You will find that the tournament is much more aggressive than your usual recreational paintball game in the woods behind your house. Suddenly it matters whether each team wins or loses. Players hit it much harder and faster to win the game. Your adrenaline will peak and this will make the game seem much faster than usual as well. Don’t take a loss personally. Expect to lose your first few games or until you have the feeling of playing a speedball tournament or woodsball competition arena. Try not to be intimidated by other teams with more experience; you have to start somewhere. Some players may even look down on you or appear to be 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 improve at paintball is to play with people who have more experience than you. You can learn their movements and see how fast and aggressive they play; Try to copy what the best teams did to win.
The point system may vary slightly depending on the tournament rules. However, on average, the point system generally revolves around a maximum of 100 points. 50 for hanging up, 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 score table for your specific tournament by going to the captain’s meeting before the competition. The Captain’s Meeting is a meeting not to be missed for any reason. This is where you will learn the tournament rules and point system, changes to the current schedule, and anything else important for competitors to hear about. This is also when they will review the initial call, something very essential for your team to know. Don’t expect another team to take the time to catch up on what they missed.
The referees expect you to know the rules of the game before you start. They won’t tell you where your opponents are or where you’re supposed to be. Your job is to start and stop the game, give penalties, and make sure everything is fair throughout the game. Make sure you are courteous and polite to the referees; it never hurts to be on their good side. If a bad decision was made, only the captain of his team should approach the referee on the matter. If there is a dispute, be courteous, professional, and state the facts. Respect the decision made by the referee.
Keep your competitive spirit, but remember … the entire competition process is for fun. Do your best to have a good time! Be a good athlete but try to win with everything you have. Don’t step out of line when you win your competition. All that will come of you acting bad is that the other competitors don’t like you and the bridges get burned. Enjoy your victory, but try to be respectful to the other team as well.
Before leaving the event, be sure to speak with the referees, organizers, and other teams. Thank them for the work they put in to make the event and leave 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 that you will remember them and can improve your weaknesses before your next competition.