You should definitely not dish out roles for players who don't exist yet. 

This may be a bit presumptuous but I reckon you should play in the big game scene before trying to put a team together. Tippmann for one must receive a few hundred requests for sponsorship at any time and if you are after a good sponsorship deal then you will have to be good at PR as well as shooting fools.

Like Detrevini I was a sponsored player. My team was the first scenario team in Europe to get a "full ride" sponsorship, by Smart parts. It was bloody hard so don't expect something for nothing. You will spend a lot of cash just getting people to notice you and you better be able to chat away with the folk that matter.

Good luck young parawan!

Public relations. Getting people to know and care who you are, and to take you more seriously than any other group of kids who want to play paintball with some sort of sponsorship subsidy.

 

I suggest you not print out flyers, but rather find friends at school to go paintballing with and see where that brings you.

Don't make the same mistake a lot of people do, enjoy paintball, have fun with your friends, brag about the big bruises. Don't turn it into something that is going to become a hassle instead of a good time.

Just my $.02

Good luck but try to keep realistic about what you can achieve at your stage. But of course as with all things if you keep at it then it can certainly be done.

 

I have woods behind my house, and I used to go back there all the time, and I would practice shooting trees. Snap shooting, (real gun style) shooting from the hip, shooting on the run, shooting from behind trees popping out on each side, running from tree to tree while shooting, most of all working on my accuracy. Pick out a target, or a small tree and aim at a knot hole.

 

Here is an example of what I do when out practicing. I edited out the longer range stuff, as you couldn't see it well on the video. But, I was jumping into the creek and climbing back out while shooting at the mask.

 

 

Today, I can shoot guys with one shot within a fraction of a second from over 75 feet away... Hand eye coordination is key, and learning exactly how YOUR gun shoots. This is only achieved with tons of practice and learning to use your gun like an extension of your body.

 

 

 

Biggest problem I see new kids doing is "upgrading" their gear often. That is a big no-no if you want to get to a high level in any sport. You want to pick good gear and stick with it. I am still playing with my first gun I purchased when I started playing. (well, actually I purchased a model 98, but before I ever played I got an A-5 and never used the 98 in a game)

 

I know that A-5 like the back of my hand. Without taking a "proper shooting position" I can nail my target within 1-2 shots EVERY time. That is the key, each gun shoots a little differently, and changing gear will affect your accuracy because you will be learning the new gun instead of working on your skills.

 

Then learn to see what is happening on the field. Most new players get tunnel vision, and only focus on the one guy they see, while the rest of that guys group get the angles on him and take him out. Before you build a "team" you need to become the best player in your area. You need to learn how to constantly move, and always get angles on other players. While learning how to advace without advancing too fast that you just get yourself eliminated. You also have to learn that just because you are playing with one group of guys, and you may be better than them... There are always MUCH better players than you out there. And on any given day, anyone can take you out. That is the fun of paintball. Do you capture the flag now? How often?

 

I was playing a few weeks ago, and I ran down to a good position, and watched as the other team started coming toward me. I figured they didn't know I was there, as I got there so fast, and was really tucked into a large brush pile.

 

I saw my friend Justin and was waiting for him to get into "range". He saw me, and instead of advancing he just leaned out from behind a tree and threw 3 shots at me.... Eliminating me from that game! So confidence in your ability will just get you some time in the outbox. Practice is the only thing that will really get you prepared to play at a high level. You have to learn from every mistake you make, and not repeat those mistakes. Unless you have been playing competitively since you were 8, at 13 you don't have the experience to be ready to start a team and be the leader of that team... You need to work on YOU first.

 

Sponsorship is a whole different discussion. I get gear for free, but I know what sponsors want and need from a sponsorship. So it is a different viewpoint than you have.

 

If you go into your attempts to get sponsorships with the goal of what can I get for free. You are doing it wrong, and you will fail miserably.

 

I probably have had more big name sponsorships over the years (in different sports)  than anyone on this board. But, VERY FEW of those were "paying" sponsorships. Most were product, and the ONLY reason a company will give a person product is because they know for a fact that that product will be used in such a way as to increase their sales exponentially because of that "sponsorship".

 

I have gotten well over 100 players into the sport just in my area alone, (and just about every one of them purchased my sponsors products based on my recommendations). THAT is what gets companies attention. Not what "I" can get for free, those requests end up in the trashcan right away.

 

You have to think about it from a business owners perspective. How is that company sending you gear for free or a reduced rate going to help that company? You are obviously very interested in paintball, and a perfect customer for them now... Only now instead of them making MONEY from you, you want them to give it to you for free...

 

You better have a LOT of exposure to make that cost valuable for the company. If you don't have that kind of exposure... Then you won't get gear for free. End of story.

 

Is it impossible? No, I got my first sponsorship at 15... By being at the right place at the right time with the right skill set. I then used that sponsorship to pick up many more sponsorships, as the first one is always the hardest.

 

But, then it can become a job, instead of an opportunity to have fun. You can get so obsessed with sponsorships that all you think about is how to get the next one... Trust me, that will burn you out.

 

I play paintball for fun, and I play to get more people into the sport. That is my goal. I also want them to have a good experience playing, so I only recommend products that I KNOW work well, and have lots of experience using. If I tell you something is good. It is good, because I have used it enough to know. I recommend the Tippmann A-5, and the Empire Apex 2 barrel system. That one two punch is incredibly accurate, and durable, and with enough practice can make you a very good player.

 

So learn the fundamentals, learn how to pick good paint. Learn how to shoot with pinpoint accuracy at a moments notice. Get a cheap action cam and video all your games, you wouldn't believe how much you can learn about what you did wrong on the field just by watching your games afterwords. And subscribe to my paintball channel on youtube, "TrailsOfDoom", by watching video's of games you can pick up quite a bit of knowledge that will help you on the field of play.

 

But, most of all... Have fun. Because at the end of the day, life is all about having fun with your friends.

 

All of the "Alpha charlie super tactics" teams we came across, we found our loose, dynamic and ready style with good communication would almost always work out better. 

 

I'm going to have to partly disagree with your plan there, Mack.

 

Have fun?  Absolutely - that's the whole point.

 

Shoot the other team?  Sure, you can try, but you can have lots of fun without hitting anyone.

 

Don't get shot?  Seriously?  If you don't get shot, you aren't trying hard enough.  I always try to get shot a lot, and a lot at a time.  I hate getting "sniped" by a stray round from god-knows-where.  When I go down, I prefer to go down in a blaze of glory with at least a dozen breaks on me.

 

And don't shoot your own team?  That's a silly idea.  They are the easiest targets!

 

 

I'll add another rule of mine (related to "have fun"):  Don't take it too seriously.  Ultimately, we are playing cops and robbers here.

THIS! I get bored quickly in the woods, so i start running and drawing attention to myself. Makes it more exciting and fun.

 Everyone's estrogen must be peaking...