Moving UK Paintball Forward

[Baca Loco]

Originally posted by Robbo
If you think about it Liz, it may well considered to be the last option that includes what you are suggesting here which by the way is what I voted for

Dammit, Pete, you have now skewed my unscientifically unresearched poll as the unwashed will now riot to vote for your pick and thus curry anonymous online favor with the great one. Way to go.
Results before Robo skewed the poll:
His choice--14 votes; 19% (already reflects the skewing)
Ruling Body as top pick--28 votes; 39% (was 42% earlier)

Results after Robo skewing:
His choice: 15; 18% / 16; 18% / 17; 17%
Ruling Body as top pick: 30; 36% / 32; 36% / 33; 33%

I take it back. No skewing involved. Nobody paying Robo any mind at all. Percentage change reflected in other, unrepresented votes adding to total cast and altering percentages across the options. Ratio remains the same.

 

[Liz]

Well that's what got me thinking, and it's the one I voted for myself. But it doesn't go far enough to my mind. Individual player development is a Good Thing, but there are other things that should be happening alongside this.

Like properly organised training. Like commitment (how many teams dropped out of the PA League because they couldn't get 7 players for 6 dates?). Like everyone having their own tasks & jobs not just on the field but off as well. Like proper planning pre-tournaments. Like scheduled training with a drills plan set out in advance. Like entering events according to a planned development over the year, rather than just phoning up the organiser 3 days before because you feel like playing that weekend. Like having contingency plans in case something goes wrong. Like having a proper fitness and stretching program for all the players. Like all turning up together & on time, rather than half the team arriving 10 minutes before their first game & hoping that the others walked the fields & have a plan. In other words, act like the professional sportspeople that many of them aspire to being, and seem to think they should be treated like now. Like speaking with one voice when it comes to team matters.

There are a few (a very few) UK teams who do have a completely professional attitude to the sport, and a few others who are moving that way. But that leaves a vast majority who don't act in a professional manner.

 

[Robbo]

Originally posted by Baca Loco
Dammit, Pete, you have now skewed my unscientifically unresearched poll as the unwashed will now riot to vote for your pick and thus curry anonymous online favor with the great one. Way to go.
Results before Robo skewed the poll:
His choice--14 votes; 19% (already reflects the skewing)
Ruling Body as top pick--28 votes; 39% (was 42% earlier)

Results after Robo skewing:
His choice:
Ruling Body as top pick:
(Changes updated periodically until I get bored.)

Oh come on man, since the votes are anonymous, any currying of favour will prove to be academic

But in essence I agree there might now be some skewing but hey, is there really such a thing as free will anyway, I just helped a few people make a more intelligent use of their vote

 

[Baca Loco]

Originally posted by Robbo
is there really such a thing as free will anyway,

Apparently not for those in favor of reunification.

 

[Robbo]

My favouring of integration isn't the result of any salivation at the sound of some NPPL bell clanging away, hopefully it's the result of a process that involves a deep intellect, a vast pool of knowledge and experience and a little commonsense thrown in for good measure....woof, woof !

 

[Baca Loco]

Yes, I'm responsible for this modest thread-jacking; what's your point?

Originally posted by Robbo
woof, woof !

As for the rest of you--pay no attention to this minor digression and get back to the topic at hand. Here you are between seasons so this is the ideal time to make those 06 paintball resolutions and begin to lay the groundwork. Right, Get on with it, then.

 

[stongle]

"If you shucked a billion oysters, you would find more than a handful of pearls".

Surely Nexus are no more representative of UK Paintball as Dynasty are of the general quality of US Ball (which is pretty sucky outside the NPPL)???

The above options suggest we can take what we got and improve the baseline level, but what if we just don't have enough ballers with the apptitude or ability to suceed.

OK so it's easier to change or work with the self than the surroundings, but do we really have enough mass to make a sea change to UK Ball? I don't think so. I mean come on there's no difference between the skill of players who've played UK Domestic Ball for 10 years or 10 minutes for 99% of us!!!

Until we improve the conversion rate from Customer to Sports paintballer, we will never have the dedicated bunch of players to work with (and find those goddam pearls) and become uber stars.

We can either start at the grass, grass roots - the customer sites; or simply hope to introduce a gun culture in the UK and go from there with the conversion rates.

HA, and thats all the sense your getting out of me.








Oh, and I know someone is going to quote Russian Legion at me, but a basquillion dollars buys a lot of dedication from your team (well it's either that or Beetroot Soup 24 seven).

 

[Chuck]

Or...

All of these ideas would help.

A competitive presence at the highest levels of international competition
More cooperation in training amongst the UK's leading teams
More international experience through the ranks of UK teams
A more traditional sports oriented approach to player development

But the biggest change needs to be the mindset of the individual player.
Players just need to understand that sitting at home bemoaning the state of Uk Ball on these boards could be time spent training.

