessary and teaches its students the important things. Stance, effective strikes, disarms and basic kicks. The focus on adaptable attacks and efficiency of movement is exactly what I was looking for, but Krav Maga also has its own philosophy. Rather than focusing heavily on defense and tit-for-tat counter-attacks, one of the basic principles is that the best way to ensure your safety is to end a fight quickly, and in such a fashion that your assailant is unable to attack you again. I won't go into all the principles and tactics taught in Krav Maga, but I highly suggest anyone looking for an effective, no-frills self-defense system look into it.
What I will do is tell you that learning the principles and basics of Krav Maga has caused me to examine my own philosophy on self-defense. When I first started carrying, I knew that if I should ever need to use my weapon (God forbid) I would have to be in the right mindset to take care of business. I realized when I started thinking more about it though, that while I knew I'd need to be in the right mindset I hadn't really thought about what that was. I have given it more thought recently though, and without further ado here are the basics of what I've decided self-defense means for me.
Be prepared, both mentally and physically.
An attack could come from anywhere at any time, always be aware of your environment and everything within it. This also includes fitness and training. If you are overweight/underweight/poor cardio/etc., you cannot fight back effectively. Get fit and get training. If you can't get fit, carry a weapon. Canes make good beating sticks if you can't carry anything else.
Most importantly, protect yourself and those in your charge.
If you are injured, you can't effectively protect yourself or your family. Do what is best to achieve that end. This may mean fighting ferociously to stop an attacker, or getting the heck out of Dodge. Which brings us to the next point.
If escape is an option, it is quite likely the best option.
You cannot lose a fight that does not happen. Perhaps this means running away, or perhaps this means driving back or stunning your attacker just long enough to let your wife and kids (if you have them) get in the vehicle, then jumping behind the wheel and taking off. If you cannot escape, get in the mindset to fight. This person means to hurt you/loved ones, take what doesn't belong to them and possibly kill you. Do. Not. Let them.
Defense is good, but the most effective way to defend and prevent injury to yourself is to remove your assailant's ability to injure you.
This isn't to say you shouldn't take a defensive posture or block attacks, but rather that you should do so while looking for the first and best opportunity to bring the fight to them. Every defensive move should be followed by a counterattack. If they commit their weight to a strike that you deflect, strike back in a way that follows the next note.
Be fast. Be brutal. Do not relent until the threat is over.
The longer the fight, the greater the chance of wearing out or being injured. Don't strike at them and then wait until they try again to perform another counter-attack. Once you've beaten their guard, keep pounding away, quickly and forcefully, until either the assailant cannot fight back or you need to deflect another attack. Remember, broken bones weaken the integrity of any attack or defense. This is not a sparring match or a playful joust. This is a fight for your life, and the goal is to end that threat. Hit them with everything you have until they can do you no more harm.
There are no rules; use what works.
This may be the most important thing to keep in mind once you've engaged in combat. The only exception is: most laws frown upon using weapons against a weaponless attacker, unless there's a disparity of force. If you can't bring a weapon into play you need to remember that anything goes. This is not a Karate competition or boxing match where you can't hit below the belt. Your assailant doesn't care about rules or laws or they wouldn't have assaulted you. If you see an opportunity to grab your assailant's hair, poke out his eyes or kick him in the groin, do it.
Obviously one has to be reasonable. If you disable the attacker, you've done your job. That's the goal here. Now call the cops and let them deal with the cleanup. If you continue stomping their skull into the pavement until they bleed out, you're taking your living arrangements for the rest of your life into your own hands. This philosophy applies to preparing for the possibility of a fight for your life, and how to make sure you come out on top. I am not advocating killing an unarmed attacker. If the attacker chooses to bring a weapon to the fight, the paradigm changes. The philosophy still applies, but take the last point up a notch. If they introduce a weapon, so can you. Be safe, friends.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
So many new things...
Been a long time since I've posted, and a lot has happened recently. Trayvon martin, a bombing at an abortion clinic, open carry laws in Oklahoma. I suppose I'll have to pick one to start with. What to choose...
