Eliminating players is easy right? All you have
to do is hit them and they are eliminated. Well, don't take this for
granted. I have seen many players hit and they continue to play on,
stay in the game, and shot your team mates. Don't assume just
because you hit an opponent that the opponent is eliminated. The
opponent may or may not know he is hit or suppose to be eliminated.
In either case open your mouth and yell at the top of your lungs for the
"hit" player to be paint checked by the referee AS
SOON AS POSSIBLE. If you wait to yell the "hit" may disappear
- never to be seen again. Don't assume all players are "honest" and
have good intentions. Many players are honest but there are those
few who are not honest and will cheat any chance they can get. You
know for sure they are eliminated when you see them in the "Dead Box."
Taking the flag is easier said then done. Many teams practice,
practice, practice but they don't practice pulling the flag. During
practices your team must practice pulling the flag. Many times teams
don't even send anyone to the flag station during a practice session.
To pull the flag your team must know, when, where, and how. The
"when" is whenever you can do it without getting eliminated. The
"how" is to have a plan on how your team is going to go about doing it,
i.e., on the "break," after the other team is eliminated, trying for it in
the last minute of the game, designating a player who has the
responsibility to get it. All of these possibilities must be
considered and one must be chosen. Generally, the flag is pulled
when most of the opposing team has been eliminated. There are times
when it must be done very early in the game. The point is have a
"plan" on pulling the flag or it may not get pulled at all!
The player who "pulls" the flag has a "big" job. This is no easy
task in a tournament since their are 3-10 other players trying to prevent
this from happening. The flag puller's job is not only to pull the
flag but stay "alive." Many times the flag is pulled but the flag
puller is eliminated in the process. Getting eliminated can cost
your team the game and a lot of points. Thus, staying alive is just
as important, if not more, than pulling the flag. As stated
previously, one of the duties of any front player is patience and staying
alive. This applies to the flag puller. Planning the flag pull
must go hand in hand with staying alive. After the flag puller pulls
the flag he must get into a bunker and keep from being eliminated.
Again, patience plays a big role in staying alive since the flag puller is
generally the furthest player "up the field." Pulling the flag and
then trying to be a "hero" is not only stupid it is down right "dumb."
Once the flag is pulled and the flag puller is in his bunker he must wait
for his team to come to his rescue. There is nothing wrong with
letting your team mates do their job. Team work will win the game,
few games are won by a "dump hero."
Getting Eliminated is not fun for anyone but you still have a job to do.
First and foremost is to insure your teammates closest to you know you
have been eliminated. After you are hit you can say "HIT" but you
can not repeatedly say "hit." Thus, when you say "HIT" make sure it
is in a very loud voice and at least one of your team mates hears you.
Remember, your team mates are counting on you and your play. If you
are eliminated they must adjust their plan to play without you and your
part of the team plan. Also, another way to notify your team mates
of your elimination is to walk right by all of their bunkers on the way to
the dead box. You can't go out of your way to visit each bunker
where each of your team mates are located but you can go by the closest
bunkers (with you team mates in them) on the way to the dead box.
Walking off to the dead box without proper notification will surely help
you team to "LOSE" the game -
so don't do it!
Who pulled the flag? When the playing gets intense it is easy to
forget to either pull the flag or know if the other team pulled the flag.
Since pulling the flag is worth points it is important to keep track of
the "flag pull." The last thing you want to happen is to eliminate
all of your opponents and have time run out when you could have easily
pulled the flag. If the opposing team pulled the flag you especially
want to know this fact. If the opposing team pulled the flag and
their flag puller is eliminated the flag will not be waiting for you at
the flag station. The flag will be in the hands of the flag puller.
The flag puller (even if he is eliminated) will have to stay on the field
with the flag in his hand until someone else takes it from him or time
expires. So, keep track of the flag just like you would keep track
of the opposing team players it will benefit your team in the end
immensely.
The last one-two minutes of a match are very important. As in almost
any sport teams have a game plan for the last two minutes of playing time.
