PaintBall

Recreational Vs. Tournament Play

by Sean Takeda

A majority of paintball enthusiasts today have all had some sort of exposure to the "recreational" side of paintball in one way or another. Whether being a private game with a bunch of your closest friends, to a business venture to shoot up your CEO's. Almost everyone has played as a "walk-on" at one point in their paintball careers. But what, you may ask, is the true differences (and similarities) between Tourney and Recreational Paintball? Is it the style of play, cost, teams, players, etc? The results may suprise you.

"Why would I want to pay more to play paintball?"

Tournament paintball is rec ball brought up to the next level. It consists of high-paced play, extreme levels of determination, stress, and most importantly, team play. Brought on with the increased cost of play, travel costs, team equipment, etc., tournament paintball can get rather expensive. You don't need to have all the coordinating uniforms, tricked-out guns, and many of the other nice things that sponsored teams have. However, you cannot escape the tournament entry fees, travel expenses, and hotel accommodations that can make a simple paintball tournament into a financial nightmare.

When the cost of playing tournament-level paintball is significantly higher than rec ball, it discourages people from trying it. Not many people are willing to try something new, especially if it is going to cost them money and they are not guaranteed something out of it. Most players reactions would be; we probably wouldn't stand a chance, and would probably get punished on the field as well.

"What do I have to gain from playing tourneys?"

The bad news is, yes, it will cost you, and yes, you might get punished! So why play? The best and most important thing you gain extreme amounts of (which is not as apparent in rec ball) is experience. Most teams play in tourneys to see whos the best. How do you become the best?...with practice. If you practice with so-so players, you will only become as good as they are. Upon confrontation with each player you encounter, there is always something you learn to do and not do. When you play with or against players at high levels of experience, it only makes you better.

Rec ball has many of the same factors but is lacking one thing, organized team play. Rec ball is for the players that like to go out on the weekend, shoot people up, and basically have a good time. In my many years of experience, I have encountered players of all levels of experience when playing walk-on. The players who usually excel on the field are those that have taken the initiative to organize a group of players to play as a team. I'm not saying that you need to have a team to be a good player. I'm saying that it helps to play with a group of people you know so that you can back and help each other out on the field.

"How do I find out about tourneys, and how do I get started?"

First of all, get a team or a close bunch of friends together. Even if your paintball skills aren't extraordinary, get an organized, committed group together. This is the most important step in having a long-term relationship with a team. Teams that lack organization don't work well on the field and usually end up disbanding within a short period of time.

Second, find out what local teams or groups play in your area. Contact them and organize team scrimmages, etc. Ask them for advice if they have played in a tourney before. Most players can't wait to tell others about stories they have experienced and would probably spill their guts to ya. Learn from them. Afterall, this is why you are doing it - to learn and get experience to prep you for the tourneys.

The final step is to sign up. Ask your local paintball store about tourneys going on in your area. Don't forget to mention that it is your first time, so you don't get mixed up with the novice or amatuer players. After you sign up, just follow up to make sure you are entered into the tourney.

Pay promptly to reserve your team a spot in that tourney, and finally, make sure you show up early on game day! You wouldn't want to start off your first tourney experience by being late and disqualified!

Tournament paintball is a great experience. You get to play with teams from all over the US, including international teams when they come out. You will also notice that you will see alot of the same teams at your local tourneys. Tourneys also get you many of publicity (exposure to the players, paintball resources (internet, magazines, papers), and people in the paintball industry. This is how teams get to where they are today with all of their sponsorships. If you have been waiting to play in a tourney, but have been afraid to do it, now's your chance! Go for it, you might suprise yourself at what you can do as a team!

Sean Takeda is the founder & president of The Monthly Paintball Newsletter, a "free" web-based paintball webzine. He is an avid amateur player on Southern California based, Team Broken Arrow. Sean has been involved in the sport/industry of paintball for about 15 years, with experience in the machine, retail, and competition side of paintball. He donates a lot of his free time to help out with local teams, players and events, as well as, competes in tournaments across the US. For more information on the Monthly Paintball Newsletter, go to their web address: http://www.thempn.com