Post by SWATORNOT on Jan 16, 2006 13:45:56 GMT -5
Non-Shooting Communication Drills
Everybody that plays knows that paintball can get expensive. Some will find it difficult to constantly buy paint and air for practice. If you are one of these teams/players that do not like to spend a lot of money on paint and air, then this will definitely be of use to you. I have used this drill a number of times and they prove to be effective for their primary purpose; which is to familiarize the team with the communication system used. A Non-Shooting Drill is the use of tactical movements and communications via hand signals or radios, and that alone. The purpose of this drill method is to get each and every team player acclimated to the communication system your team will be using, so when it comes time for the communications and tactical movements, your team will be ready.
How does this work?
This is really a simple and maybe “pointless” drill but it is for one reason only that I use this, to make the communication comfortable and familiar for all team members to use. To make this work as best as possible it is important to simulate certain aspects of the game as close as possible. The more things you put into this exercise to simulate a “live-fire” type paintball game, while maintaining the safety, the better your team will get with communications.
There are only two drills I have implemented in the past; Hand Signals, and Radio Communications. These two whether used separately or in combination will be the lifeline for your team, if you cannot communicate properly or efficiently you will have difficulty working as a team in the field.
Hand Signals
First off find a set of hand signals you plan to use, define them as best as possible and make a copy of them for your team to study, and if needed, for them to carry in field during the first few times through this drill. The goal is to navigate your team through the field without speaking a word among yourselves (This is an honor system just as paintball is). You need to navigate your squad through the field from one point to another. It helps if you setup simulated obstacles such as a trail patrol, or occupied bunkers. On one part of the field you may need to crawl for a certain amount of distance to simulate not being spotted by an enemy, another you may need to “leap frog” from bunker to bunker which simulates an attacking advance. You may also split a squad off to simulate a flanking maneuver, the point of the exercise is to direct your team through hand signals only. Each member must know the meaning of each hand signal used be able to use them fluently. There will be times during game play in which you will run silent and use hand signals instead of radios, running this exercise will get your team familiar with the signals and the unspoken direction that they give.
Radio Communications
Set a frequency and code for your team to use, make sure your players have a copy of the frequency the team will be using along with a code sheet should you choose to use one. Make copies of the code and frequency sheet for your members to learn and memorize so they do not rely on the paper to remember. A code and frequency sheet is a bonus for the opposing team should they find one, and this is a devastating loss for your team as well. Radio communication is a common aspect of paintball games today; however, you want to just give the facts quick and clear so you are not jamming the channel. Too often people will jam the channels with unnecessary chatter which can cost a team valuable ground if somebody needs assistance. Your team needs to setup some form of a communication system for the radio like a code, or acronyms for a quick and clear transmission of information. Teams will start their own radio codes or acronym’s to keep it “secret” from opposing players who could be listening in on the transmission. This is a great idea, and one I recommend for any team. Though it is difficult sometimes to figure out a unique code the reward of surprise is endless, a well structured code can confuse an enemy that could be listening in on the transmission.
In this exercise you will only use the radios while performing the same tasks as mentioned above. Navigate your team through the field and different obstacles using only the radio to communicate. Your team must understand the orders/information given to them via radio, and be able to carry out whatever direction/s you give to them. The radio drill can get more complex because you can split your team into squads (depending on team size) and direct them from any location on the field. For this exercise it is good to have the “team trainer” or captain in mid field watching the squads perform as orders are given. Each squad can have an individual call name so that when you specify to one squad they know you are speaking directly to them, and the other squads can continue on their current task. You can assign different sub channels to each squad as well as a main channel for the team. This can cause some problems for starting out and I suggest keeping it simple for starters until your team is well adjusted and can handle the addition of sub channels. The radio makes communication much easier and faster on the field than hand signals. The better your team becomes with transmitting information via radio, the quicker your team can respond and setup for any situation.
Though this may seem like a pointless waste of your group's time it is a working and worthy drill to get a well communicated team. I have just taken a tip of the iceberg on the communications part, but it is a bit more insight for some beginners.
