Is tournament paintball heading in the right direction?
- Thread starter Tony Harrison
- Start date
think this is a highlight to the whole 7man debate really, a vast amount of the current tournie players have probably never played 7 man at all, therefore find it hard to have the knowledge to have that opinion like some of the other on the thread!
Im sure if the nspl, masters, cpps all ran a 1 off 7man cup day during the season it would get some interest, and give alot more people some idea of what its actually like!
I do feel sometimes some of the things like 10man etc get less support because of their placement in the season schedule!
Personally i have to agree, that alot of teams do struggle to field 5 players from a squad of 7 or 8 reguarly, hence the constant guest spots!
From my personal situation for the coming year, i cannot commit to a team week in week out due to my work schedule, but i still wanna play where and when i can!
Here's a theory for everyone.
Tournament paintball is just fine - the Race-to format is bringing the fittest, strongest players together to play the 'purest' form of paintball that exists, the multi-point format.
Those that are not physically, mentally, financially or otherwise capable of playing this format have 5 man, plus all the other types of paintball out there - Scenario & the UWL (which can be just as competitive - just ask the large numbers of teams that have formed to play these events, and play them regularly), walk-ons & big games etc.
That sounds elitist, and it is. Just like every other sport out there. I may be able to sail a boat quite quickly, but am I capable of beating an Olympic champion like Ben Ainsley? Nope. I can buy the same class of dinghy, race in the same qualifiers but chance of me qualifying for European or World events are minimal. However, I can race that dinghy and compete at a National and club level.
Same with paintball, Anyone can buy the latest equipment and play a local tournament, maybe even enjoy some success, but to compete at the top requires dedication and commitment.
Actually, maybe a better example of that of Motor racing. Karting is cheap and relatively inexpensive compared to Formula 1, but you don't see Sunday racers complaining that Ferrari won't make an F1 car that their 18 stone frames can fit into?
Instead of trying to offer "value" and be inclusive of everyone, thereby competing directly against events like the Scenario offered by Shoreline, Bunker Productions, Campaign et al. Let us focus on the reward that comes internally for those with a truly competitive nature, that of winning against the best. Nobody ever said that Formula 1 offers value for money
Let the number of teams that compete at the highest level shrink, so that only the most dedicated rise to the top, and let us nurture their efforts and reward them for their dedication and commitment. Those that want to aspire to greatness will work hard, as they always have and rise through the ranks - they will play 5 man, then Race-to at a local and national level, and then start to play on the European and World stage. Most will fall by the wayside and find their personal level of commitment/fun & competitiveness in either the 5man scene or the many forms of scenario/woods ball that exist.
In the Glory days that are so often harked back to, there were far fewer options for a player - if you wanted to play something other than a rental day then it was a walk on or a tournament. Now a player has many more options, so of course some that were once railroaded into tournaments have options more suiting to their budgets, physical ability etc., and naturally, some will chose to progress onto tournaments after sampling the others.
Instead of turning back the clock, why not instead try to set up more structured clubs and organisations to help train and nurture those players that want to progress? Stop relying on teams to do the job and get Manufacturers to support regional clubs that have a tiered structure to allow those that wish to, to rise up the ranks (in the same manner as Rugby, Hockey, Sailing etc.) - The Federation could even get involved by setting up requirements for the clubs to be recognised and standards for the coaches to be trained to, eliminating that pet hate of certain people, the self-appointed "Expert paintballer" who doesn't actually know the best techniques etc.
Having clubs would also help player retention, as a club would be less volatile than a small team, meaning that just because a team's captain/manager moves on or retires, the other players don't necessarily disband as it often the case, but would instead have a player base to select a new captain/manager.
Chris Pelling has tried previously to get the club scheme going, but faced a lack of interest from players & I believe that Manufacturer support is also key to getting this going. The way a few teams like Entity and Tigers are currently structured, with two or more levels of squad within the organisation would appear to suggest that this idea has its merits, but needs to be expanded on to incorporate a more grass-roots level of introduction.
Tournament paintball is just fine - the Race-to format is bringing the fittest, strongest players together to play the 'purest' form of paintball that exists, the multi-point format.
