Paintball Journal

Paintball may just be getting the break it needs in the media, and it is coming to Fox Sports Net this fall. A thirteen part series will begin on October 2nd at 4:30pm, and air every Tuesday until its completion in late December. Thanks to the efforts of Shawn Walker, NPPL President, paintball may just get an entire new image in the public, hopefully changing some minds and bringing new people into the sport.

The 13-part docu-drama series will be showcasing the lives, personalities and culture of the sport of paintball. The viewer will see the players as people before they see them as athletes. By using a wide spectrum of features, the show will breakdown the paintball industry with segments on globalization, Hollywood appeal, as well as the business of paintball and technology.

This right here is exactly what we like to see. The promotion of paintball in a healthy, positive image is what we’re all about here at PBJ, and we hope to take it even further by not only preaching it, but practicing it at the field or wherever we may be. Not only will this show be enlightening to the public that views it, but also to experienced players as well. For as much as I’ve played in the past, I still know little of the true people that become these killing machines on the field. Hopefully this show will give us more of an in depth look into these players’ lives as well as show the technology and the skill that it takes to make and play paintball on a professional level.

I’m pumped up about it; it really sounds that good. Don’t forget.

Tuesdays from October 2nd, 2007 – December 25, 2007 at 4:30 PM in all time zones.

A Paintballer’s Dream Vacation

Carnival Cruise Lines is offering a four night Bahaman cruise to paintball enthusiasts where they will be treated to onboard clinics hosted by pros such as Ollie Lang, Matty Marshall, Nicky Cuba, Bea Youngs, and Lisa Harvey. The clinics, however, are limited due to the fact that no guns or paintball equipment will be allowed onboard. Still, this is something that I would totally be on if I was given the chance (money/time) to go! I wouldn’t pass up anything like this, ever!

And if reading this gets you fired up, don’t grab your shades and sandals just yet! Unfortunately, the full payment must have been completed by June 1st of this year. Don’t let that get you bummed though, because there is always next summer as this is going to be an annual event. The pricing doesn’t seem all that bad either - it covers food, entertainment, private party with the Pros, as well as clinic costs and contest drawings.

“Availability is limited on the ship, as the dates are quickly approaching. You
may make payments as often as you need to, as long as payment in full has been
received by June 1, 2007.

$499.00 - inside cabin, per person, double occupancy
$525.00 - oceanview cabin, per person, double occupancy“

I’d so be there if I only had the opportunity. But seriously, if you really do have this opportunity, take it next time it comes around in ‘08.

Paintball, Paintball Cruise, Paintball Clinics

For us, paintball started out as something purely for fun, in the woods, and when we had enough money to do so. A little over a year and a half ago, we were introduced into the speedball world. We were still absolute noobs to this aspect, but we loved everything about it right off the bat. We thought about the idea of tournaments and a team. We had plenty of people, and some decent equipment shortly after, so why not give it a shot?

Any group of kids can play paintball, and any group of kids can call themselves a team. But for just any group of kids, tournament paintball will be a whole new experience, and will take much more than they often bargain for, especially in regards to their team. One person needs to be able to take command and responsibility to organize practices and any tournaments you wish to enter (not that other teammates won’t help), and everybody else on the team must acknowledge the fact that he has complete rule over you in practice. I’ve come across several articles about ‘breaking in the noobs’ and similar ideas, and here’s what I’ve found.

Give ‘Em Hell

If you want to call your motley crew of Joe Nobodies a team, then you have to practice, and practice, and practice some more, but paying very close attention to the first one can save you a lot of time in the end. First, get to know your players and their styles by doing any number of drills, and at the same time, figure out who makes the weakest link.

1. Find a set of bunkers five to ten yards apart, and put a player in each one. They have twenty seconds to shoot each other out, and if they fail to do so then they both run a hill, or do pushups. Once somebody is out, he steps off and another jumps in. It should be a rapid fire pace giving the players little time to recover, or even think for that matter. Bunkering is definitely encouraged.

2. 3v1 – This is a great bunkering drill, because even if he does manage to shoot somebody out, there are still two more opponents out there. This greatly increases your chances of seeing a bunkering move.

A good eye will find out several things about a player, so look for those that are smart, aggressive, stupid, or timid. Pay special attention for aggressive and stupid and know the difference. A stupid person might look aggressive running down field until he gets blasted, but this will take work to beat the stupidity out of him and make him a smart, field-reading player.

This will also tell you who has the motivation and determination to be part of a winning team. These players won’t talk back, and will gladly put themselves on the line in order to win a game. If you catch somebody that is shying away from the drills, or is not clearly pulling his weight, then don’t be afraid to give him the axe if he doesn’t shape up.

