Any pointers from experienced ppl on starting a team???

[Marek]

A few friends and I want to start a team (5 man, rookie) and for my piece of mind, would like some advice. If anyone has any pointers to share, I would be grateful.

[BajaBoy]

just make sure you ALL get along very well.. only thing i can help u with

[z-grip]

make sure everyone is into playing for real. everyone is into practice and will make all events in the season. i have been apart of 7 teams, becouse no one will stick with it.

[hubadlatimmy]

Number one thing is dedication. Sure some people are going to be better than others but they will get better with time and practice. Pick the people who are dedicated and willing to tough it out and make it to every practice. You will occasionally run into that really good person but they have no dedication at all. Thats all I've got but it's a good suggestion especially if you've played with as many groups of people as I have.

[Marek]

Thanks for the good advice. Keep'em coming. Ill take anything, practice drills, things to think about, fuzzy dice and its many uses, anything. The more my team and I can get, the better (hopefully) start we can get.

[nutz]

communicate, on AND off the field...

lay down basic rules for the team such as:
Not trash talking other teams
coming to practices
not fighting with other members

STAY AWAY FROM TRASH TALKING OTHER TEAMS
-it could ruin your reputation and such, just happend to our team not very fun at all...

find a local field that u like and practice there whenever u can, the field owner will notice and possibly consider sponsoring u as a field team. (happend to my team this summer)

most important have some fun!

[Troy]

1. You need to have dedicated players.

2. Practice as much as possible.

3. Learn from every game you play. If you lose a game figure out what you could have done to win. If you win think about what you could have done to improve the game.

4. If you are making the same mistakes in practice (i.e. not closing games...)do drills to help you improve those areas.

5. Practice snap shooting during the week. You can do this alone and save practice time for working with your team.

[HarryM]

Leadership is the key to getting your players together on the field...if they respect you and each other then you will work well together as a unit.
A good captain doesnt go around ordering his guys...he works with them to stratagize and game plan...he does make the final decisions on how a field is played.
As you compete together you will learn about your plyrs strengths and their judgement...what things they can do successfully etc. and also which plyrs work together the best.
This all takes time and dedication...oh yeah and hard work and gettin your butt kicked! hehe

Harry
AGD Lions

[Marek]

Wow, thanks again to everyone thats posted, especially AGD Lions for takin the time to post. Really good info, which gives me even more of headache thinkin about all the things that we need to work on. *sigh*

I dont no if this is a trade secret, but where can i look to find out more about drills to work on as a team. Im not sure if ppl just come up with them on there own and then just implement them or if there is a book. Just a thought, but keep postin.

[Troy]

Marek

When you guys are starting I would play as many games as you can. My own personal opinion is that many people put to much emphasis on drills. Practice working as a team and work on your communication during the games.

If your team is still having problems try to come up with drills that force the team to work on the weakness. If you are having a problem coming up with drills post a question and I'm sure the rest of us AOers will be happy to help.

Harry is right on. You have to work together as a team or you will have all kinds of problems. What he means by getting your butt kicked is practice against a team that is better than yours. If you win every game at practice it will be hard to know your teams weak spots.

Good luck

[angelKiller16]

www.P8ntballer.com is a magazine both online and paper from England that has great articles in thier "Classroom" section written by pros and very expireneced players. Thats is by far imop the best place for thing like snap shoting drills, reading the game and seeing opportuny's, and also ways to communicate. I highly recomend reading up on it. www.P8ntballer.com classroom, tournement. I highly recomend it

[xmetal2001]

Have regular team practices and work on COMMUNICATION. I can't stress COMMUNICATION enough. Trust me, since my team has started working more and more on communicating we have improved alot.

Get your team members used to playing their positions.
Instead of just practicing by playing games, set up practice scenarios. 2v5 1v1 even 1v5.
Make sure you are never caught in a situation where you dont know what to do.

See if you can skirmish some other local teams. If you have a question about a good strategy, ask a experienced player. Watch other teams play, pay attention to what they do and how they communicate.

Enter yourself in some tournaments, do your best. After a while, think about sponsorship. Contact your local fields.

Good Luck.

[Kevmaster]

yeh, communication on the field is the number 1 issue. establish code words for "shoot that bunker", "reloading", 1 down, 2 down, etc

[rjvemt1]

be carefull about who you recrute! a less experienced player with really good sportsmanship is a better long term bet than the trash talkin ace. the less experienced player can get better over time whereas the trash talkin ace will ruin your teams rep.

practice, practice, practice, my new three man has been playin together twice a month for nine months and we still havent played our first tourny(we are shootin for this fall)

have back-ups or a b squad, you never know when someone may get sick or injured.

designate and maintain positions! this way everyone knows where everyone else is at all times. good luck!

[Brian68mag]

You've got to get people that work together, that can follow directions, if you tell them to watch that lane on the right and 2 minutes after sitting there he is all of a sudden looking left and they get the pull he isnt someone you want on your team.
You all have to be able to get along and they have to have the ability to play alot and practice.

[MrMag]

once again, communication. name the bunkers. lets say you name a bunker "a", well when someone is in it, yell out "A1" or somehting like that. know where everyone on your team is, where the other team is and where the flag is, and so on.

scenarios are VERY important, especially 5vs2 3vs1 3vs2 2vs1 and 1vs1. it will get your team used to different situations that may arise.

[Pand0ra]

Try to find players which learn from their mistakes, and of the utmost importance, which are not afraid of being shot.

The best teams are made of friends, not just simple players.

Keep practicing at least once a week. The rest will come with the time and the experience.

@++