Monday, July 11, 2011
Venue review - Dodge City Paintball
Ah, paintball. One of the many pastimes enjoyed by yours truly as often as possible. A demanding sport that requires the most out of both its' players and their equipment. Players have to be fit enough to sprint, jump, dive and turn on a dime, all the while shooting at one's adversaries and, in theory anyway, not getting shot by the same. Anyone who disagrees about it being a sport, I invite to play with me sometime and I'll show you what it takes.
It's a sport that demands the best from its players and their equipment, for sure. But it also demands an arena worthy of the sport. Anyone can play paintball and have fun as long as they're willing to get a little dirty, the gun works, and the field is a good one. Whether woodsball or speedball, the field is an integral part of the experience. My favorite small woodsball fields generally have a forested area with moderate underbrush, some good elevation changes and at least one open area near the center. I'm not much of a speedballer myself, but I can enjoy it as long as it's not the only thing I'm playing that day.
Just this weekend I was out for an evening of paintball with several of my coworkers at Dodge City Paintball. The field is located off Highway 3 out near Piedmont. From NW Expressway in OKC you can head West out past Piedmont Road and hang a left on NW 150th. The road will immediately turn right and you just keep driving until the road turns to dirt, then it's about another 1/4 mile till it dead-ends at the fields.
Currently they have two speedball fields and two woodsball courses. The speedball fields are where I'll start. One is an airball field with your standard set of inflatable cover. This field is a pretty good one. The cover is well-spaced and seems to make for a decent speedball match. The second is a course known as Tetanus. It's made up of a bunche of metal crate and pipes and stack of tires. The name is well-deserved. Feel free to hide behind the cover, but you may not want to touch it. While I like the initial looks of this field better, we found it to be quite one-sided, as one team initially has a large stack of railroad ties to hide behind, while the other is basically left standing in the open. The refs make sure of that. Once you get past that the course is OK.
The woodsball fields are what I'm out there for, and unfortunately this is where the disappointment begins. Now it's not really their fault, this first point, but the poor guys had the bad luck of getting hit by a tornado that ripped up a large portion of the trees. Fewer trees = not-so-good woodsball field. The first field you see is practically bare, and not at all fun to play on really. They've basically turned it into a crappy speedball course surrounded by some fallen trees. The course in the back seems to have been spared the brunt of the tornado however, and was thoroughly enjoyable as a course. The few fallen trees in that area added to the field really, and it was good.
The other problem related to the tornado is the inevitable debris. The speedball fields are easy enough to clean up, but immediately upon entering the first woods course I spotted a small piece of lumber with a bent, rusty nail jutting out. I promptly tossed it into a trash pile to get it off, but it did little to assuage my fears of impaling myself on a tetanus-infested shard of something pointy and mean. Luckily the day went without such disasters.
The second thing a good venue needs for players to have a good time is decent rental equipment. This is where the disappointments start to really take their toll, as this is a completely controllable variable. Tornadoes come and go, but your equipment is vital and it's not that hard to mark a bad gun for repair later. Given that many of the ones who come for company paintball don't have their own guns, it's mandated that we all use rentals to make the playing field a little more even for everyone.
I've been to Dodge City three times. Once with church, before I really knew what I was doing, so I don't remember much. The second time was our previous company outing. That second time the rental guns failed me a total of six times. The very first match the grip on my gun broke, which made it more difficult to use but didn't really affect the function. I promptly returned it after the match and had them hand me a new one. After that it was a series of 5 guns that would shoot no more than 5 times without failing in some way or another. The bolt locked on one and began leaking all my air, and others simply would not re-cock all the way, leading to misfires in the most important of movements. Always during a sneak assault from an unexpected direction when I exposed myself to an enemy, knowing I could take them out and take their cover. That is, until my gun would fail me and cause my painful demise.
This year I had not so much trouble with my gun, but two of our party had trouble that required they return theirs. One with similar trouble as I had and the other whose gun seemed to not be shooting at velocity. After visiting the chrono station (which the refs did not require before playing, a serious safety concern) the gun could not be made to shoot faster than 150. All of the guns would fail to fire occasionally and would need the bolt manually cocked. I never returned mine for fear I would only get one in worse condition.
