Brit Future

[KitsuneAndy]

The solution isn't really all that hard.
(I know I said I'd stay away, sue me.... )
I see people mentioning things like forming a UK superteam and all that, which may be fun, it won't solve a damn thing in the long run.

Pete has mentioned promoting the tournament scene, which will help, and I personally feel paintball in general as a NON RENTAL activity should be promoted (in the end it has the same result). Experience has shown that if you get rental players and promote the existance of walk ons to them, a percentage of them will go there, skip forward to the future and a number of them will also progress to tournament paintball, while some stay in the woods with their A5's. This promotion should be done by people working and running the sites. However, as Pete has already mentioned, if site owners make no provisions for walk ons/tournaments or anything else above rental play, nothing will happen...

Don't even get me started on this how to run a team thing.... I'll write something down and post it up soon.

Actually, I see two problems. First, there is hardly any way for people to progress beyond rental play, as outlined above and second, those that do play tournaments don't seem to take it seriously (with some notable exceptions).

Quite a few places DO cater for walk on's but DONT promote the fact that they exist. This is what I think we have to change..

Pete, please don't take this the wrong way, but I think in this instance your level of experience may not always help... Let me try to explain.. You've been in the world of paintball for a long while and you've played tournaments as long as they've existed. You made the step out of the woods and onto the tourney field as part of the evolution of tournament level paintball. If we run a delta force style promo event focussing on sup air it will make people *aware* of tourney ball, however I dont think many people would step up to play it. People would think "wow, cool" but also be intimidated by it. The step up from rental to Sup Air is huge without a walk on (even a woodsball walk on, which is the path I have taken) somewhere in the middle. Because you've been involved in it pretty much from the start, you've never had to make the step up from rental to where we are now. This is why I think our efforts need to look at promoting walk ons etc to generate more regular players than we have this could be coupled with the kind of promotion you are talking about. But then atleast if someone is interested they should also realise that there is a middle step, they dont have to make the leap in one bound.

 

[Flint]

Well reading all of that it does seem that all it takes is one person to bring people into the sport, that one person whos in a position where he can bring more people into it. Well what if we have say, several hundred of these people, how many more players will that be I wonder?

It looks obvious to me at least, Tv coverage, sponsorships, super teams, aint gunna happen! Its not going to make a signifficant difference! Its where it starts that we need to make sure people are getting the chances to take it to the next level.

 

[Matski]

Many people are myopic when it comes to developing things beyond the arrangement that has worked for them thus far and meets their needs. The large estate agency Dixons still use paper based records for everything, few if any computers are found anywhere. With thousands upon thousands of bits of information to store you would think that people would see the need to change things....but the guys at the top won't. They don't see the business case for changing processes because the way they have always done things 'works' and they see it as the bedrock of their business.
I wouldn't hold your breath waiting for site owners to change how they do things. Most operate on a skeleton crew and just want to maxmise their returns within the framework they have always used. It's human nature to perceive change as introducing uncertainty/risk and some are just not willing to take the leap, especially if it involves spending money.

Long-term we definately need our rental-player development to improve but even if it does, I think it will still take a pretty unique set of factors to create a world class British team in the future. For the most part I think it's pretty clear that great players can be made, it's not a case of a select few being born with the intrinsic skills required to become great players. A great player can be developed if he is willing to listen and not willing to give in. The element that cannot be really changed is the attitude of the individuals within a team. It's bloody hard to find a group of people all with the exact same kind of grit, determination and self-reflection (on a truly deep level) to become the very best at a sport with limited tangiable rewards. On top of that you then need a coach that can keep them together and have a strategic plan for moving them forward individually, as a team, and marketing them.

If we look at Joy, I remember playing some of those guys at a Millennium event at least 3 or 4 years ago when the yanks knew it existed. They have stayed for the long haul and when you combine that kind of determination with a coach like Magued..well the results speak for themselves. A lot of people talk about being dedicated like the athletes we aspire to be, but the fact of the matter is very few TRULY have the attitudes that you see repeated in the top international teams and that's what makes them the elite of our sport.

