In particular situations, there are definite and certain moves that a player or players on a team must make. Here are a few that I've seen and performed over the years. If you can recognize the particular situation, and make the particular move required for that situation, your game and your team's record will improve.

THE FADE

This is such a great move because it's very successful. The odds are that you will eliminate your opponent, and there should be little chance of you getting hit. Here is the way the Fade works.

When a player or players on one team are going at it with one or more opponents, the team that wants to put on the fade maneuver will act like the other team is getting the upper hand. They might pretend to be low on paint, or that they are having paintgun problems, or that they need to shift elsewhere on the field.

The fade player will stop shooting and retreat, disappearing from sight. Thick cover works great here for both disappearing and re-appearing. After retreating, the fading player will loop around the field and come up to one side of where he was originally positioned.

Now the player who faded will wait for the opposition to come out in the open because they think no one is there. When they advance, ambush them. Move as quickly and as quietly as possible without disturbing the foliage. This move works well one-on-one, also.

THE TREE MOVE

The Tree Move is a simple but a very effective maneuver that helps you stay undetected while you advance on them. At the least, the opposition will be unable to get a clean accurate shot on you while you are advancing.

All you need to do is find where your opponent is in relation to yourself, and then advance toward him, making sure you keep a tree or trees between you so he cannot locate you. When you get where you want to be, then set up in your shooting position, and have your paintgun already up and ready to shoot.

Attack then. You will catch him unprepared. Even if you don't eliminate him right off you will be close enough to make another move on him, or keep him pinned while a teammate flanks him. The Tree Move is also good for a one-on-one situation.

BUNKER RUSH

(1 Player) The Bunker Rush is a move that involves two parts. The first is to lay a large amount of paint on a bunker that has an opponent behind it. This forces him to stay down so he cannot do any shooting whatsoever. The second part of the Bunker Rush is to run to the opponent's bunker, still shooting at him, and take him out of the game.
Shooting at an opponent's bunker neutralizes that opponent and is just as effective as eliminating him for a while. Your team needs, however, to keep shooting at that bunker and that uses up paint and time, and ties up one or more of your players to keep the opponent suppressed.

The Bunker Rush can be done alone or by multiple players. To execute this move alone, you first must suppress the player. Keep him pinned down, then get up and rush his position. You must continue to shoot at the bunker while you are moving towards it. Any pause in shooting will give him a chance to get up and shoot while you're a sitting duck. When you get to the bunker, you will either swing around one side of the bunker, or possibly shoot the opponent over the top of the bunker.

(2 player) The Bunker Rush using two players is easier than just with one person. Player one suppresses the opponent. Player two breaks for the bunker (being careful not to run into the cover fire paint). Player two can shoot at the bunker if he chooses to do so.

DOUBLE TROUBLE

When a team needs to take a specific bunker or a very important part of the field, give the opponents Double Trouble and send two players, slightly apart. Incoming paint will now need to focus on two targets, which can increase the odds of a successful move by at least one of your players.

If one is eliminated, that's o.k. since your other player got in. If both make the move, that's even better. (If both don't, that's still all right because at least you tried to do something instead of sitting on your hands.) Teams playing paintball, especially in tournaments, need to do things to win the game. Play to win the game; don't play to lose it.

BAIT & TRAP

The Bait and Trap is a spin-off from the leap frog or bounding overwatch maneuver. It is a play made by two players on a team when they are advancing through the field. The first player moves out anywhere from 5 to 10 yards away from his partner.

Player 1 is looking for opponents. So is player 2, but player 2 must also keep an eye on player 1 to see when he will stop ("post up"). After he stops, player 2 moves out, not directly behind player 1 but to one side. He passes up player 1 and goes 5 to 10 yards past him and posts up.
When making this move, the players always look for sufficient cover. Either one of them may not be able to go 5 or 10 yards because they have to use the cover they find, and they may take incoming paint from opponents. They keep repeating this advance move. One player is always on point, posted up and not moving, which the other one is moving.

This move has risks because you are taking up a lot of ground at a pretty fast pace. How fast you make this move depends on the circumstances. Take your time. Stop the move if need be and resume when circumstances are right to continue. This move may be used several times in a game. It may be executed quickly and you move from bunker to bunker, or it can be made more slowly to attempt to avoid being seen.

Practice these moves until you know which particular move is called for under particular circumstances. In time, they will all become a welcomed part of your tactics arsenal.