Another thing needed is good paint. I don't so much remember the paint from our last visit, but this year we could not get it to break to save our lives. I traded fire with a coworker constantly during a 5-minute standoff between the two of us in the woods. We each bounced rounds off each others' masks, necks and other various appendages. Finally I gave up on him and moved to assist a teammate in need. I knew my enemy wasn't moving out of that cover quickly. My teammate was up against two, and when I flanked one and caught his attention my teammate took him. None of the rounds broke, he just agave up.
I turned my attention to the other and got the drop on him from the side. I unloaded 8 rounds into his arm, side and gun. None broke. He simply gave up, not wanting the onslaught to continue. Later on I flanked one of the same two in a speedball match and from 15 feet fired 5 rounds into his hindquarters, only one broke. The last player on their team and I traded fire over direct line-of-sight and he simply gave up when he got flanked by my teammate.
A final comment I'll make is the facilities. I know they had a bad run of luck with the tornadoes, but this was also an issue prior. They have a couple awnings and a place to store the paint and guns, but they have no water. Oklahoma summers are hot and nasty, and water is imperative. Our ref resorted to bumming drinks that we had brought, because they had nothing for even him to drink. If a player drops from dehydration out there it's at least 20 minutes to the nearest hospital and that's if you're driving real fast. Hydration is something I consider a must, and the fact that they don't even provide something for their refs, let alone for the players, speaks negatively to me.
This review has turned out longer than expected, so here's the TL;DR. A venue needs good fields, good equipment and good paint to really make for a good experience. Unfortunately Dodge City Paintball can't do much in the way of fields at the moment, and that's just a string of bad luck. But twice I've been out and we've had a horrid time with their equipment and I know at least this time we had no luck with their paint. I've got a couple real nasty bruises from the bounces that are going to last me a while.
A good venue is a must if you're going to play paintball at any level of experience. For those of you looking for a place in central Oklahoma I'll suggest Adventure Zone south of Guthrie. I haven't played their speedball fields, but they looked good while I was there and their woodsball fields were very good. My personal favorite is the city though. For a good time paintballing, try them out. Dodge City just isn't up to snuff. The rentals have been rock-bottom the last two times, at least one time their paint was part of their downfall and their fields at this point are downright dangerous to the players. I like to slide into my cover and I got lucky this time. There's obviously still shrapnel out on the fields though, and I'd stay far away given the choice.
Happy hunting.
It's a sport that demands the best from its players and their equipment, for sure. But it also demands an arena worthy of the sport. Anyone can play paintball and have fun as long as they're willing to get a little dirty, the gun works, and the field is a good one. Whether woodsball or speedball, the field is an integral part of the experience. My favorite small woodsball fields generally have a forested area with moderate underbrush, some good elevation changes and at least one open area near the center. I'm not much of a speedballer myself, but I can enjoy it as long as it's not the only thing I'm playing that day.
Just this weekend I was out for an evening of paintball with several of my coworkers at Dodge City Paintball. The field is located off Highway 3 out near Piedmont. From NW Expressway in OKC you can head West out past Piedmont Road and hang a left on NW 150th. The road will immediately turn right and you just keep driving until the road turns to dirt, then it's about another 1/4 mile till it dead-ends at the fields.
Currently they have two speedball fields and two woodsball courses. The speedball fields are where I'll start. One is an airball field with your standard set of inflatable cover. This field is a pretty good one. The cover is well-spaced and seems to make for a decent speedball match. The second is a course known as Tetanus. It's made up of a bunche of metal crate and pipes and stack of tires. The name is well-deserved. Feel free to hide behind the cover, but you may not want to touch it. While I like the initial looks of this field better, we found it to be quite one-sided, as one team initially has a large stack of railroad ties to hide behind, while the other is basically left standing in the open. The refs make sure of that. Once you get past that the course is OK.
The woodsball fields are what I'm out there for, and unfortunately this is where the disappointment begins. Now it's not really their fault, this first point, but the poor guys had the bad luck of getting hit by a tornado that ripped up a large portion of the trees. Fewer trees = not-so-good woodsball field. The first field you see is practically bare, and not at all fun to play on really. They've basically turned it into a crappy speedball course surrounded by some fallen trees. The course in the back seems to have been spared the brunt of the tornado however, and was thoroughly enjoyable as a course. The few fallen trees in that area added to the field really, and it was good.