I'm not disagreeing with the idea of the problem being a grass-roots one, far from it, but if we are realistic the best we can hope for is a gradual improvement in that area as site owners slowly see others take the leap and prosper.

 

[NorthIrish]

Another big step is not just the level of play, but also in the cost of equipment. Most sites that offer a walk on ask that you have your own equipment. Even if you borrow a site gun its not much fun for a newbie being beaten off the field by someone with superior skill AND a top end machine gun.

Like i said earlier, how many ppl on here, with multiple set ups have offered to loan a gat to someone wanting to try out the next step up from rental? I still see to many tournament players frowning on new players rather than helping. Contact the site owners, offer to help with a set up, get them to put up posters for the rental customers. Maybe they could pay a bit extra for the day that the site could knock of your paint bill, and it means that someone is onhand who understands the marker should they need any questions answered.

I dunno how it runs in the rest of the counrty, but my first taste of tourney ball was the NSPL KoTH using a mag RT, perfectly good for the woods, but a trifle intimidating for when everyone else turns up with E-blades, timmys etc (it was a few seasons back now). Fair play to Syd, he's now offering proto matrix's to any teams who need them, thats gonna make it more fun even if the new teams loose. And after they've caught the bug and tasted a sweet gat, they're gonna want one....

 

[KitsuneAndy]

When me and the missus first started playing we could only afford one set of kit before we first went to a walk on.

Ollytheosteo was kind enough to lend Marie a full setup on several occasions until we could afford to get another set of kit.

And he regularly lends various bits and pieces out to people he's never even met before

 

[Flint]

Yeah quite a few paintballers lend gear, I lend when I can, and I know Fish has lent his (vast amount of) kit to people as well. I've never seen it a problem, people always seem willing to help each other out from my experience, from lending an allen key to full kit! Chris's KoTH is a great idea and lending out the gear to teams as well is fantastic, meaning theres really no excuse not to get stuck into it!

But again, shouldn't paintball sites being say this? Since Im guessing punters are the main target for this. Want to take paintball to the next level, tournament paintball and we lend you full gear!! Dribble dribble! Who could say no to that!?!

 

[NorthIrish]

i think its the cost and maintance. Its hard work and long hours just keeping the rental side going, maintaning the woods etc

What we need is Lump supporting a site walk on.

 

[Buddha 3]

Having identified the two main problem areas (not enough groundlevel recruitment and teams/players that can hardly be considered serious), I'd like to post something that I know a lot of people are gonna hate:

I think that MANY teams have no right to exist if they are going to compete in anything other than "Bob's Pub League".
The reason for this is simple. Most of their players don't have to put in an effort to be able to play. You buy the right stuff, put on your pyjama and goggles and voila, you are a paintball "athlete". You shoot paint a couple times a month and have a laugh with your mate. Meanwhile, the one or two players on your team that ARE motivated to work their asses off will never be able to shine, because Larry The Lardassed Backguy has zero skill, zero drive to improve and as a consequence the budding stars get their heads blown off pretty much every game. Thanks Larry!

You want to know an easy, a real easy way to motivate the guys on your team to start working on improvement? You need two things. A team manager/coach that is not afraid to bench players and you need competition.
Why would Larry the Lardassed Backguy be motivated to improve his game, if he's guaranteed to play every time the team registers for an event? The team is about the performance of the collective, not about the fun of the individual.
I guarantee you that if Larry had one or two young, eager players just waiting to take his spot, he'd be working his ass off to be the starter at the next event, nobody likes training for a sport but watching it from the sidelines.
If you play in a 5 man league, you'd need AT THE VERY LEAST 12 guys on your roster. That way nobody's spot is a given. Only the best 5 get to play.
If you want a guarantee that you'll be playing, go play rec. Simple as that. You want to be a sport? Treat it as such.
Now for all the teams that think "yeah but we only got six guys and it ain't easy to get more", how about merging with another team that has the same numbers....