What is fire discipline?

"Being able to consistently hit what you are shooting at. Also, I don't like the spray and pray practice that most folks with semi-autos use ... one round per second on target will keep a person pinned down just as well as 5 rounds per second or more."--Trapper Davis, Splatzone Paintball, Hopewell, Virginia

"Being in complete control of your marker while paying 110% attention to what is going on around you."--Todd Peverill, General Manager, Pev's Paintball Pro Shops, Virginia

Overall, most paintball players have pretty much the same idea of what good fire discipline is. Some don't. For those who don't, it may be easier to understand the need for good fire discipline if we look at it from a different perspective.

If you played a day of walk-on rec ball, and you shot 1,000 paintballs in eight games and you got 10 eliminations for the day, you shot 100 balls per elimination. At an average cost of 4 cents per ball, you have spent $4 to get each elimination. Suppose that with the use of accurately aimed fire and proper tactics, you could get the same 10 eliminations but shoot only 500 paintballs. You will have saved a lot of money and you can play more often on the same budget.

If you can play twice as often on the same amount of money, are you going to have more fun? The answer is yes, unless your idea of having fun on the paintball field is to shoot as much paint as you can afford as fast as you can pull the trigger.

Education, practice and playing time are the three keys to improving your game, because they will improve your fire discipline. Next, ways to improve while having fun at the same time.

THE RIGHT WAY

All of us that play regularly have an obligation to help the less experienced and the younger players to understand the techniques and tactics they will need to excel in our sport. This is where education comes into the picture. We can do a lot for the future of our sport if we will just take the time to help the "newbies" understand how the game should be played, instead of using them for target practice and "lighting them up" when they make a mistake on the field.

The new players are the future of our sport and we must take the time to get them headed in the right direction. A few minutes spent coaching the new players before the start of the game will not only help your team but will help make your day of recreational paintball more enjoyable. Remember, rec ball is supposed to be fun.

Education does not stop with the new players. There is an old quote that goes something like,"Sometimes a teacher, always a student". In other words, we should never develop the attitude that we "know it all". We should all be constantly striving to improve our game. We can all learn a great deal about the game of paintball by simply being observant and keeping an open mind.

Try going out to your favorite field sometime and don't play. Just put on your safety gear and go watch a few games. You will be surprised how much you thought you knew about playing that field. An even better way to learn what to do and what not to do is to become a judge or referee. If you ref long enough, you will see it all.

You can also learn from reading APG, Paintball, and other magazines dedicated to the game, and the Internet is chock full of paintball sites where you can find most anything you want to know. Check out warpig, or the newsgroup rec.sport.paintball. As with any public forum, the Internet has some good information and some not so good information. With time, using your common sense, you will be able to sort out what is useful to you.

PRACTICE

Reading will help your game, but paintball is a physical activity and nothing can take the place of playing time and practice. "Practice?" you ask, "Why should I practice when I only play rec ball?" Because paintball is supposed to be fun, and you will have more fun if you develop good playing skills.

This doesn't mean that you should run drills all day like the pro tournament players, but you should at least devote some time to practice at the target range. I recommend at least a few minutes of quality practice at the target range each time you go to the field. That small investment of time shooting at targets will greatly enhance your shooting skills and help to make your game much more enjoyable. Jim Jadryev, owner of Check-It Paintball in Chantilly, Virginia, says that fire discipline is "controlling your use and rate of fire." He suggests that the best way to improve your shooting ability is to learn to judge distances and shoot accurately by practicing at the target range, and to use the best breaking paint that is consistent with your 'gun.

Spend time at the range developing your shooting skills and learning how your 'gun shoots under different weather conditions and with different paint and barrel combinations.

At the target range you can learn the effective range of your 'gun. You can learn to control your trigger finger so that when you shoot only your finger moves and your 'gun stays on target.

If you have sights on your gun you can make any adjustments necessary at the range. If you don't use sights, you can learn how to sight down the side of the barrel.

Make sure you use your time at the target range wisely. Paintballs are expensive, and we really enjoy shooting them more during a game than at a target on the range, so concentrate on your practice and make sure each paintball you shoot is a learning experience.

Playing time is the best way to improve your game. However, we learn more from a dedicated effort to try different tactics and skills than from a game of random efforts to eliminate as many opponents as possible. There are many ways to challenge yourself on the field while learning new techniques and getting in some good practice.

