I would like to know who is who in paintball
The Best Way forward with him
Timing as he is So young and don’t want to burn him out
Mistakes that have Been made
I’m going to invest a ton of £££ into him but need Help.
Here is my 2p:
Firstly, what does your son want? Its great that you are prepared to back him but he will need to provide the drive and motivation to further himself. No amount of pushing will get the same results as a committed individual. The difference between commitment and compliance is miles wide.
Secondly, make sure that your son uses his mind. He will need to be able to think for himself and you can help him develop this. Suggest he reads widely, it will keep his mind working and mature him beyond his years.
A thorough and well-thought approach is central to developing him. Sergei of the Russian Legion doesn't rely on prevailing way of thinking in paintball to guide his actions. Instead he uses his own intelligence and methodical approach to think through any issue he faces.
In terms of the whos who in paintball? For the reasons mentioned above this doesn't really matter. If I had to name names, then:
Mark Toye - Wise guy, would be worth picking his brains.
Mark "Chuck" Berry - Knows his stuff.
Twizz - Knows his stuff.
Dave Stewart - Knows his stuff, can provide lots of insight into every aspect of training also.
I respect each of the guys mentioned above and even talking to them for an hour each would be time well spent.
The best way forward is to invest in your sons technical abilities. The key part here is getting him into the right habits and doing decent drillwork off his own back. Getting him to understand what he is doing and why is key so that he can continue developing himself. Consider paying someone to coach him one on one for a day (4 names above).
Training (and by this I mean repetitive drillwork) is physically, emotionally and mentally tiring. Sticking at it separates the winners and losers however.
Timing wise, I suggest you get him to do regular fitness training and some more specific paintball fitness training (Dave Stewart runs a very good circuit training exercise for his team). Get him to think for himself in as many ways as possible and treat him as an adult. This will give you the building blocks for later success. How you mix paintball drillwork etc. into this is up to you.
Mistakes would include glibly listening to anyone. Craft your own future and question everything. If you are going to fold something into your sons training, make sure he understands why.
Lastly, getting the approach right is difficult but will ultimately develop your son far more than throwing ££s around ever could. I say to my team that if the only issues we face are financial, I will be happy. Money is easily quantifiable and therefore understandable. Heart, dedication and commitment are intangible and so much harder to grasp.
If I can be of any assistance, feel free to PM me.