That, my friends, is step one to taking yourself seriously.

As many of you know, I play American football. My team has some SIXTY-FIVE players on the roster. Only 22 people get a coveted starter's position (11 guys on the field, offense and defense). I'm in my thirties, which when playing football is quite old. I've got two young guys, one is twenty, the other, I believe is twenty-two, constantly looking over my shoulder, trying to take my spot away from me. They are younger, one of them is at least 20lbs heavier than me (and I play in a spot in which weight is a factor) and even though I have more experience than they do, I feel the weight of the the many years that have passed. My body aches all the time. But still, I am the starter for my team, something that fills me with great pride, and I have even been selected to come and play in the league's AllStar game. The ONLY reason this is happening is because I know that some awesome players are looking to take my spot, which has driven me to hit the gym just a little harder than they do and to go to sprint training just a little more often than they do. If I would not do that, the coach would take my spot away and give it to the other's in a heartbeat.

Take yourselves seriously, it works. You need to compete for your own spot if you want to improve.




Matski, great post!

 

[Bon]

Having identified the two main problem areas (not enough groundlevel recruitment and teams/players that can hardly be considered serious), I'd like to post something that I know a lot of people are gonna hate:

I think that MANY teams have no right to exist if they are going to compete in anything other than "Bob's Pub League".
The reason for this is simple. Most of their players don't have to put in an effort to be able to play. You buy the right stuff, put on your pyjama and goggles and voila, you are a paintball "athlete". You shoot paint a couple times a month and have a laugh with your mate. Meanwhile, the one or two players on your team that ARE motivated to work their asses off will never be able to shine, because Larry The Lardassed Backguy has zero skill, zero drive to improve and as a consequence the budding stars get their heads blown off pretty much every game. Thanks Larry!

You want to know an easy, a real easy way to motivate the guys on your team to start working on improvement? You need two things. A team manager/coach that is not afraid to bench players and you need competition.
Why would Larry the Lardassed Backguy be motivated to improve his game, if he's guaranteed to play every time the team registers for an event? The team is about the performance of the collective, not about the fun of the individual.
I guarantee you that if Larry had one or two young, eager players just waiting to take his spot, he'd be working his ass off to be the starter at the next event, nobody likes training for a sport but watching it from the sidelines.
If you play in a 5 man league, you'd need AT THE VERY LEAST 12 guys on your roster. That way nobody's spot is a given. Only the best 5 get to play.
If you want a guarantee that you'll be playing, go play rec. Simple as that. You want to be a sport? Treat it as such.
Now for all the teams that think "yeah but we only got six guys and it ain't easy to get more", how about merging with another team that has the same numbers....

That, my friends, is step one to taking yourself seriously.

As many of you know, I play American football. My team has some SIXTY-FIVE players on the roster. Only 22 people get a coveted starter's position (11 guys on the field, offense and defense). I'm in my thirties, which when playing football is quite old. I've got two young guys, one is twenty, the other, I believe is twenty-two, constantly looking over my shoulder, trying to take my spot away from me. They are younger, one of them is at least 20lbs heavier than me (and I play in a spot in which weight is a factor) and even though I have more experience than they do, I feel the weight of the the many years that have passed. My body aches all the time. But still, I am the starter for my team, something that fills me with great pride, and I have even been selected to come and play in the league's AllStar game. The ONLY reason this is happening is because I know that some awesome players are looking to take my spot, which has driven me to hit the gym just a little harder than they do and to go to sprint training just a little more often than they do. If I would not do that, the coach would take my spot away and give it to the other's in a heartbeat.

Take yourselves seriously, it works. You need to compete for your own spot if you want to improve.




Matski, great post!

Very well said, id put that in next months PGi

 

[Biscuit]

heres a start in the right direction from some of the best sites in the country www.nationalpaintballclub.co.uk this looks to be a good start now the rest of us have to get off our asses and do something.that goes for everybody from the bosses of sites to players and marshalls to promote the sport