Team Playbook, to Pete, and all.

[Buddha 3]

Actually it's not that difficult to explain where you want people to go by the use of codes. Just make sure you don't try to dream up loose terms for every single move one can make. All you need is a system. Talk to anybody with a background in American football and they'll be able to tell you how easy it is to come up with a system that'll allow you to say where you want people to go, just by the means of codes. The codes are easy to learn because there is a system, instead of a list of unrelated terms. If I say 20 rip 22 and 23 rip 22, you'll only see a difference in the digits, which'll mean next to nothing to most of you. I know that the first is a running play, the other is a pass (and I know who goes where, and who blocks who). If you get people to understand the system, you'll not only be able to tell people what to do, but you'll be able to inform the entire team at the same time, without the opponent having a clue what you're on about. And if your entire team is aware that you're left point guy is advancing to such and such a bunker, they'll be able to support him as required, because no teammember is left in the dark. And what does that spell? Set play!
I quite enjoyed that article when I read it. A few years ago I tried something along those lines with the team I was plaing with at that time, but all I got was blank looks and people sighing and shaking their heads.
I agree with your vision here, Robbo. Not only will a system along those lines make it easier to know what to do from the start, the ability to communicate to the entire team what's going to happen next with just a few words, makes it far easier to respond to whatever happens. Instead of telling every single player what to do, everybody wil be instantly aware of the general plan, and thanks to practice, they should also be aware of their part within that plan.
It'll take some time to find a system that works, and it'll take even more time to master it, but I do think that once you do, your team will be able to react much quicker to the ever changing situation from the sound of game on.


Sorry if I started rambling a bit.

 

[Manning26]

Hey, Buddha, I've been trying to think along the lines of the Run 'n' Shoot offense of the NFL. You know the recievers would do a certain thing depending on how the defense sets up against them. You've got a set play, but every individual still has the ability to adjust to the situation. Dang, I gotta go, I'll continue this later. Take care pals!

 

[Buddha 3]

Yeah. Basically you decide beforehand what the general plan is (what bunkers to take, where to make the push, etc.), but if the other team does something that is unexpected you can call another play, just like calling an audible in football.
All we need now is helmets and being allowed to beat the sh*t out of eachother.

 

[Manning26]

I honestly question whether we can take it up a notch until we become truly proffessional. Like Buddha said about practicing all week with games on the weekends. Man, imagine the bruises. It'll require this kind of training to keep everyone together, then you can conceivably start adding things to your repertiore. All we hear is,"Russian Legion eat, sleeps, fV&#$ paintball." And it will require this kind of dedication to go to the next level. We all want to be doing this, but we've got to make a living at the same time. There is an extreme few of us who could maintain this training as it is right now. If you took any pro team, structure them like a REAL pro team, meaning, a coaching staff, week-long practice, and, obviously the rescources behind them to allow for this, they would, unquestionably, dominate the pro ranks. Of course, this would also require the drive to take it to the next level, setting up more complex plays driven by a slightly more complex code-system, but they'd be able to do it. I don't see it happening until the pros become pros. Russian Legion is the exception because they work along the lines of what I'm talking about, and I sure can't wait to see them start winning some of these big tourneys. Well, agree or disagree?

 

[Buddha 3]

I see what you mean.
One of the problems is ofcourse financial.
A football team would only have to purchase the gear for their players at the start of the season, and only should something wear out, will there be a need for replacements. There is hardly any 'consumable' material.
A paintball team would require gear too, like markers, goggles, and so on. However, there is a serious demand for consumables, such as paintballs, which will be required to do training. This demand will exponentially increase when the amount of training time is increased. A lot of the pro teams probably get a pile of paint from their sponsors, but I think a number of sponsors wil start having doubts when the team asks for a significant number of cases on an almost daily basis. The cost would be extremely high.
In order to be able to justify these kind of expenses, turnover would have to increase dramatically, which means either an increased consumer price, or a larger market. Increasing the consumer price will, I think, put a lot of people off of paintball, so the only real option will be somehow finding a larger market. This is a process that will not be finished overnight. I think key components here are things like major exposure and coverage, portraying paintball as a 'good, clean, and wholesome' sport. Also, making paintball more accessible is important. Even though Brass Eagle makes some markers that are 100% crap when compared to some of the other things available, we have to, at this point, give them credit where credit is due, because they have a line of products that is cheap, readily available, and therefore an easy way to get the masses to play paintball. If we could combine this easy access to paintball with exposure as a great sport, the only way can be up.
What is my point? Well, I'm thinking the road isn't going to be easy, but we will get there eventually. The continuous improvement in media coverage of tourneys and the quality and presentation of these events themselves will only lead to a better image for paintball. In time this may have the result that we will see the appearance of the first true pro teams, because there will be such amounts of money involved that it will be feasible for companies to own, supply, and have a team on the payroll.
What this means for the teams that are working on these set plays, such as the Legion, is that eventually there efforts will pay off. They will be the pioneers of the new game. Sure, it'll be hard, and they'll get their butts kicked to start with, but when suddenly everything falls in place and all those long hours of training pay off, they'll be unstoppable. I look forward to that day.


P.S. Manning, the bruises you get fom practicing paintball all week don't scare me. Imagine the bruises of playing American football all week. Consider the bruises a mark of honour.

 

[Manning26]

LOL, Buddha, the bruises I've developed in my kwoon have been worse than a week-long practice, I'm sure you can also identify with that. I was more concerned with potential lady friends being put-off by my leopard skin, skin. I have enough problems with my face looking the way it does without any of that.

 

[Buddha 3]

Hey, that's why I wore a helmet.
As far as bruises in other places, chicks luv 'em! Especially when they get a chance to poke them. Damn sadistic women.....

 

[SPARKLIE CHICK]

sorry guys yes occasionally sarcastic woman but do not prod bruises. Most of the paintball widow's (marshalls better halfs) how ever find it exteamly amusing.

 

[Manning26]

I believe the ladies who've never had the pleasure of playing are the ones who enjoy poking at bruises. As Sparklie attests, after a few games, they themselves come to realize the pleasure of the polka-dots.

 

[SPARKLIE CHICK]

mannig

finaaly you yalk to me how can I be whity with out my straight man, mew

yes I thing you could be right there I don't mind getting my war wounds at the time but they just aren't good Pr for paintball especially on a girl.

Marshaling usually gives you nastier bruises, but there again I marshalled every saterday and sunday for ^ months and managed not to get shot.

And the lo the gods saw I had been spared and thought best sort that one out and yes I was that Xmas tree mew

And ones again truly lepard skined, Trousers for six weeks any one

So once I take to the feild gun in Hand I am to be better purly so as not to end up black and blue with out having to hide the game out. Pha thats for wooses