The next time you play a walk-on day, pick one or two games during the day to work on some specific skills. If you are playing a semi-auto game, try playing a game of Hopperball.

HOPPERBALL

Hopperball is simply playing with only the paint in your loader. Leave your eight-pod harness at the staging area. Hopperball is a great way to improve your shooting skills and fire discipline, because if you don't control your rate of fire you will be out of paint before you know it.

ACCURACY

Another way to help improve your shooting skills while playing rec ball is to play with a pump in a game for semi-autos (or, better yet, play with a stockgun). This will limit the amount of paint you shoot even more, and you will really have to concentrate on tactics and aimed fire. This actually is quite an easy thing to do if you think about what you are doing and remember to work within your self imposed limitations.

Some of the semi players will laugh at you when you show up with your Phantom stockgun, or when you are playing with your Angel and only 200 paintballs for the entire game, but they won't be laughing so hard after they have been eliminated by someone that was concentrating on tactics and aimed fire instead of "accuracy by volume".

So you have decided to play paintball. Excited, you drive out to the park, sling your pumpgun tight and go out on to the field for your very first time, But what do you do? In order to save you some embarrassment, I'm going to give you a few pointers. While these won't win the game for you, they will give you an idea of what to do, what not to do.

First of all, the best advice I can give you is not to be intimidated by "veteran" players. They may have their thousand dollar 'guns and be covered in camo head to toe, but don't let it get to you. If you enter the game with a " we've already lost" attitude, then you have. As much as any, paintball is a mental game. I have had the honor of playing with and against Team AfterShock, a pro team here in Chicago, Illinois. While I knew that I stood no chance, I still played with all I had, and it was one of the greatest times of my life.

If you do wander into the middle of a firefight, try to avoid being "bunkered" by someone. The player jumping over the bunker is Frank Jusich.

Second, if it is your first game, then stay towards the back until you are used to the sounds of the game and being shot at. If you do wander into the middle of a firefight, try to avoid being "bunkered" by someone. (Being bunkered is when an opposing player charges your bunker when you are not looking or when you are reloading.) Also, when you are behind a bunker, try to make yourself as small a target for your opponent as you can.

Wherever you are on the field, keep aware of what's going on. Fields normally are designed so almost every place in the field can be reached with a long ball, so stay low wherever you are. If you do decide to get into the middle of a heavy firefight, make sure there is someone you know around you so you can call for some help if you need it.

Always make sure you have enough paint and air with you. If you run out of paint or air on the field, then you are stuck in a very hard situation. Plan ahead and you can avoid this.

When you are in a firefight, if a player who looks like he knows what he's doing tells you to do something, do it. He may see a move that you don't.

When you’re in a firefight, keep trying to move forward to a better position. Remember, paintball is a game of angles.

If you can get an angle on your opponent, then you've got him.

Which brings me to my next point, use common sense. When you do get an elimination, don't brag, taunt, ridicule, or generally make fun of the guy you eliminated. Chances are he's not gonna like it, and the last thing anyone wants is to pick a fight on the paintball field.

Now for some common "Newbie" Mistakes.

Clothing. When getting dressed for paintball, exercise common sense (catching a pattern on this whole "common sense" thing?). Dress in black/green if you have some sort of camo or BDUs (military slang for camo, Battle Dress Uniform). No blue jeans, snow pants, shorts or stuff like that. Have on something with long sleeves, as it keeps you from getting scratched and if you do get hit it will absorb some of the energy of the incoming paintball.

Listen to the safety briefing you will receive. No matter how many times I play, I always see the same common mistake: someone takes his goggle system off when he is out on the field. I can't stress enough the importance of keeping your mask on! Paintballs travel at near 200 mph, and if that hits you in the eye....

If you have questions out on the field, ask a ref or ask another player. Most players love to answer questions from new players.

Always play safe, play smart, and play hard.

(Photos courtesy of Nick Albano and Badlandz Paintball Park, Chicago, Illinois)

What makes a great player? Ask Bob Long, one of the winningest players and team owners in paintball history.

APG: Are there definite strategies for using left handed (or left shooting) players?

BL: Yes, building on the lead-with-your-'gun principle, a left shooting player would prefer the tape on his left when he positioned himself or advanced, since he would mostly shoot around the left side of the cover knowing there was no danger from his left. A right shooting player would prefer the tape on his right.