If you are good friends with other teams, particularly fairly experienced ones, ask them to help you guys out by scrimming you for awhile. They will absolutely grind your team, and it will be a very ugly process, but this is one great way to get the determined on their feet, and those that just aren’t ready for tourneyball off their feet. If anybody is dragging around by the end of the day complaining, then perhaps they shouldn’t be part of the team.

There are so many variations to this first Hell Practice that nearly anything can work. But, never forget the overall idea of it. It must be a fast paced day with few breaks. They must get dirty; people need to be covered in paint and dirt by the end of the day. Punish them for any mistakes they make by making them run hills, or do pushups. And if at any point during this ‘weeding out the weak’ process anybody tries to tell you know or otherwise, then give them the boot.

As Dana mentioned, the whole aspect of getting custom banners for the blogs is relatively new. We had heard rumors of it a few weeks back, so I started tinkering with some ideas. I had plenty of old photos to use, some from the field, some from us playing. I didn’t want anything on there that wasn’t from us, because it needed to be unique. We messed around with several other ideas, but it finally seems that simple is better.

This one was too distracting, too much going on.

This one wasn’t bad, but we went with the black font instead…although red might match the blog layout better.

Again, same thing – clutter and red font.

In the end we went with simple, so that you could actually see the pictures on there and clearly read the font. We’re satisfied with the way it turned out, and we hope others enjoy it as well! Maybe we’ll come up with some more in the future.

Sweet! Check out these BA colors Eclipse is releasing for the Eteks! Now if only I had waited just a little longer…Bah! Supposedly twenty of each color to be manufactured, so you best get ‘em while they’re hot, folks!

Dye released a nice set of custom DM7s. Not a big fan of the jungle skull camo, but the desert one isn’t bad at all. As for the black and silver, three thumbs up! That’s sexy. Again, very few made (maybe about 100 per design) so if you’re interested you better look into it, and fast.

Looking for custom anodizing? Check out this helpful thread on PBNation to find a list of stores or companies that will tattoo your gat.

Yes! This way you have full iPod functionality as well as the ability to hear your teammates. This man obviously knows what he’s doing. Now he needs some subs that he can throw on his pack. And uhh… better tunes.

I’ve already voiced my opinion on paintball magazines before, and how they usually just…suck. They take their advertisers and write bs-articles about the gear (that’s just advertising), and then they never get to the real in-depth stuff about the sport. Paintball2Xtremes does, and this remains the true voice of paintball in the magazine world for me.

I was reading through the June 2007 issue yesterday when I read the opening passage from the Editor, John Amodea. It’s always my favorite part to read, and this one was titled “Be More Than Just A Paintball Player”. It goes hand in hand exactly with what we are doing here at PBJ. It was all about the attitude we must portray, the image we give to non-paintballers no matter where we are. No matter what the public sees on TV or in the media, the voice of paintball comes directly from its participants and how they act. Here is a small excerpt that captures exactly what I’m talking about.

“The change means we are now all paintball ambassadors. How we act while in our sponsored gear and what we talk about concerning the sport only further increases the positive image of paintball.”

PB2X 2007, John Amodea.

Nothing is going to help the sport like its players can. Sure, companies can spend billions on advertising, big events, etc. but it is the people, the players that make the difference. Every paintballer out there, like Mr. Amodea said, is an ambassador to the sport, and it is our duty to play and promote the sport in a positive way that will benefit all of us for years to come.

He went on to talk about his plane rides, and how the conversations with those next to him inexorably lead to paintball. He’s noted how things have changed over the last twenty years of the sport, and how the people respond today with interest rather than “Pinball, what’s that?” or “Oh, those war games”.

I’ve had people respond many of times today with those types of questions, but I take the time to explain to them the basics of the sport. Hopefully by the end of the conversation they are somewhat interested, or feel that they have learned something new. Maybe if they’re young enough they’ll even take an interest in it. No matter what though, our goal is to get paintball a fresh, new image, and this is our ultimate duty and responsibility.

The Ethics Of Paintball
Paintball houses an enormous crowd of players; woodsball to speedball, young and old, both male and female. Because of this, people need to know where to draw the line when they step onto a field, and this is a small list that can easily be expanded upon as more situations come to mind.

1. Never, under any circumstance, purposely bunker somebody new to the game. The idea is to make it a fun, enjoyable experience, not to inflict as much pain as you can on the person. If you do happen to accidentally come across a new player, then try your best to shoot them in the gun or legs where it’s not going to hurt them as bad. Neck and back shots suck, so don’t do it.

2. Young kids – paintball is becoming more and more popular among the younger people today, and you can find them at the field nearly every weekend. Most of the time they are there to play at their own pace, and that’s fine, respect it. If you’re in a game with them, instead of insulting them for hiding in the back try to encourage them to move up. Lead by example and they will quickly follow.