Whether that is fitness training or gun training matters not to start with but at least they would be doing something to improve their skills.

Once a couple of players in a team start doing this the others, that genuinely want to improve will follow the example.(if they don't then let one of the players that is prepared to work have the idle players spot)

I currently expect all the players in the Jags squad do a minimum of two mid week sessions of either gun or physical training, most do more because of the air of competition it creates.

You do not need an indoor Re ball centre 2 minutes walk from your house to improve your game, if funds are tight buy a bag of them between two of you. set up a snap box at your local site or in your garage and Snap away until your fingers bleed!

Can't afford Gym membership? go to the park and do sprint training, or find a hill and do hill reps. The important thing is that you do something.

We went to the Indoor site at Canary Wharf last Wednesday night did three hours snap shooting at each other. Total cost each £20. Thats a round of drinks in the pub! We did 800 snap shots each and were ****ed at the end of it.

Stop waiting for the magic skills Fairy to descend upon you and go out and do something for yourselves as individuals, then when your team meets up for the more expensive practices/Tournaments you won't just be pissing your money and time up against the wall.

I believe the way forward is a bottom up aproach, so stop reading this and go clear out the garage.

Chuck

 

[TendringLOEB]

Or...

Originally posted by Chuck


But the biggest change needs to be the mindset of the individual player.
Players just need to understand that sitting at home bemoaning the state of Uk Ball on these boards could be time spent training.

Whether that is fitness training or gun training matters not to start with but at least they would be doing something to improve their skills.

Once a couple of players in a team start doing this the others, that genuinely want to improve will follow the example.(if they don't then let one of the players that is prepared to work have the idle players spot)

I currently expect all the players in the Jags squad do a minimum of two mid week sessions of either gun or physical training, most do more because of the air of competition it creates.

You do not need an indoor Re ball centre 2 minutes walk from your house to improve your game, if funds are tight buy a bag of them between two of you. set up a snap box at your local site or in your garage and Snap away until your fingers bleed!

Can't afford Gym membership? go to the park and do sprint training, or find a hill and do hill reps. The important thing is that you do something.

We went to the Indoor site at Canary Wharf last Wednesday night did three hours snap shooting at each other. Total cost each £20. Thats a round of drinks in the pub! We did 800 snap shots each and were ****ed at the end of it.

Stop waiting for the magic skills Fairy to descend upon you and go out and do something for yourselves as individuals, then when your team meets up for the more expensive practices/Tournaments you won't just be pissing your money and time up against the wall.

I believe the way forward is a bottom up aproach, so stop reading this and go clear out the garage.

Chuck

I agree with your statement, completely, it is important. however as a player with limited ability and little experience i believe that it makes me more objective to this issue in a different way to a player who has been playing for years and is completely involved with the scene

For example:

Do you not think though that to actually publically move the sport forward, and not just each end of the ability extremes, a single governing body would have to be set up in order to give the sport of paintball enough clout and presence to be heard in any official circles? From there if it was well recognised it would be well publicised and therefore thouroughly move the sport as a whole in the UK forward.

Paul

 

[Chuck]

Re: Or...

Originally posted by TendringLOEB
I agree with your statement, completely, it is important. however as a player with limited ability and little experience i believe that it makes me more objective to this issue in a different way to a player who has been playing for years and is completely involved with the scene

For example:

Do you not think though that to actually publically move the sport forward, and not just each end of the ability extremes, a single governing body would have to be set up in order to give the sport of paintball enough clout and presence to be heard in any official circles? From there if it was well recognised it would be well publicised and therefore thouroughly move the sport as a whole in the UK forward.

Paul

Paul,
you are talking about bringing the sport into the public domain either through media or via the sports council etc. Ultimately this would succeed in bringing a larger player pool on line (a good thing).

But if the teams that these new players were feeding still only got their gear out once a month, played badly. Then went home again moaning that the only reason that they were crap was because they didn't have a large enough 24hr covered training ground, with paint at £5 a box. The new players will just carry on the same lethargic aproach that is rife within UK teams.

The majority of players always take the easy route to training, (if they bother to train at all) and that is get the guns out shoot a box over the chrono trying to get the highest BPS reading in the paintball version of a pissing competition. Play games against each other all day then go home and do nothing until the next Tourny. The end result of this is that the vast majority of teams never get any better. All teams are made up of individual players who could by improving their own skills and fitness improve the teams results.

It's a bit like a fat bloke who eats a burger then washes it down with a can of diet Coke, WTF is the point in that?


We may in the future have a much larger pool to choose players from.
But until we do lets get our collective arses out training and improve our speed and fitness thus improving our game. Gun training can be done as and when you can afford it.

A lot can be done if people just get off their arses and stop moaning about a lack of Uber cheap paint and facilities.

Chuck

Disclaimer added; Do not use training balls inside the house. It cost Martin an emergency double glazing repair! (Mrs Martin still doesn't know about it)