To counter that natural advantage, place a left shooter at a center barricade and have him shoot cross-field toward the left wire. In our scenario, he will be shooting toward a right hander. If the right hander wants to oppose him, the right hander will have to come around the left side of the cover to shoot toward center field. He is now shooting with his off-hand and is probably not as effective.

The reverse is also true. Put a right hander in the center to shoot toward his own right wire, where the opposition will probably have put a left hander (on his own left wire) if they have one.

Bunker visibility and lanes of fire may not always favor these arrangements, so you have to study the field (always walk the field!) to decide what is best for that field/bunker combination.

APG: How do you decide when to shoot right handed versus when to shoot left handed?

BL: That is easy. You ALWAYS lead with your 'gun. That means that your opponent should always see your gun before he can see you.

On side hills, that is controlled by your direction of travel. If your left side were against the up-slope of the hill as you advanced, then your right side would be furthest out and the 'gun should be in your right hand (lead with your 'gun).

Conversely, if your right side were against the up-slope as you advanced, then your left side would be furthest out, and the 'gun should be in your left hand.

The same principle applies to mounds, board bunkers, brush bunkers or any other terrain or cover feature.

APG: How can right handed players develop left shooting abilities (and vice-versa)?

BL: Practice, practice, and more practice. Some players have developed such skills, but have shot 10-15 cases of paint in the process. That is 25 to 35 THOUSAND shots. To speed the process, do everything left-handed, on and off the field. When you are doing "nothing", like watching TV, hold your 'gun left-handed. Raise it and aim during commercials. Think left-handed, act left-handed, and eventually, you will be able to shoot left-handed with ease and competence.

APG: How can right handed players develop left shooting abilities (and vice-versa)?

BL: Practice, practice, and more practice. Some players have developed such skills, but have shot 10-15 cases of paint in the process. That is 25 to 35 THOUSAND shots. To speed the process, do everything left-handed, on and off the field. When you are doing "nothing", like watching TV, hold your 'gun left-handed. Raise it and aim during commercials. Think left-handed, act left-handed, and eventually, you will be able to shoot left-handed with ease and competence.

APG: About how many NPPL pro players are right-handed?

Bob Long: Probably 80% right handed, 15% ambidextrous, and 5% left handed.

APG: What's the difference between left-handed players and left shooting players?

BL: A left-handed player is naturally left-handed. Other players have developed their ability to shoot left-handed even though they are naturally right-hand dominant or are ambidextrous.

APG: Are there any pro teams that do not have left handed players?

BL: Yes. At one time, my team, the Ironmen, didn't have a single natural left-hand dominant player, but at one time Aftershock had about half the team that way.

APG: Is there an advantage for a team to have natural left handers?

BL: Yes. When a left hander shoots left handed, he is almost always better than a right hander shooting left handed.

APG: How does a team try to compensate for the lack of natural left handers?

BL: Practice. Practice. More practice. About 70 percent of my team can shoot left handed. With practice, a good player can be good at shooting with his "off hand". About 1 hour out of every 6 hours of our team practice is with the off-hand.

APG: Is there "right-handed" and "left-handed" gear?

BL: Yes. Sometimes there are custom grips that are truly handed. Some gear strongly favors a right hand and right eye dominant person.

For instance, look at a 68Automag with a power feeder which puts the loader to the left of the 'gun center (from the shooter's perspective). It is favored by right eye and right hand dominant players. They tend to shoot from the right hand side of hard cover. When the loader is shifted left, more of it is behind the hard cover.

Some mounting brackets for air systems let the player mount the tank to the left or to the right. One system, the Viewless Mounting bracket from CM Support, lets you change the tank place during play. A right handed person wants to have the larger tanks shifted left, so the players arm can drop from the grip in a straight line. A large tank centered or shifted to the right would force the right arm and elbow up and out to the right, increasing the players exposure.

The Viewless system lets an ambidextrous player shift the air system on-the-fly to complement the side of the hard cover being used by the player.

Some harnesses, Smart Parts makes some, has 4 pods that point to the left, but the two pods on the right side of the harness point down, so a person shooting right handed on the right hand side of hard cover does not have his right hand and arm forced into the open when removing the pods.

These can be ordered in the mirror image, which would then favor a person shooting around the left side of hard cover.

APG: Is some gear ambidextrous?

