What Makes a Good Tournament Player?

As the article asks, what makes a good tournament player? This is the question I have heard asked many times as of recent. I have seen a variety of players, as well as teams over the years, and I have found there is no real “ set thing” that makes a tournament player good. If this is true, were do we begin finding out what make a good player?

Is it based on what marker setup he shoots? Most believe that their marker is a huge part of it. This can be true, but there are teams out there proving you don’t have to have an $800.00+ dollar marker to rock the field. Look at national teams such as Tippmann Effect and Bad Company who shoot what most people believe to be entry level markers, as sexed up as they may be. Advanced markers that can rip out strings of paint with ease do give them an edge most of the time. However, truly a good player can still take an un-upgraded entry-level marker, and using there other skills and experience, do basically what they would normally do with their primary marker of choice. They generally will achieve the same success. This proves, that it’s not just the marker that makes the player.

Well, if the maker doesn’t make the player fully, what about what the player wears? Now a days, you see teams sporting fancy, high dollar custom jerseys with all their sponsors logos plastered all over it, not to mention pants and their ever-increasing prices and features. Do they really make a difference in ones playing? Yes, just like ones marker, they can boost ones confidence, intimidate, and yes, in this day and age, some of the features offered by companies such as Dye, Empire, and Brimstone Smokin’ Products, can give players a slight edge as well. How the players wear these products can also determine how useful they are, such as making sure your jersey size is a size or two bigger than what you normally wear, and the same with your pants for an extra “bounce factor” that this adds. However, like the marker, these things are truly somewhat unimportant and make little difference compared to the larger, natural, or stubbornly obtain skill.

Now, not to go through every piece of equipment out there and bore everyone totally with repetitive ramblings the following items alone, WILL NOT make you a god among players as a whole, or truthfully even in combination: Packs; pods; marker anodizing; loaders; fancy “paintball specialized cleats “; masks (though of these, masks are very important for many reasons); head gear; jerseys; pants; barrels; gloves; knee, shin and elbow pads; barrel blocking device; stickers; and anything else you can thing of for that matter used physically in the sport of paintball. How ever, the majority of these items can give you some form of edge against your opponent and make things easier at times.

Now that we have this out of the way, what are some of the big factors? SKILL! How do we define skill in the world of paintball, and how do we get it exactly? Well, skill is defined as many things, speed is a skill, the ability to communicate well and work well with your teammates, and to aim and shoot well, to name a few key things required to do well in any position. Certain positions require more of these core abilities, as well as somewhat of a tactical mindset and a lot of BALLS. Lets start in the front, what do front player’s need to focus on, and practice with? The first thing that come to most peoples mind, would be speed and possibly size to go with it to get to and remain behind some of the smaller bunkers. With this comes the ability to slide, communicate so your back players can help you advance, have the guts and trust in your back players to make the moves needed to advance when they say in the way they say so you can take the key bunkers with minimal team damage.

The same can be said for mid players, however, speed is very key for these fellows, and being able to take the game with one glorified run through, do what’s ever necessary to take certain key bunkers, or bunker out such bunkers on the other side of the field. Communication again is the key here, with out the ability to listen and follow instructions, you will find your self to be a sitting duck, and you will NOT like this. Accuracy is also important, especially while running and snapshooting.

Now on to back players, not only do they have to have accuracy over long distances, be loud, and be able to shoot from any and all positions at a generally fast rate with the same accuracy, but also communicate extremely loud and clear. They still have the added responsibility to be the leaders, the chess master if you will, guiding your guys up the field strategically. These guys are the brains of the team, its guardians and masters, a very important position that if not played properly could plunge your team harshly into the loser’s bracket.

PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE! The more you practice, and yes I know your thinking “I can’t, that’s too expensive to play upwards of 2 to 3 times a week,” but in reality, you don’t have to go out and shoot paint and air to practice, though it helps to be able to run full speed against another team. Without practice, and being able to play fluidly, and comfortably with your teammates, your going to run into a snag or too, and its going to hurt everyone on the team in the long run.

Confidence, you see someone doing what they should be doing, doing there job well, make a killer move, play some all around standup ball, TELL THEM. A little props and confidence goes a long way in them trusting you, and playing well on the field.

In conclusion, its not about your gear, how you look or wish you looked, its about how you play, how much time and effort you are willing to put into the sport we all love. Don’t think about what marker your shooting, what jersey or pants your sporting, all of the fancy things will come in time, just get out there and play some standup ball. The little things are important, but your main focus should be learning, getting to the point you can do your job to the best of your abilities, then building on those, not the other way around, and trust me, in this day and age, this is a lot harder than one might think.