Many times you will catch them off guard as you come down the side of the field, but if you have a wide open shot don’t just put a rope on them – a few well places shots will suffice.

3. There are also times when you can treat the younger players as if they were on your own level. If you know for a fact that a kid plays a lot and knows the sport well, then feel free to take him on as an equal. He knows how the game is played, and realizes that bunkering and 20bps is all part of it.

Another situation might be the punk kid that likes trash talking you and your friends. I’ve never personally had a problem with this, but I hear people mention it all the time, and there’s no doubt you’ll come across one of these types eventually. If you do happen to face a little punk like this, the “right” thing to do would be to just ignore it, and play on a different field. Buuuuuuut if this isn’t possible then I really don’t see any problem in giving him a few extra balls [evil smirk].

4. Wiping – let’s face it; nothing is going to stop it. If you blatantly catch somebody wiping and he doesn’t call himself out, or the ref doesn’t pull him, go ahead and bonus ball the crap out of him. Okay, okay, don’t overdo it; just make sure he gets the point, and maybe he’ll think twice before doing it again.

Sometimes it’s only a misunderstanding. I’ve had plenty of times when I get hit on the shoulder (especially when it’s colder and I wear more clothes) and I won’t even feel it. I’ll finish out the game, and then somebody from the other team will call me on it. Yeah, it makes you feel like an ass, but sometimes you really just don’t notice it. This is often the case when you hit somebody in the pack. If you know you hit somebody, don’t be afraid to call them on it; most of the time they’ll listen.

5. Don’t be a punk. As a paintball community we need to learn to have some respect for the other styles of play. Speedballers think they’re better because they have faster guns and more technical skills whereas woodsballers/recballers think speedballers are freaking retarded for spending $2,000 on equipment just to play paintball. Whatever your opinions may be, we really don’t care to hear them. Let the other side play as they will, don’t trash talk others at the field, and let things be as they were.

6. And finally, never forget the one reason why you love the sport of paintball so much, the one reason why you started in the first place. I know it’s not for the money, because paintball is impossible to make a living at. So next time things are heating up on the field between you and another player or team, ask yourself exactly what you’re doing. Is it really worth getting kicked out of the field, tournament, or whatever it may be? Is it really worth the fight?

For me, it’s all about the thrill and the fun. I’m also extremely competitive, but I’m not going to extremes to make sure I win; I couldn’t live with myself. Instead, I’d rather lose fair and square, and then work on the areas I that need improvement so when I do come back and win it’ll mean so much more than if I just took the shortcut. Maybe that’s just me, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Wow, I’m watching NPPL right now on the website that Dana pointed out. It’s pretty sweet. Looks like the games will be closing out pretty soon, but there’s going to be plenty more tomorrow and Sunday. Here’s the schedule, just tune in during those times to watch your favorite teams, I know I will be!

Be warned though, the British announcer only knows how to say “Absolutely!” and “Definitely!” It’s already getting on my nerves after fifteen minutes.

Hah, and who knows what you’ll learn. So apparently Johnny Perchak developed a fear of flying after who knows how many miles around the world he had already gone. So he ended up driving to the events, but that got old? I don’t know, a guy bumped up field and interrupted the story. Oh well - awesome site, tune in!

Despite our constant cravings, Evan and I can’t typically just drop whatever we’re doing and play paintball. However, it would be damn cool if we could. The only problem is, sometimes I get the craving to play in some places where things might get a little awkward. (Be sure to read the captions by hovering your mouse over the pictures…)

10) In a restaurant. Despite some restaurants claiming to be fun for the whole family, sometimes they just aren’t accommodating enough.

9) A public bathroom. Sure the stalls are a b****, but some bathrooms scream to be played in.

Underwater. Admittedly, this poses some problems, such as what would one use for jerseys, and how would the water affect walking the trigger.

7) On a space walk. On my recent journey into space, I took a space walk. And I though to myself, how funny would it be if right now, someone just popped out of that shuttle and started blasting me with a Tippmann 98 (the only gun that will function anywhere) and I floated off into space? Pretty damn funny.

6) In a china shop. You ever get those urges where you just wanna destroy s***, like you’re freakin’ Godzilla? Yeah, me too.

5) Church. Not that paintballers ever go to church, the heathenish lot that we are (only joking Proud Christian Paintballers!), but sometimes those sermons really get a man fired up. The preacher is shouting from the pulpit, spittle flying into the splash zone in the first three rows, and absolutely swept up in the fervor, you just want to stand up and say, “Game starts in three!”

