Paintball Tournaments

Playing in a tournament can be an extremely nerve wracking experience, but if prepared for correctly, a great experience that you will enjoy thoroughly. Although there are many aspects to worry about and plan for regarding the tournament, stressing out over these things generally will not solve anything. So keep a cool head and it will go smooth.

Picking the tournament your team will be attending is obviously, but normally overlooked as an important step. The entire team should decide whether they will attend they event or not, after all it is a team sport. The level at which your team plays needs to be established before finding a tournament otherwise you may be playing teams in completely different levels of competition. Once you find a tournament that includes your team’s level, you need to consider the costs. Will you have to stay overnight? Is it field paint only? How much is air? And most importantly, how much is the entry fee? Once you figure out what the cost to each individual player is, look at what you will gain from attending. Will you be able to get most of your money back if you win, or will you get a chance to strut your stuff in front of potential sponsors?

Now you have figured out what event you will be attending, first step is registering and getting your payments in on time. If it is BYOP (bring your own paint) then figure how many cases the team needs, and try to see if you can work a deal out with a local store, sometimes shops are willing to cut the price a little if you buy a number of cases. A general rule of thumb is that you will need at least 2 of everything. Hoppers, guns, air tanks, and masks are just a few of the main things. Spare parts, many extra pods, an extra jersey or 2, and extra squeegees are all very helpful on tourney day. Borrowing items such as guns and tanks from friends is a great way to ensure a trouble free day without a huge hit to your wallet. Also familiarize yourself and your team with the rules of the tournament, because that can be difference between winning and losing.

As the day dawns, the tournament looms close at hand. Leave a lot of extra time to travel to the field, pit stops and traffic don’t excuse you from being late. Walk the fields and look for sweet spots, key bunkers, lanes, and potential game-breaking moves. Have your captain attend the captain’s meeting, and make note of any important rules or changes. Every pod you have should be filled before the tournament starts, sometimes you won’t have time to fill your pods in between games. Fill all of your backup tanks and get all guns cronoed, when a gun goes down (and at least one always does) you normally won’t have time to fill and crono the backup. Get your schedule and be early to all the fields when you have a game. When you have time, watch the other teams play the fields you will play. Not only will you get to see how your opponent teams will play, but you also get an idea of how the field will play out.

When you are playing, you can’t change your mental attitude from when you normally play. If you go in with a changed mentality, normally it will bite you in the butt. Relax, you have played and practiced a lot, and you know what to do. You have paintball instincts, let them drive you. The entire purpose of playing in the tournament is fun, so keep a light heart and play some paintball, this is what it’s all about.