In football they have a two minute drill, in basketball they use the foul
and shoot tactic, in hockey they pull the goal keeper in an effort to
score a tying goal if they are behind. The same goes for paintball.
Your team must develop a 2 minute drill. Tournaments are won and
lost on such game plans. Know you strengths and use them at this
time. Don't just try to ad-lib and expect it to all work out.
Have a plan, practice the plan, then execute it in a game.
Two Minute - strategies and tactics. As stated above the last two
minutes of a match are critical to winning. The $64,000 question is
"What to do in the last two minutes?" There are a number of things
you can do depending on the situation at hand. If the match is
gridlocked then try a bunker move to break the gridlock. Also, a
double bunker move can win the match very quickly if executed properly.
If time is running out and you don't believe you can eliminate all of the
opponents before hanging the flag then try to hang it without eliminating
all of them (this is a last ditch effort only). Do a team bunker
move where all players run down the field and eliminate any/all other
opponents. Do a "dead man walk" and then bunker as many opponents as
possible. Fake a gun problem or that you are out of paint and let
the opponent think they can bunker you - then shoot them out. Send
two runners down the tape lines (one on each tape) to bunker those in
front of them. The point is to "do something" rather than let the
game be stalemated.
"Know thy score" is almost as important as winning. All team members
must understand and realize what the score is before, during, and after
each match. Losing track of where you team stands in the
preliminaries or during a game can be costly. Check the main score
board to figure out what strategies must be employed for each game.
Are you at the top of the scoreboard, in the middle, or at the bottom?
Your strategies are affected not only by the other teams your team will
face but by your position in the division. The lower your standing
in the division the more risks you may have to take to win a match.
Also, during a match knowing the game score can mean the difference
between advancing or not advancing beyond the preliminaries. I
remember when I did not pull the flag when one of my team mates did a
bunker move. This proved costly since we didn't advance beyond the
prelims. A missed opportunity can make you remember forever.
Every elimination and every "live" player counts so know they score!
Being bunkered is no fun but it is going to happen. The question to
anticipate is "when." There are opportune times at which your
opponent will try to bunker you so you need to be prepared to counter
their efforts. So when will they bunker you? Here are several
situations when a bunker move is coming. If you are a front man who
is one bunker away from an opponent you are a highly likely target for a
bunker move. If you are in a "snake" like bunker you are a very good
candidate for a bunker move. If you are in either of the two last
mentioned positions and your "backman" is eliminated you can bet you will
be bunkered. If you are outnumbered you are going to be bunkered.
If it is getting near the end of the game a bunker move is coming sooner
or later. If the other team determines you and your teams are all
shooting in one direction you will be bunkered. If the game is in a
stalemate a bunker move could break it wide open so be ready for it.
The best bunker move comes when you least expect it!
Countering bunker moves is all about "anticipation." If you
understand how to perform a good bunker move then learning how to
"counter" one works in the opposite direction. When you are the last
man standing and you are outnumbered the other team is going to attempt to
bunker you. This should be a "no brainer" thus you can anticipate
the move. It then boils down to "when" and what "side." The
"when" can be anticipated by the amount of paint the opponent team is
firing at you. When a lot of paint is coming at your bunker and they
are trying to keep you from seeing out of the bunker the "bunker move" is
coming. This isn't always true but you can be ready for it
most of the time. Generally, the bunker move is going to come from
the "strong" side of the field. The strong side of the field is the
one where your opponents have the advantage (most angle and ability to
protect their team mate who is going to bunker you). Also, the
opponent who is trying to bunker you will wait to see which side of the
bunker you are shooting from being coming around the side of the bunker to
shoot you. The "counter" to this is to anticipate the timing of the
move itself. You know the opponents have to stop shooting one side
of the bunker to allow their team mate to bunker you. Your opponents
will allow you to fire at them from one side of the bunker to setup up the
bunker move. Once you fire at them the "bunkering opponent"
will come in behind you. So, the trick is to fire only one or two
shots from the side of the bunker they are allowing you to fire from and
quickly turn around and start firing at the other side. This will
catch the bunkering opponent as he comes around to get you. This
technique must be done very quickly or you will get bunkered!
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