Post by SWATORNOT on Dec 26, 2005 18:40:52 GMT -5
How-To: Start Your Own Team
You have been playing paintball for a while now, with the same group, at the same fields. Wouldn’t it be cool if you could start your very own team? Of course it would, everybody has the dream of commanding/starting a great paintball team whether it’s a speedball or woodsball team. There are some important things to know about a team before you get started, and I hope that this information would help you get your own team started and be successful.
The first step to starting a team is to find a group of players/friends to form a team. Now when choosing players make sure you find ones who share the same love for the sport as you do. You wouldn’t want to get a bunch of guys who just play casually if you want to take the team seriously. Basically you’re looking for those players/friends who have been playing for a while and still love to play paintball. Depending on the size of your team you want to recruit enough players to start the team.
Now some people will tell you not to recruit your friends for the team,
why is this?
The truth is, if you are the team captain and want to take this team seriously but your friend Jimbo isn’t taking the team seriously, or lacks what your team expects, it can be difficult to cut your friend from the team. This could greatly affect the team’s cohesion, which is also vital for a successful team. The choice is entirely up to you as the team captain.
I previously mentioned the word “cohesion” as being vital for a team’s success.
Why is cohesion such a vital part?
If you have a team that gets along and communicates well, both on and off the playing field, you have a “cohesive team.” Basically this means that as a group, you can all get along with and fully understand the other members of the team. A cohesive team is almost like a family, they will start to grow a natural instinct to what the other member on the team is thinking or planning on the field. Without cohesion your team will work against each other instead of with each other, in plain English it will fall apart.
What is the next step to making this team successful?
The simple answer to that is to get out and play as a team. Make a reputation as a team on the field, there is no better recognition than having a team or member of the team complete missions, ambush a larger group, or just some good playing on the field. Also remember to show good sportsmanship on the field as well as off the field. Educate and communicate with new players to the sport so that they can enjoy it as much as you do and you may have just recruited a new team player through doing this.
Our team has a good reputation, now what do we do?
Now that you have a reputation as a team, it’s time to sit down with the group and get serious. Setup a practice schedule, events calendar and some simple requirements for the team. Remember paintball is expensive and some people may not be able to afford certain things, so keep the requirements simple enough that new players can join and yet still keep a team format. Also it is a good idea to draw up a “contract” for your team members to sign. This would simply be an application to join the team followed by a Player’s Code of Conduct” which basically states that you as a player will promote the team and sport safely and positively. Not all team will do this but it helps to add structure to a team.
You have your requirements, schedule, and reputation, what more could there possibly be to a successful team?
Starting a team is easy, but keeping a team alive and successful is hard work. As the team’s captain you need to be a great leader and role model for the other players. It is your responsibility to keep the team motivated, structured, and together.
Motivation can be achieved through various ways; promotions on the team, awards, and friendly encouragement are all ways to motivate any player. Without any motivation your team will bog down and your players will have no reason to do their best.
Structure is also important because without it you have no control of the team. You need the requirements and certain standards for players to live up to otherwise the team will fall apart and players will come and go as they please. Without structure there can be no discipline for players who misbehave or promote the team in a negative fashion.
With structure and Motivation within a team you can have a good team, but the team is only as good as its leadership. Without a proper leader or one who is ineffective the team will not have structure, and without structure you have no motivation. Without these things the team can’t possibly stick together and become successful.
My team has structure, motivation, and a good leader, how can we become a better team?
This is the fun part, you need to practice as a team frequently and play as a team against other teams. Playing against other teams is the best way to improve your team’s skills. You will test communication, tactics, and trust within the team. Without these three things or even lacking on one of them can cost your team a victory.
Communication is the biggest part of any successful team, anywhere. Without proper communication your team will not be able to perform the tactics to the best of their ability no matter how much you practice those tactics. Practice communication with hand signals or radios get your players comfortable with them so it becomes second nature. A well communicated team will be able to take on a group double their size and be successful.
Practicing tactics is important for your team. Your team needs to have a plan of attack each time they play, whether your playing defensive or offensive, you need to be prepared to use tactics effectively. If a team member needs cover while moving or you need to assault a base, you need to know what your job is and when to execute that job. Practice tactics along with communication every time to become. Work the team as a whole, and also in squads, run communications, squad movements, buddy system, suppressive fire, recon, and other common tactics. Get your team members familiar with their duties and position on the team. The more your players practice, the more comfortable it will become to them, it should almost become "second nature.”
