Are we slowly going back to the woods ?

[Markie C]

Do you think we are going back to the wood's.

The reason i ask is that i have noticed a lot more new players are going for rec ball.

I work at planet on a Saturday and i would say in the last few months maybe even before christmas more new players have come in to purchase stuff for rec ball.

Why do you think this is?

Also a couple of the major companies have started selling rec ball markers IE the SP8 and the M.R.1 and the M.R.2.

We still at the site have the new players coming down but they like playing rec ball as well if not more and when i started about 3 years ago no tournament player would admit to playing Rambo at the weekends ( this is no offence to the players that do do it it's just how it was.

We even have sponsored rec ball teams now?

What do you guys think.

 

[Revolt]

imo it takes a lot of balls to play sup air ;p people that start off to young might be to "daunted" by the prospect of the close quater open fields, hence, tree hugging is a lot less stressful on the heart ;p

 

[Liz]

I enjoy both types of play, but I think it's an age factor now why I'm slightly turning back to preferring woodsball. It's much slower with less stuff like kneeeling & sliding, and takes slightly different tactics.

I think another factor may be that sup air is getting more & more competitive, there's too much pressure to win at all costs and some of us still play just for fun.

 

[oggey]

Yer to be fair I think the competitive side of sup air puts quite a few people off it to start with. I know this as a fact as I have tryed to get a few friends into it and they end up wanting to go play in the woods again. Reason being. They saw it as way to competitive and people take it to seriously. I can see there point but they arnt having the chance to see things like the uk masters with the koth series. If it was possible to get people out to that or have more events/ training where they have same level of skill and a limited number of paint just to get them into the concept. And see what happens.

Dont know if this is already happening at places , just a thought.

 

[Matski]

I think it's harder for players to get into the uk "tournament" scene these days. There's just not enough events and the few that exist are too preoccupied with positioning themselves as something bigger than they actually are....which just serves to create entry barriers for the rookies.

 

[Ben Frain]

Well there are two things here...

1. New people coming into play rec ball
2. Players going back into the woods

1. I think you are right about the markers Markie. The SP8 looks like military hardware and has a pull for anyone fancing a grown up game of war in the woods. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. It is no different than people playing military computer games and the like. It is also good as it brings more revenue into paintball companies. More new players means more potential for crossover players in the future if they fancy something more competitive.

2. Players going back into the woods. I think there is a generation of players now hitting the wrong side of 30 and beyond who have heard so much rhetoric and so much pissing and moaning from events, players, manufacturers, journalists, sponsors etc that they perhaps can't remember why they even play. Some sell up and move onto something else, others are trying to re-kindle their desire to play by moving back to where they started. Like dating a girl again for the first time, but with bigger welts.

Positive signs I suppose, in a weird kind of way. Perhaps tournament ball is just moving out of vogue for a spell?

 

[duffistuta]

Tournament ball is a blip, an aberration, and in 20 years time when Paintball is a well established recreational pursuit and nothing more, no-one will even remember that we used to have tournament teams.

 

[Magic_8ball]

I dont see why thats necessarily true - I think its certainly a possibility - but I dont know how you can be so convinced that tourney ball wont last...

 

[Lovetone]

Markie, im selling my ego and getting an SP8
hope you dont mind, I just luuuurve woodsball

x

 

[Legion]

everyone seems to have the camo hype too.... expecially those yanks!