You will find that the tournament is much more aggressive than your usual game of recreational paintball in the woods behind your house. Suddenly it matters whether each team wins or loses. Players hit much harder and faster to win the game. Your adrenaline will peak and this will also make the game feel much faster than usual. Don’t take a loss personally. Expect to lose your first few matches or until you get the feel of playing in a speedball tournament or woodsball competition arena. Try not to be too intimidated by other teams that are more experienced; you have to start somewhere. Some players may even look down on you or seem like they are better than they are because they have expensive paintball guns or matching team uniforms. These are the guys you want to compete against. A good way to get better at paintball is by playing with people who are more experienced than you. You can pick up moves from them and see how fast and aggressive they play; Try to copy what the best teams did to win.
The point system may vary a bit depending on the tournament rules. However, on average, the point system usually revolves around a maximum of 100 points. 50 for hanging, 20 for the first person to pull the flag, 4 points for each opponent eliminated, and 2 points for each player left alive on your team. You can find out the table of scores for your specific tournament by going to the captains meeting before the competition. The captain’s meeting is a meeting that you should not miss for any reason. This is where you’ll learn the tournament’s rules and point system, current schedule changes, and anything else important competitors need to hear about. This is also when you will review the initial call, a very essential thing for your team to know. Don’t expect another team to take the time to catch up on what was missed.
The refs expect you to know the rules of the game before you get started. They won’t tell you where your opponents are or where you’re supposed to be. His job is to start and stop the game, give penalties, and make sure everything is fair for the entire match. Be sure to be brief and polite with referees; It never hurts to be on his good side. If a bad decision was made, only the captain of his team should address the matter with the referee. If there is a dispute, be polite, professional, and state the facts. Respect the decision the reference makes.
Keep your competitive spirit, but remember… the entire competition process is for fun. Go out of your way to have a good time! Be a good sportsman but try to win with everything you have. Don’t go overboard when you win your competition. All that will come from you doing badly is that the other competitors that you disliked and the bridges are burned. Enjoy your win, but still try to be respectful to the other team as well.
Before leaving the event, be sure to talk to the referees, organizers, and other teams. Thank you for the work you put into having the event and leaving you with a good impression of your team. On the way home, talk to your team about what you did well and what you need to work on. Write these things down so you remember them so you can improve your weaknesses before your next competition.