Without this next part the rest means nothing, but if you have made it to this point, “trust” is definitely not an issue with your team. Each player needs to be comfortable with the other; he must be able to trust them and know without any doubt that when it comes time to do his job the other player will do also do his. This is very important if you need cover while attempting to move up field…the other player needs to cover you and the last thing you want is for him to not do his job. Trust is important, without it you are all just strangers and back at square one again.
Hopefully this information will help you to understand the basics of starting your very own team, and to become a successful, long-lasting team.
How-To: Train Your Team
You have put all this time and energy into getting your team started and working together. Now you just need to train your team so they can work together as efficiently as possible to create the most damage to the opposing teams. Without a good training guide a team is only as good as its leader, a poorly trained leader means a poorly trained team.
First place to start with your team is the three D’s.
Direction
Discipline
Determination
Direction - Knowing what, where, and when something needs to be done without thinking about it. You are able to read the field well and can respond with quick response to counteract the oppositional forces. A good commander can do these as if second nature to him/her.
Discipline - Training your team to do their jobs without any question. When the commander issues an order, a well disciplined team will carry out any order promptly without second guessing the commanders decision. Without discipline in the team, orders may not be followed properly as they are expected to be.
Determination – Within any team you must have determination to carry out those tough orders and accomplish them. If the commander issues an order and the team is not determined to carry out the full order, it will come back on your team later in the game. A determined team is a powerful force; the team will stop at nothing to carry out any objective.
LEADERSHIP
As the team captain you need to be confident in directing your team as well as training them. You don’t need to be a Drill Instructor, but you also can’t be “Grandma Jane” when it comes to training. The team relies on you for guidance and discipline, they expect you to teach and train them to dominate on the field.
POSITION SPECIFIC TRAINING
Divide your team into the specific positions that your team occupies (snipers, light, medium, and heavy riflemen, ECT.) Each of these positions has specific duties and obligations to the team. Knowing what you need to do or what you don’t need to do is the difference between making and breaking a play. Different positions require different training. A sniper obviously would not need to be trained as a heavy rifleman or vice versa (unless they are a “multi-position” player). The key here is to keep your players focused on their specific position and train them accordingly. Assign some reading material to your team as well; a good tactics guide will put a wealth of knowledge into their heads. The more they know about their specific position or basic tactics the better they can perform.
SHOOTING DRILLS
Shooting drills are a team’s best tool besides scrimmages with other teams. With shooting drills you can run your players through any variety of environments. For instance, a light rifleman may need to be trained in a mostly CQC, or Close Quarter Combat, environment such as building raids, a sniper will need to be trained in concealment and marksmanship. All your players will need to be trained in the marksmanship because an accurate team can be a quick and effective attack force. There are various shooting drills out there currently. Train your team by using both moving and stationary targets while they proceed through an obstacle course. This will get them comfortable with acquiring and eliminating targets quickly. These should be the team’s main focus no matter what position you play. You can lay down as much paint as you have, but if it is not on the target, it is not effective (With the exception of suppressive fire). These drills are not only the team’s best tool, but also the player’s.
TACTICS
Tactical drills such as the buddy system, offensive, defensive and squad movements are vital to a squad or team’s effectiveness. Your players already know and understand their specific role within the group, but now they must work together to form an unstoppable force. Your team needs to be able to run basic tactics such as the leap frog, which is basically cover one player as he moves up, and then he lays down cover as you move up. Running this tactic effectively will gain your team valuable ground and possibly force the opposing team into a retreat. Knowing how a tactic as simple as this works can result in a clean and successful move. If any member of the group is not clear on when or where he is to move, then the tactic is useless and the squad is bogged down.
Run your team through the tactics you as the commander plan to employ on the field. Get them comfortable and confident with the tactics that you will use.
COMMUNICATION
Communication is any team’s primary tool, without it the team is uncoordinated. A well communicated team is a well coordinated team, and a coordinated team is unstoppable. If your team plans to use hand signals make sure everyone on your team knows them like the back of their hand. These can be very confusing if not done properly, or not used frequently. Radios have become the staple of woodsball teams everywhere. The radio allows quick and clear (most of the time) communication of information over a long or short distance. Knowing how to use the radio is easy, but the opposing force may be listening in on your channel. A lot of teams now use a code specific to their team, learn it, know it, and use it. If you plan to use both hand signals and radios make sure your team is comfortable with them. Communicate with your team often to stay coordinated.