BL: Yes, many loaders are symmetrical, and thus do not favor either hand. Most harness is symmetrical also. Pods are symmetrical.

Most air systems have no inherent left or right orientation, although the on-off may be positioned in strange places when the gauges are most readable.

Goggle and face mask systems seem to be symmetrical.

APG: What item is probably least consistently biased?

BL: Possibly sights. Some sights have the adjustments on the left (such as the ADCO Square Shooter and Vision 2000, some on the right (such as the Armson, the ADCO Champ and the new Crosman Copperhead red dot sight), and some on the top (the Armson, ADCO Imp, and Daisy Pointsight) and some on the back ADCO Champ). On-off switches are usually either on the top neutral) or on the right side (favors left handers).

Most sights, once they have been set up (and turned on where appropriate) are symmetrical in further use. Other equipment is very close. Paintpistols, such as the Brass Eagle 68 and Airgun Design Sydarm, are essentially symmetrical during actual shooting conditions.

But there are still small things that have a slight bias. The safety for most 'guns can be moved to the "shoot" position by pushing with the right hand trigger finger while still maintaining a reliable grip on the 'gun.

For a left hander however, it is more difficult. He must either loosen his hold on the grip and use his left thumb or must use his right hand to move the safety.

The reloading spring relief knob on the Sydarm is on the right side of the ball tube, which favors left handers for reloading because they don't have to tilt the 'gun.

APG: How can you develop your non-dominant eye to coordinate with your non-dominant hand?

BL: Close or squint the dominant eye. This forces the non-dominant eye to be the working eye. Eventually you will be able to keep both eyes open and select which eye will be the working eye. Then you will be able to switch shoot and still have full binocular vision.

APG: What about the value of aiming?

BL: Learn to use sights and aim, even when you use a semi-automatic.

Most pro players are not eliminated by hits on their main body mass. They are eliminated by barrel hits, loader hits, foot hits, elbow hits, etc, because they try very hard to conceal their body behind cover. But they occasionally slip up with a foot or an elbow, and they have to put part of the 'gun out to be aggressive. The more accurate you are with your first shot in that circumstance, the greater your chance of taking the careless player out. A sight helps that first shot to be accurate.

Staff Report

Last month's T'nT concentrated on the basic techniques of using cover: how to make yourself a hard target to locate and hit. This month's T'nT takes those concepts to the next level. We'll look at how to combine using cover and movement to become a more effective player.

Photo by Skirmish USA

Which Bunker?

In the opening move of a game, players run out from their flag station and try to get as far up field as possible before they dive behind cover. What separates the good players from the mediocre is whether or not they choose effective bunkers to get behind. Just giving protection from the opposition's shots is not enough. If you can't shoot effectively from behind the bunker you pick, your position is worthless.

How many times have you watched a teammate make a spectacular dash to a bunker, only to get pinned down behind it. Since every player on the other team has a shot at his bunker, he can't expose as much as the tip of his barrel without being splattered. He picked the wrong bunker and over extended his position, and now his contribution to winning this game has become yelling for you to "Get them off of me!" Not very effective paintball play.

Under extending, stopping at a position too far back from the opposition, is safer but also ineffective. You have to pick a bunker that puts you close enough to the opposition for your shots to have an affect on the game. You may not be getting eliminations, but your shots put pressure on them, force them to duck behind cover, keep them from advancing or retreating to better positions.

Throughout a game you must adjust your position, move from bunker to bunker, to stay effective. If you are about to become over extended, it's time to retreat. And when your current bunker no longer offers effective shots, it's time to advance.

Before You Move

Before moving from one position to another you must consider two factors: How exposed will I be while moving, and how effective will I be once I get there. These two aspects, the amount of exposure and the effectiveness of a position, have to balance out. Is the risk worth the advantage?

First you need to get an overview of the field. Determine which bunkers, if you could get to them, would give you the most effective angles of fire. Once you know where you want to go, look for ways to get there. Which opposing players will have a shot at you while you are moving? Are there lanes of cover you can move through? Figure out a step-by-step approach to get you from point A to point B before you move.

When You Move

The advantages of crawling have been discussed in depth in previous T'nT articles, so we won't repeat them here. Fact is, most players prefer running to crawling. They feel more confident running from one bunker to another because it minimizes the time or duration they are exposed as a target. The disadvantage of running is it increases the amount of exposure. When you run, your entire body exposed. And while you are running, usually more than one opponent can see you and get a shot at you.

