Originally posted by spyderE-99rocker
speedball really takes to talent or tactics i dont see why people play it.Woodsball is the better game u actually use tactics and techs plus why waste p8ntballs at speedball all u do is just get behind something and shoot........whats the point?????????
OK, that's a little like shouting "FIRE" in a theatre in this crowd, but I am going to try to answer respectfully and frankly.
It is true, as you suggest, that people get behind something and shoot. The thing is, to hit anything, players have to expose a part of their bodies. Therefore, to participate in the game, you must take measured risks. Players develope an acute sense of where each part of their bodies are. Such awareness of one's body is aided both by talent (at knowing where you are holding your left little toe right now) and training (at keeping that toe tucked in safe).
Speedball requires teamwork. In speedball, you can see where everyone goes, provided you are far enough away to take discreet peeks at the field. Unfortunately, from so far back, it is difficult to win the game, because opposing players are able to hide from you quite well. Winning is accomplished by moving players up the field so that they are able to shoot opponents from a wider angle than a player in the back of the field. The players who stay back keep the players moving up informed of where opponents are shooting and where they are. They also shoot a lot of paint so that the opponents hide, enabling the front players to move up the field while no one can look out and shoot them.
The perception that a a lot of paint is wasted probably comes from the observation that while players shoot a lot of paint in a very short period of time, very few of those paintballs actually hit an opponent. A great deal of the paint being shot is intended to discourage players from looking around. If you can't look out from behind your cover, you can't make good desicions about what to do next. If no one on your side can look around, you will probably lose. Also, sometimes if someone jumps suddenly from one bunker to another, you wouldn't have time to shoot them if you waited to shoot until you saw them. Shooting a stream of paint between two bunkers can discourage someone from leaping from one to the next or hit them if they try anyway.
The players who play speedball a lot are actually better at it than players who don't play speedball as much. This is possible to observe anywhere people play speedball. Get a few experienced players, play several games against them, and they will probably win most of them. Whether it is a matter of tactics or technique or skill or whatever, there is some measure of ability that is improved with experience and that can be tested by competition.
That brings me to the last part of your post. You ask what is the point? Some people really do want to know if they are actually better at paintball than other people. In the woods, in walk-on games where no score is kept and no one keeps track of the skill and experience of the opponents, it is a matter of anecdotal evidence at best and guess work most of the time, with any two people able to make claims that no one can prove or disprove. In tournaments, which are all pretty much speedball now, scores are kept, teams are seeded by skill and time playing into divisions, and awards are given to teams that consistently beat more opponents than other teams do.
I would never say that there are not skills required to play woods ball well, but there are definitely skills required to play speedball well. Tactics and talent are both helpful in winning consistently, as in any competitive venture.
If you feel that speedball is more or less random, I suggest getting together any old group of players and registering to play pro in the NPPL Super Seven Series, where winning could pay off to the tune of $20,000. There are only 80 teams, and far fewer pro teams than that. Your odds, if speedball is random, are excellent.
Shooting left handed is kind-of a natural evolution 'cause it's really hard not to, if you're working a very low laydown bunker, like a "snake". The people who say they never really need to shoot left handed are usually back players. Also, don't leave your front man hanging...move up if your front man moves up.