The other problem related to the tornado is the inevitable debris. The speedball fields are easy enough to clean up, but immediately upon entering the first woods course I spotted a small piece of lumber with a bent, rusty nail jutting out. I promptly tossed it into a trash pile to get it off, but it did little to assuage my fears of impaling myself on a tetanus-infested shard of something pointy and mean. Luckily the day went without such disasters.
The second thing a good venue needs for players to have a good time is decent rental equipment. This is where the disappointments start to really take their toll, as this is a completely controllable variable. Tornadoes come and go, but your equipment is vital and it's not that hard to mark a bad gun for repair later. Given that many of the ones who come for company paintball don't have their own guns, it's mandated that we all use rentals to make the playing field a little more even for everyone.
I've been to Dodge City three times. Once with church, before I really knew what I was doing, so I don't remember much. The second time was our previous company outing. That second time the rental guns failed me a total of six times. The very first match the grip on my gun broke, which made it more difficult to use but didn't really affect the function. I promptly returned it after the match and had them hand me a new one. After that it was a series of 5 guns that would shoot no more than 5 times without failing in some way or another. The bolt locked on one and began leaking all my air, and others simply would not re-cock all the way, leading to misfires in the most important of movements. Always during a sneak assault from an unexpected direction when I exposed myself to an enemy, knowing I could take them out and take their cover. That is, until my gun would fail me and cause my painful demise.
This year I had not so much trouble with my gun, but two of our party had trouble that required they return theirs. One with similar trouble as I had and the other whose gun seemed to not be shooting at velocity. After visiting the chrono station (which the refs did not require before playing, a serious safety concern) the gun could not be made to shoot faster than 150. All of the guns would fail to fire occasionally and would need the bolt manually cocked. I never returned mine for fear I would only get one in worse condition.
Another thing needed is good paint. I don't so much remember the paint from our last visit, but this year we could not get it to break to save our lives. I traded fire with a coworker constantly during a 5-minute standoff between the two of us in the woods. We each bounced rounds off each others' masks, necks and other various appendages. Finally I gave up on him and moved to assist a teammate in need. I knew my enemy wasn't moving out of that cover quickly. My teammate was up against two, and when I flanked one and caught his attention my teammate took him. None of the rounds broke, he just agave up.
I turned my attention to the other and got the drop on him from the side. I unloaded 8 rounds into his arm, side and gun. None broke. He simply gave up, not wanting the onslaught to continue. Later on I flanked one of the same two in a speedball match and from 15 feet fired 5 rounds into his hindquarters, only one broke. The last player on their team and I traded fire over direct line-of-sight and he simply gave up when he got flanked by my teammate.
A final comment I'll make is the facilities. I know they had a bad run of luck with the tornadoes, but this was also an issue prior. They have a couple awnings and a place to store the paint and guns, but they have no water. Oklahoma summers are hot and nasty, and water is imperative. Our ref resorted to bumming drinks that we had brought, because they had nothing for even him to drink. If a player drops from dehydration out there it's at least 20 minutes to the nearest hospital and that's if you're driving real fast. Hydration is something I consider a must, and the fact that they don't even provide something for their refs, let alone for the players, speaks negatively to me.
This review has turned out longer than expected, so here's the TL;DR. A venue needs good fields, good equipment and good paint to really make for a good experience. Unfortunately Dodge City Paintball can't do much in the way of fields at the moment, and that's just a string of bad luck. But twice I've been out and we've had a horrid time with their equipment and I know at least this time we had no luck with their paint. I've got a couple real nasty bruises from the bounces that are going to last me a while.
A good venue is a must if you're going to play paintball at any level of experience. For those of you looking for a place in central Oklahoma I'll suggest Adventure Zone south of Guthrie. I haven't played their speedball fields, but they looked good while I was there and their woodsball fields were very good. My personal favorite is the city though. For a good time paintballing, try them out. Dodge City just isn't up to snuff. The rentals have been rock-bottom the last two times, at least one time their paint was part of their downfall and their fields at this point are downright dangerous to the players. I like to slide into my cover and I got lucky this time. There's obviously still shrapnel out on the fields though, and I'd stay far away given the choice.
Happy hunting.
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