Teamwork is the foundation of success in paintball. Playing by the
seat of your pants is fun and exciting, but it wont win you games
as consistently as knowing how to play like a real team.
In paintball, winning teamwork depends on three major ingredients:
attitude skill and strategy.
Let's start with attitude, since it's often what makes or breaks a
paintball team. A team of expert strategists with tournament-level
skills, but without a similar attitude, will still lose games.
Great teamwork -- the kind that wins -- requires teammates to share
certain characteristics.
First, commitment: Do you play occasional pick-up games? Do you
play weekly? Or do you practice constantly and play at every
available opportunity? And how seriously do you take the game? Do
you futz around, splattering each other with paint? Or is each
game an all-out death match? Teammates who are prepared to devote
similar amounts of time to similar goals will likely work together
best.
Second, how does each of you handle conflict and criticism?
Teammates will screw up occasionally. When someone makes an
error...
Do you fly off the handle? Joke about it? Ignore it?
How about receiving criticism -- do you get defensive?
Insist it wasn't your fault?
Take responsibility?
Teammates don't need to react identically, but they do need to be
able to work with each other's approaches.
Third, you need mutual trust and respect. Without them, you'll
second-guess each other's decisions and actions, and your strategy
will break down. Each player needs confidence that everyone else
knows his role and can perform, even if all hell breaks loose.
seat of your pants is fun and exciting, but it wont win you games
as consistently as knowing how to play like a real team.
In paintball, winning teamwork depends on three major ingredients:
attitude skill and strategy.
Let's start with attitude, since it's often what makes or breaks a
paintball team. A team of expert strategists with tournament-level
skills, but without a similar attitude, will still lose games.
Great teamwork -- the kind that wins -- requires teammates to share
certain characteristics.
First, commitment: Do you play occasional pick-up games? Do you
play weekly? Or do you practice constantly and play at every
available opportunity? And how seriously do you take the game? Do
you futz around, splattering each other with paint? Or is each
game an all-out death match? Teammates who are prepared to devote
similar amounts of time to similar goals will likely work together
best.
Second, how does each of you handle conflict and criticism?
Teammates will screw up occasionally. When someone makes an
error...
Do you fly off the handle? Joke about it? Ignore it?
How about receiving criticism -- do you get defensive?
Insist it wasn't your fault?
Take responsibility?
Teammates don't need to react identically, but they do need to be
able to work with each other's approaches.
Third, you need mutual trust and respect. Without them, you'll
second-guess each other's decisions and actions, and your strategy
will break down. Each player needs confidence that everyone else
knows his role and can perform, even if all hell breaks loose.