You have been playing paintball for a while now, with the same group, at the same fields. Wouldn’t it be cool if you could start your very own team? Of course it would, everybody has the dream of commanding/starting a great paintball team whether it’s a speedball or woodsball team. There are some important things to know about a team before you get started, and I hope that this information would help you get your own team started and be successful.
The first step to starting a team is to find a group of players/friends to form a team. Now when choosing players make sure you find ones who share the same love for the sport as you do. You wouldn’t want to get a bunch of guys who just play casually if you want to take the team seriously. Basically you’re looking for those players/friends who have been playing for a while and still love to play paintball. Depending on the size of your team you want to recruit enough players to start the team.
Now some people will tell you not to recruit your friends for the team,
why is this?
The truth is, if you are the team captain and want to take this team seriously but your friend Jimbo isn’t taking the team seriously, or lacks what your team expects, it can be difficult to cut your friend from the team. This could greatly affect the team’s cohesion, which is also vital for a successful team. The choice is entirely up to you as the team captain.
I previously mentioned the word “cohesion” as being vital for a team’s success.
Why is cohesion such a vital part?
If you have a team that gets along and communicates well, both on and off the playing field, you have a “cohesive team.” Basically this means that as a group, you can all get along with and fully understand the other members of the team. A cohesive team is almost like a family, they will start to grow a natural instinct to what the other member on the team is thinking or planning on the field. Without cohesion your team will work against each other instead of with each other, in plain English it will fall apart.
What is the next step to making this team successful?
The simple answer to that is to get out and play as a team. Make a reputation as a team on the field, there is no better recognition than having a team or member of the team complete missions, ambush a larger group, or just some good playing on the field. Also remember to show good sportsmanship on the field as well as off the field. Educate and communicate with new players to the sport so that they can enjoy it as much as you do and you may have just recruited a new team player through doing this.
Our team has a good reputation, now what do we do?
Now that you have a reputation as a team, it’s time to sit down with the group and get serious. Setup a practice schedule, events calendar and some simple requirements for the team. Remember paintball is expensive and some people may not be able to afford certain things, so keep the requirements simple enough that new players can join and yet still keep a team format. Also it is a good idea to draw up a “contract” for your team members to sign. This would simply be an application to join the team followed by a Player’s Code of Conduct” which basically states that you as a player will promote the team and sport safely and positively. Not all team will do this but it helps to add structure to a team.
You have your requirements, schedule, and reputation, what more could there possibly be to a successful team?
Starting a team is easy, but keeping a team alive and successful is hard work. As the team’s captain you need to be a great leader and role model for the other players. It is your responsibility to keep the team motivated, structured, and together.
Motivation can be achieved through various ways; promotions on the team, awards, and friendly encouragement are all ways to motivate any player. Without any motivation your team will bog down and your players will have no reason to do their best.
Structure is also important because without it you have no control of the team. You need the requirements and certain standards for players to live up to otherwise the team will fall apart and players will come and go as they please. Without structure there can be no discipline for players who misbehave or promote the team in a negative fashion.
With structure and Motivation within a team you can have a good team, but the team is only as good as its leadership. Without a proper leader or one who is ineffective the team will not have structure, and without structure you have no motivation. Without these things the team can’t possibly stick together and become successful.
My team has structure, motivation, and a good leader, how can we become a better team?
This is the fun part, you need to practice as a team frequently and play as a team against other teams. Playing against other teams is the best way to improve your team’s skills. You will test communication, tactics, and trust within the team. Without these three things or even lacking on one of them can cost your team a victory.
Communication is the biggest part of any successful team, anywhere. Without proper communication your team will not be able to perform the tactics to the best of their ability no matter how much you practice those tactics. Practice communication with hand signals or radios get your players comfortable with them so it becomes second nature. A well communicated team will be able to take on a group double their size and be successful.
Practicing tactics is important for your team. Your team needs to have a plan of attack each time they play, whether your playing defensive or offensive, you need to be prepared to use tactics effectively. If a team member needs cover while moving or you need to assault a base, you need to know what your job is and when to execute that job. Practice tactics along with communication every time to become. Work the team as a whole, and also in squads, run communications, squad movements, buddy system, suppressive fire, recon, and other common tactics. Get your team members familiar with their duties and position on the team. The more your players practice, the more comfortable it will become to them, it should almost become "second nature.”