Everybody that plays knows that paintball can get expensive. Some will find it difficult to constantly buy paint and air for practice. If you are one of these teams/players that do not like to spend a lot of money on paint and air, then this will definitely be of use to you. I have used this drill a number of times and they prove to be effective for their primary purpose; which is to familiarize the team with the communication system used. A Non-Shooting Drill is the use of tactical movements and communications via hand signals or radios, and that alone. The purpose of this drill method is to get each and every team player acclimated to the communication system your team will be using, so when it comes time for the communications and tactical movements, your team will be ready.
How does this work?
This is really a simple and maybe “pointless” drill but it is for one reason only that I use this, to make the communication comfortable and familiar for all team members to use. To make this work as best as possible it is important to simulate certain aspects of the game as close as possible. The more things you put into this exercise to simulate a “live-fire” type paintball game, while maintaining the safety, the better your team will get with communications.
There are only two drills I have implemented in the past; Hand Signals, and Radio Communications. These two whether used separately or in combination will be the lifeline for your team, if you cannot communicate properly or efficiently you will have difficulty working as a team in the field.
Hand Signals
First off find a set of hand signals you plan to use, define them as best as possible and make a copy of them for your team to study, and if needed, for them to carry in field during the first few times through this drill. The goal is to navigate your team through the field without speaking a word among yourselves (This is an honor system just as paintball is). You need to navigate your squad through the field from one point to another. It helps if you setup simulated obstacles such as a trail patrol, or occupied bunkers. On one part of the field you may need to crawl for a certain amount of distance to simulate not being spotted by an enemy, another you may need to “leap frog” from bunker to bunker which simulates an attacking advance. You may also split a squad off to simulate a flanking maneuver, the point of the exercise is to direct your team through hand signals only. Each member must know the meaning of each hand signal used be able to use them fluently. There will be times during game play in which you will run silent and use hand signals instead of radios, running this exercise will get your team familiar with the signals and the unspoken direction that they give.
Radio Communications
Set a frequency and code for your team to use, make sure your players have a copy of the frequency the team will be using along with a code sheet should you choose to use one. Make copies of the code and frequency sheet for your members to learn and memorize so they do not rely on the paper to remember. A code and frequency sheet is a bonus for the opposing team should they find one, and this is a devastating loss for your team as well. Radio communication is a common aspect of paintball games today; however, you want to just give the facts quick and clear so you are not jamming the channel. Too often people will jam the channels with unnecessary chatter which can cost a team valuable ground if somebody needs assistance. Your team needs to setup some form of a communication system for the radio like a code, or acronyms for a quick and clear transmission of information. Teams will start their own radio codes or acronym’s to keep it “secret” from opposing players who could be listening in on the transmission. This is a great idea, and one I recommend for any team. Though it is difficult sometimes to figure out a unique code the reward of surprise is endless, a well structured code can confuse an enemy that could be listening in on the transmission.
In this exercise you will only use the radios while performing the same tasks as mentioned above. Navigate your team through the field and different obstacles using only the radio to communicate. Your team must understand the orders/information given to them via radio, and be able to carry out whatever direction/s you give to them. The radio drill can get more complex because you can split your team into squads (depending on team size) and direct them from any location on the field. For this exercise it is good to have the “team trainer” or captain in mid field watching the squads perform as orders are given. Each squad can have an individual call name so that when you specify to one squad they know you are speaking directly to them, and the other squads can continue on their current task. You can assign different sub channels to each squad as well as a main channel for the team. This can cause some problems for starting out and I suggest keeping it simple for starters until your team is well adjusted and can handle the addition of sub channels. The radio makes communication much easier and faster on the field than hand signals. The better your team becomes with transmitting information via radio, the quicker your team can respond and setup for any situation.
Though this may seem like a pointless waste of your group's time it is a working and worthy drill to get a well communicated team. I have just taken a tip of the iceberg on the communications part, but it is a bit more insight for some beginners.