If you have to run from bunker to bunker, move laterally. A sideways moving target is harder to hit than someone moving directly forward or backward. Additionally, your lateral movement often will encourage the opposing shooter to lean out from behind his cover as he traces you with his paintgun. This makes it easier for your teammates to eliminate him.

Timing a Move

The timing of an advance from one bunker to another happens in two stages: First you and/or your teammates have to distract or suppress opposing players who have a shot at you. You need to get their attention somewhere else, so they aren't sighted in and prepared to shoot as soon as you expose yourself. The suppression can be direct (shoot at them until they duck behind cover) or it can be indirect (draw their attention away from you, or away from the direction you will be moving).

The second stage of the advance is the movement. Be quick! Move fast! Stay low and go hard! Don't slow down until you are behind cover. You have to move without hesitation, but you also have to keep your awareness of the field.

Really good bunker players are able to run without losing sight of their target. Like a baseball player stealing a base, they take a quick glance over their shoulder. Experienced players also rely on their ears. Balls shot in your direction have a specific sound, and hearing the shots tells you a lot about range and direction.

Maintaining field awareness with your eyes and ears as you run determines how you will finish up the move. If you don't see a player aiming at you and don't hear shots coming in your direction, it means you can slide into cover ready to shoot. If you hear shots and see players aiming at you, that means you need to get all the way behind cover and hesitate before sticking your paintgun out.

Finishing the Move

The most versatile way to finish a bunker run is with a feet-first, baseball style slide. Laid out on your back with your legs extended toward the bunker, you can roll onto your left or right hip to shoot around sides. Or, by pushing up with your lower leg as you slide into cover, you can pop up on one knee to shoot over the bunker. If you are being shot at and need to get as tight against the bunker as possible, just bend both knees and curl your torso when you slide. Take care--bunkers are notorious for having sticks, rocks, and other obstacles in the area where you would slide.

The major disadvantage of head-first slides or dives is you have to take one hand off your paintgun to brace yourself. Aiming is slower, and you can't get up into a kneeling position as quickly.

Summary

Practicing the techniques in this and last month's article will make you a better player. You will be a harder target to hit, and you will be a more effective member of your team during a fire fight. Understanding the principles of cover and movement also will elevate your paintball strategy abilities. Walking a field and preparing a game plan for your team takes on a new perspective when you recognize crawl lanes, effective bunkers, and all the other aspects defensive and offensive positioning.

Staff Report

APG asked the captain of Tsunami, Larry Cossio, about what he has learned about starting a team from scratch, keeping it together, and captaining a tournament team. Tsunami was formed in 1995 from raw rookie players and regularly plays in the Great Western Series, where they have earned a reputation for being tough competitors.

APG: Larry, what motivated you to start Tsunami?

Larry Cossio: "Well, like most walk-on players who get addicted to paintball, I reached the point were I had the itch to see how I'd do against a real tournament team. But instead of joining an established team, I went the route of putting a new team together from other walk-on players like me. I thought it (forming a team) would be a piece of cake. Just get four of my walk-on buddies and go enter a tournament. What's so hard about that? Well, let's just say it isn't as easy as I thought."

APG: What was your biggest challenge in building a tournament team?

LC: "My biggest challenge was, and still is, the same one just about every tournament team faces: finding four or five dedicated players who actually have some sort of income that will support playing this sport. News flash: TOURNAMENT PAINTBALL IS EXPENSIVE! The cost of practicing and entering tournaments is the biggest problem for most players. And those who have the income, also have to be able to get days off from their job to be able to travel to events.

"The reality is, a 5-man team needs a central core of three or four players who can afford to practice two or three times a month and attend six-to-ten events a year. Added to these regulars are the five or ten guys who want to play in tournaments but can't make about half the practices and events. The core unit may not be the best athletes or most skilled players, but they are the ones the team has to be built around. They are the ones who will be at the tournaments."

APG: Besides having the money, what else do you look for from players?

LC: "I think a good attitude is more important than playing skill. Players on a team need to get along together, have the same attitude about sportsmanship and honesty, and they have to be willing to work together to improve their individual and team skills.

It takes a couple of years for a tournament team to become competitive. And if the players don't get along, the team will fall apart before it has a chance to develop. I believe anyone who enjoys paintball and is willing to work at improving his skills eventually will become a good player. It's just a matter of time and effort."