Those that are not physically, mentally, financially or otherwise capable of playing this format have 5 man, plus all the other types of paintball out there - Scenario & the UWL (which can be just as competitive - just ask the large numbers of teams that have formed to play these events, and play them regularly), walk-ons & big games etc.
That sounds elitist, and it is. Just like every other sport out there. I may be able to sail a boat quite quickly, but am I capable of beating an Olympic champion like Ben Ainsley? Nope. I can buy the same class of dinghy, race in the same qualifiers but chance of me qualifying for European or World events are minimal. However, I can race that dinghy and compete at a National and club level.
Same with paintball, Anyone can buy the latest equipment and play a local tournament, maybe even enjoy some success, but to compete at the top requires dedication and commitment.
Actually, maybe a better example of that of Motor racing. Karting is cheap and relatively inexpensive compared to Formula 1, but you don't see Sunday racers complaining that Ferrari won't make an F1 car that their 18 stone frames can fit into?
Instead of trying to offer "value" and be inclusive of everyone, thereby competing directly against events like the Scenario offered by Shoreline, Bunker Productions, Campaign et al. Let us focus on the reward that comes internally for those with a truly competitive nature, that of winning against the best. Nobody ever said that Formula 1 offers value for money
Let the number of teams that compete at the highest level shrink, so that only the most dedicated rise to the top, and let us nurture their efforts and reward them for their dedication and commitment. Those that want to aspire to greatness will work hard, as they always have and rise through the ranks - they will play 5 man, then Race-to at a local and national level, and then start to play on the European and World stage. Most will fall by the wayside and find their personal level of commitment/fun & competitiveness in either the 5man scene or the many forms of scenario/woods ball that exist.
In the Glory days that are so often harked back to, there were far fewer options for a player - if you wanted to play something other than a rental day then it was a walk on or a tournament. Now a player has many more options, so of course some that were once railroaded into tournaments have options more suiting to their budgets, physical ability etc., and naturally, some will chose to progress onto tournaments after sampling the others.
Instead of turning back the clock, why not instead try to set up more structured clubs and organisations to help train and nurture those players that want to progress? Stop relying on teams to do the job and get Manufacturers to support regional clubs that have a tiered structure to allow those that wish to, to rise up the ranks (in the same manner as Rugby, Hockey, Sailing etc.) - The Federation could even get involved by setting up requirements for the clubs to be recognised and standards for the coaches to be trained to, eliminating that pet hate of certain people, the self-appointed "Expert paintballer" who doesn't actually know the best techniques etc.
Having clubs would also help player retention, as a club would be less volatile than a small team, meaning that just because a team's captain/manager moves on or retires, the other players don't necessarily disband as it often the case, but would instead have a player base to select a new captain/manager.
Chris Pelling has tried previously to get the club scheme going, but faced a lack of interest from players & I believe that Manufacturer support is also key to getting this going. The way a few teams like Entity and Tigers are currently structured, with two or more levels of squad within the organisation would appear to suggest that this idea has its merits, but needs to be expanded on to incorporate a more grass-roots level of introduction.
The problem is not so much the cost of paint and guns (though for some people it may well be), but the money you have to spend on entry for a major event and the lack of value you get back for it.
Nice post, but a major flaw pulls the rug from under it: Tournament ball isn't doing fine. It's bleeding money.
And how many times has the NPPL gone bust from not having enough teams play? 3 times now?
Oh and for those wanting to play 7man, this video nicely describes it:
So does F1. And racing an Olympic class dinghy. And any other truly high-level sport (sorry, not so much football as that is more a marketing machine than sport to me these days). There is no "value for money" in the Americas Cup beyond the bragging rights of the winning team and manufacturer.
Let the Race-to format be aspirational and focus on giving the players more than just a "group of friends" to belong to, give them a whole social scene to get involved in. That way you keep your current player base, you give those seeking to come into the tournament side of things a logical, accessible route to follow as opposed to the stock answer of "go to your local training site and ask around" - that can be a daunting proposition at the best of times.
The format isn't broken, the infrastructure behind it just needs to exist. Like a real sport.