4) So you’re busy *ahem* bunkering your significant other in bed, when suddenly, the craving hits. Do you give in and grab your gun and ‘balls? Or do you just settle for uhh… whatever else it is that’s done in bed.

3) Trapeze paintball. Best idea since Potato Sack Paintball.

2) Skydiving paintball. Best idea since Trapeze Paintball. In Sam’s wise, wise words: “It would be like impossible and f***in hilarious trying to watch ppl shoot each other.” I agree Sam. I agree.

1) In the middle of a nudist leper colony. Oh!!!! You totally just imagined that! I got you good, bwahahaha! But seriously.

So I love photography even though I’m not exactly serious about it. But I love it anyways. So as I was browsing through some galleries of the MAO tourney, I decided to start compiling a list of paintball photography sites. Here’s what I’ve come up with so far, but there will be plenty more to add.

http://www.pb2x.com/2007/photogaller…lanticopen_07/
www.choppapb.com
www.pbstar.com
www.shanerice.com
www.southsideimages.com
www.desiderataproductions.com
www.drewbietron.com
www.miguelcruz.com
www.meaganfosterphoto.com
http://www.breakoutphotos.com/paintball/
http://www.mattdphoto.com/gallery/paintball

My favorite is still Matt Dawson at the last link listed. It’s simply brilliant, and I can only hope that I can manage to do what he does someday. Anyways, I’ll keep looking for more to post in the future.

I’ve never had trouble with my mom letting me play paintball other than maybe getting worked up about the money I’ve spent on it (not like it will matter for much longer anyways). But plenty of my friends have had difficulty starting out. It’s the usual stuff – guns, violence, “shoot your eye out” kind of things. If you have or had parents like this, then be sure you present them with a good solid defense in the name of paintball. It’s all about understanding, and if they can understand the game and the reasons you play it, then maybe they won’t have such a hard time letting you go.

1. Paintball is literally the safest sport (when played properly) in just about the entire world; only walking can beat it.

2. Let them know that you play safely, and follow all the regulations that companies and fields set. Then you have to make sure you do what you say. Use barrel condoms in all staging areas, especially any places that people have their masks off, and don’t exceed the FPS limit of 300.

3. Explain to your parents how it’s a sport, and just because they aren’t familiar with it doesn’t mean that it’s necessarily bad or promoting violence.

4. It’s good exercise!

5. You will be willing to get a job, or work around the house in order to make money to play.

The list is limitless really and mainly depends on your own creativity, but those are some of the ideas that we’ve had to use before. Don’t just give up the fight if they say no. Keep at it, and present them with a planned defense of the game!

Ironmen definitely have it going on. The season is going well, they have great new players, and they know how to get people’s attention. Check out their homepage, which has videos, photos, events information and plenty of other extras.

Now that’s impressive. I’ve had to look for team pages before, and barely anything shows up, or if something does it’s usually homerun and unprofessional. I think teams need a good standard to go off of, and this is definitely setting the standard very high. And it’s not like it doesn’t hurt to shell out some money to have a great looking website. Paintball is a growing sport, and there needs to be more professionalism among the best in order to promote the professional side of paintball.

What makes the Ironmen website so nice? Easy. It’s easy on the eyes; very organized. First, you have a central area with a soft, dark photo as the background. This serve’s as the sites central hub, and then all of the information comes from the links on the side bar. There is an events page, a team roster (including professional-grade photos and player information), a media section (photos, videos, and press), standings, and of course, Team Ironmen Sponsors.

Simple. Organized. Accessible. Those are the basics of it. And too all of the other paintball teams out there, get with the program! The standard is set, keep up.

K2, owner of WGP, JT USA, Viewloader, and the super awesome Brass Eagle (plus a butt load of other sport related companies), has just been merged with Jarden Corporation for $1.2 billion. In a statement released yesterday, Jarden said that they will claim full control of the California based K2, Inc. by the third quarter this year. Jarden Corporation already owns brand names like Mr. Coffee, Patton, Sunbeam, and Coleman.

Let us hope that this will benefit the paintball community greatly by providing useful and innovative products in the near future. I’m sure that Jarden will be more than open to suggestions like Flex’s that double as Grill Masters and Sunbeam Edition Karnivores.

Ah, yes…the Ego 7; only the sexiest gun on the market. Everybody wants one, yet only a lucky few have it. If you’re a dreamer like me, maybe this Virtual Tour of the Ego will make you feel just a little better by bringing you closer to it than ever before (that is if you don’t already own one). It’s complete online tour that takes you step by step throughout the guns build, and what needs to be maintained to keep it in prime condition. It even comes in four languages.

But what do I care, I just love looking at it! Man, I just wish other guns had virtual tours, because this makes cleaning look like a joke. Props to Planet Eclipse and the designers for taking the time to do this!