Without this next part the rest means nothing, but if you have made it to this point, “trust” is definitely not an issue with your team. Each player needs to be comfortable with the other; he must be able to trust them and know without any doubt that when it comes time to do his job the other player will do also do his. This is very important if you need cover while attempting to move up field…the other player needs to cover you and the last thing you want is for him to not do his job. Trust is important, without it you are all just strangers and back at square one again.
Hopefully this information will help you to understand the basics of starting your very own team, and to become a successful, long-lasting team.
How-To: Train Your Team
You have put all this time and energy into getting your team started and working together. Now you just need to train your team so they can work together as efficiently as possible to create the most damage to the opposing teams. Without a good training guide a team is only as good as its leader, a poorly trained leader means a poorly trained team.
First place to start with your team is the three D’s.
Direction
Discipline
Determination
Direction - Knowing what, where, and when something needs to be done without thinking about it. You are able to read the field well and can respond with quick response to counteract the oppositional forces. A good commander can do these as if second nature to him/her.
Discipline - Training your team to do their jobs without any question. When the commander issues an order, a well disciplined team will carry out any order promptly without second guessing the commanders decision. Without discipline in the team, orders may not be followed properly as they are expected to be.
Determination – Within any team you must have determination to carry out those tough orders and accomplish them. If the commander issues an order and the team is not determined to carry out the full order, it will come back on your team later in the game. A determined team is a powerful force; the team will stop at nothing to carry out any objective.
LEADERSHIP
As the team captain you need to be confident in directing your team as well as training them. You don’t need to be a Drill Instructor, but you also can’t be “Grandma Jane” when it comes to training. The team relies on you for guidance and discipline, they expect you to teach and train them to dominate on the field.
POSITION SPECIFIC TRAINING
Divide your team into the specific positions that your team occupies (snipers, light, medium, and heavy riflemen, ECT.) Each of these positions has specific duties and obligations to the team. Knowing what you need to do or what you don’t need to do is the difference between making and breaking a play. Different positions require different training. A sniper obviously would not need to be trained as a heavy rifleman or vice versa (unless they are a “multi-position” player). The key here is to keep your players focused on their specific position and train them accordingly. Assign some reading material to your team as well; a good tactics guide will put a wealth of knowledge into their heads. The more they know about their specific position or basic tactics the better they can perform.
SHOOTING DRILLS
Shooting drills are a team’s best tool besides scrimmages with other teams. With shooting drills you can run your players through any variety of environments. For instance, a light rifleman may need to be trained in a mostly CQC, or Close Quarter Combat, environment such as building raids, a sniper will need to be trained in concealment and marksmanship. All your players will need to be trained in the marksmanship because an accurate team can be a quick and effective attack force. There are various shooting drills out there currently. Train your team by using both moving and stationary targets while they proceed through an obstacle course. This will get them comfortable with acquiring and eliminating targets quickly. These should be the team’s main focus no matter what position you play. You can lay down as much paint as you have, but if it is not on the target, it is not effective (With the exception of suppressive fire). These drills are not only the team’s best tool, but also the player’s.
TACTICS
Tactical drills such as the buddy system, offensive, defensive and squad movements are vital to a squad or team’s effectiveness. Your players already know and understand their specific role within the group, but now they must work together to form an unstoppable force. Your team needs to be able to run basic tactics such as the leap frog, which is basically cover one player as he moves up, and then he lays down cover as you move up. Running this tactic effectively will gain your team valuable ground and possibly force the opposing team into a retreat. Knowing how a tactic as simple as this works can result in a clean and successful move. If any member of the group is not clear on when or where he is to move, then the tactic is useless and the squad is bogged down.
Run your team through the tactics you as the commander plan to employ on the field. Get them comfortable and confident with the tactics that you will use.
COMMUNICATION
Communication is any team’s primary tool, without it the team is uncoordinated. A well communicated team is a well coordinated team, and a coordinated team is unstoppable. If your team plans to use hand signals make sure everyone on your team knows them like the back of their hand. These can be very confusing if not done properly, or not used frequently. Radios have become the staple of woodsball teams everywhere. The radio allows quick and clear (most of the time) communication of information over a long or short distance. Knowing how to use the radio is easy, but the opposing force may be listening in on your channel. A lot of teams now use a code specific to their team, learn it, know it, and use it. If you plan to use both hand signals and radios make sure your team is comfortable with them. Communicate with your team often to stay coordinated.
