What Does it Take to Win a Paintball Tournament?

 by Doug Lamont   

Photographer: Dane Hawkins

Photographed: Keegan Gleason

     Grit, gumption, ambition, perseverance and a little lack of sanity are some of the things you’ll need if you want to win a paintball tournament. But these are all general traits and characteristics. You still need to do so much more than you could think of to win. It starts weeks, months or years before the event even comes to town. You get up a littler earlier, you eat healthy and treat your body well, you go for runs and then those runs get longer and some days turn into working on speed with sprints, but that’s just one small piece of the puzzle.

     Winning is an attitude, and a lifestyle choice we live daily. No one can choose that for you or make you do it. It’s a commitment you have to make and consistently focus on. You make the choice to get to practice early and leave late, to go do drills the day before when no one is at the field and to study as much content on the sport as you can. You’re the one who decides to watch paintball and learn from the professionals instead of watching another episode of anime. Luck favors the prepared and it’s no crime to grind overtime.

     Drilling helps you hone skills and build vital muscle memory so you can think less about technique in a game and more on strategy and communication. Dialing in your snap shot, working on lanes, sliding and diving and perfecting running-and-gunning are all such basic paintball skills that you can practice with a bag of paint and an empty field. The more you get to the field and play, especially against people who are better than you, the more situations you encounter and solutions you learn, especially through failure. You take these lessons with you and have faster, more creative solutions to tough game situations, and thanks to your diligent work with cardio you can keep up with these ideas and have the stamina to finish games and bring home trophies.

     One of the most important parts to winning is communication with your team. Paintball is a team sport! Great individual players and skills can only get you so far. Playing more with your team and learning how you work together is crucial to winning events and series titles. Having your own codes and calls is good, but knowing how and when to use them is great. Additionally, it’s important to bond with your teammates off the field as well. Group chats, group video calls during the Coronavirus pandemic and getting food together after practice are all great ways to form a close bond with your teammates and build chemistry.

     Treating your body well, practicing, studying film and working to communicate with your team are all some of the most important parts of how to win, save for one final piece: your equipment. Gear DOES matter. Having high-quality gear can make the difference in your game. You don’t want to spend time on the sideline fixing your gun or replacing pieces and parts. It’s important to invest in equipment that won’t let you down when it matters most. You can find everything you need to WIN at Punishers Paintball, where the service is unparalleled and we want to help you win!

Photo Credit: Dane Hawkins

Photographed: Doug Lamont

***Based out of Mansfield, Ohio, Punishers Paintball is dedicated to delivering premium products and even higher quality customer service, every time. Growing paintball is our mission and we take pride as ambassadors to the sport.***