APG: What about choosing a team captain. What attributes do you think he or she should have?

LC: "A team captain must be strong in his or her convictions. On Tsunami, we have a set of principles every player must follow. They are honesty, integrity, no foul language, respect, and no derogatory comments about our sponsors. These principles are not open for discussion or negotiation, and part of my job as team captain is to enforce them.

"A team captain also should have some organizational and communication skills, and he needs patience. The captain has to coordinate all the players for practices and tournaments. The captain has to make sure all the little things get done. The captain has to listen to everyone's problems and complaints, then explain why the team is doing it a different way.

"Being a captain is fun and rewarding, but it also can be a JOB. Somebody has to do it, though, or you will end up with a democratic team, which means nothing will get done."

APG: What one piece of advice would you give new team captains?

LC: "Don't try to do everything yourself. I'm lucky, on Tsunami there are plenty of people who share the load of running the team. ... Just like every team needs a captain, every captain needs to find co-captains on the team. Without their help and support the job becomes too much."

APG: Once you find the players and they decide on a captain, what is the next step in developing a tournament team?

LC: "That's simple, PRACTICE. If there is one thing I've learned, it's the importance of team practices. Practice is where you learn each other's moves. Practice is where you learn what a player is capable of doing, his or her limitations. Practice is where you come together as a team. I cannot overemphasize the importance of practicing."

APG: What kind of practices do you recommend?

LC: "Tsunami schedules practices about every other Sunday, and we usually work out for about five or six hours. We do target-shooting drills, snap-shooting drills, tactical-play drills and occasionally we scrimmage.

"To develop accuracy, we set up plastic bottles and hoppers on the field and practice shooting them from different distances and positions. We also set up target courses like a Hogan's Alley to practice moving and shooting from cover.

"To develop shooting speed, we run snap-shooting or pop-up drills against each other from behind barrels and bunkers. Our tactical drills usually are 2-on-1 or 3-on-2 plays, where we work on hooks, sweeps and crosses.

APG: Where did you learn these drills?

LC: "I was able to take the Renick Miller/Bob Long 'Paintball 101' class last year at the World Cup in Florida and learned so much in those three days! The class was well worth the money. We had Dave Youngblood, Erik Felix and Chris Lasoya giving us pointers on the how-to's of playing: how to shoot left-handed, how to run and shoot, how to use a bunker, how to crawl... all very important stuff. If you are even a little bit interested in improving your game, then you should investigate getting one of these pros to your neighborhood for a team seminar.

"The three-part series on technique, tactics and timing that ran in the February, March and April '97 issues of Action Pursuit Games magazine are excellent guidelines for how to practice and what to work on as a team. Those three articles are part of our team's play book now."

APG: What about scrimmaging against other teams?

LC: "Scrimmages are good. But if you don't have the basics down from doing the drills, scrimmaging will not improve your play. You just reinforce bad habits. I don't think a new team should scrimmage a lot. But when they do scrimmage, they should train against a higher-level team.

"Better, more experienced teams will exploit your weaknesses and show you what your team needs to work on. Then you can take that information and work on it at the next practice. It's hard on your team's ego, but no pain no gain.

"One more thing about practicing I've learned: Some players don't like to do it. They don't like the criticism and repetition that goes into learning something new. They think their paintball skills are as good as they need to be, and they don't like to think they have any weaknesses. I recommend you get rid of this type of player if he won't change his attitude. Being a team player means you should never stop learning and improving.

APG: Have you had to kick players off Tsunami? How do you deal with disruptive players?

LC: "This is something every team goes through. Part of the team captain's job is handling the problem children. Maybe it's that some players don't like some of the others, or they don't like the sponsored equipment, or they don't like the way you run the team, or they don't like whatever. I have had argumentative ones that if I say we should go right, they will say go left. I've had quiet ones who wait until you are not around then approach others on the team to go against you. Problem children come in all kinds of styles and sizes.

"The thing every team captain has to realize is that it will happen to you. Expect it up front. You have to let problem players go. They will never be happy on your team. The one piece of advice I have is don't wait until the team is at a tournament to dump a problem player. Deal with it before."

APG: Speaking of tournaments, how does a team know when it is ready to compete? And what type of tournaments should a new team go to?

LC: "I think the best way to find out if you're ready for tournament play is to just do it. Get some friends together, enter a local event, and go see what you got. Your first tournament will be just as exciting as your first walk-on game. The big secret is, you don't have to win to have fun! New teams shouldn't even think about winning or losing. Just go play and enjoy.

"As to what tournament to attend, it's the money issue again. How many and which type of tournaments a team goes to is determined by what the players can afford. I think the important thing is to make a tournament budget and stick to it. If your team can afford to travel, then go ahead and do it.

"But since most new teams don't have a lot of disposable income, they should concentrate on local tournaments. The cost is lower because you don't have to travel, and the level of competition is probably closer to your ability. I think it is smarter to go to four or five local events rather than to blow your team's whole budget traveling across the country to one major event."

APG: How does a team set a tournament budget?

LC: "First you have to figure out the true cost of attending different types of events. This is a job for the captain or co-captain. He has to add up all the costs: entry fee, bring-your-own or field-only paint, CO2 and HP gas fills, travel, hotel, food, all of it. Once you know what the different events will cost per person, then the team can meet and decide which ones they want to attend. Tsunami has learned to look at the value and quality of the event. We don't get hyped up about the promise of a lot of prizes.

"Next you have to get commitments from team members for each event and get them to save up their part of the budget. Then you have to get them to turn in their entry fees at least two or three weeks in advance. I have found out that if they prepay, they show up. Life just seems to get in the way if they don't make a financial commitment, and you, the captain, end up scrambling the night before a tourney trying to fill the open spots on your roster. This is not good for either blood pressure or team relations. All captains will experience this. This is why if you want to enter a 5-man team in several events during the year, you need 10 or 15 people on the roster.

"Another thing about setting a team tournament budget is figuring out team expenses versus individual expenses. On Tsunami, we put all the paint in an ice chest and divide the cost equally. It means the cover guys, who shoot a lot of paint protecting the front guys, aren't penalized for shooting more paint. Another team activity we always budget for is going out to eat together at tournaments. Whether its a celebration for winning or a wake for losing, the team meal always makes an event more memorable."

APG: What about sponsorship? Do you have any tips for new teams on how to get it?

LC: "Every new team wants sponsorship to help defray the costs of tournament play. But sponsors cannot afford to support every new team. Your team has to prove itself. You have to show sponsors your team will be a benefit to them.

"At the local level, begin by organizing your team and buy together. Most stores and fields will give you a volume discount. The next step, after you establish that your team is responsible and consistent, is to ask to represent them in exchange for additional discounts. You can offer to recommend to your friends that they purchase their paint and equipment at this store, and you can take store flyers to the different fields you practice at. You want to check first to keep from getting chewed out by the field owner.

"For field sponsorship, offer to hand out flyers at the businesses your team members work at. Maybe arrange a group booking for the field. And you can arrange cross promotions between the field and other businesses, like taking discount coupons from a neighborhood pizza joint to the field and taking discount coupons from the field to the pizza joint. Both businesses benefit if they get new customers from your efforts, and your team might get a free pizza and a free day of play out of the deal. Be creative and go outside the paintball industry where there is more money for your promotions.

"New teams need to realize that sponsorship is a form of advertising. The sponsors need to see proof that advertising through your team increases their sales. Have your friends use your team name when they buy paint and gear to show the store owner you are steering business his way. Or stamp your team name on the flyers and coupons you hand out so the field and other businesses can see you are bringing in new business.

"Once your team is actually attending tournaments regularly, then you can start asking for sponsorship at the industry level. Use the same approaches for sponsorship. First buy together to get the volume discount, then ask to represent them once you have established your team's credibility and proven to them you will work at increasing their sales.

APG: What can you tell us about how to keep a team together?

LC: "Continually look for new players who will fit in with the rest of the team. You will have attrition, and you'll have to find replacements. Tsunami meets potential replacements almost every time we go to a field. When people see us playing fair, showing respect for the sport and other players, and helping out when someone looks a little confused, they come up to us and ask about our team.

"I think as team will stay together as long as it keeps the right attitude about paintball. You have to go at this (tournament paintball) with the intention of having fun. We don't get paid for this. If you aren't having fun, than change what you are doing or who you are doing it with. Remember, all the practice and money is only for one thing...bragging rights and a cheap plastic trophy! Keep a smile on your face and don't take it or yourself too seriously."