Should fields have a newby play?

[hostage]

I was playing and I brought my gal and a couple of people who haven't played before, in all there were only 3 of us who had our own guns. We were up against teams with +1 and all them had about the same experence as us if not more so. Well it seemed that my gal and another newb friend did not like it since they were going against tourney players and got masicurd (we won a few games). There seems to be no good way to introduce some people into the sport with the way open play is. I want them to be on my team and try to teach them something, but it is pretty hard when I have my own problems. It just might have been the stacked teams. It is very frustating for me when they don't want to play any more since they get shot like 1000 times after there out. Out of the group of newbs that came they shot no more than a hopper combined. We were all newbs once, but from when I played I remember going out with people who equally experenced and equal teams. We were at Pro, I love the high level of experence don't get me wrong, but when I want to introduce a few people to the sport I think it would be hard for them to get interested after having their arshes handed to them.
-Doron

[Xerces]

playing with more expirienced players is a good way to start i think. the first few times i played, there was a couple of really nice tourney players and they would give me alot of tips. and just watching them is sometimes a good way to learn.

[shartley]

If you don’t want them to play with people who have played before, make your own field and have a ball. If you go to a public field, you had better expect to play with and against people who have played before and may be quite skilled. Such is life…. if you want to coddle them, Paintball is not the sport for them.

With that said, most respectable fields will not intentionally overload one team with vastly outclassed players. It is not in a field’s best interest to create unfair situations (although it does occasionally happen… again, such is life) because if people don’t come back, they lose money.

And if your friends got hit quite a bit after they were “out”, that is another issue. And that has nothing to do with how good the players were that they were playing… it has to do with over shooting. I have seen experienced players overshoot, and inexperienced players do so as well. I might also be inclined to say I have seen inexperienced players overshoot more.

So, like I said, if you don’t want them to be playing against folks you don’t want them to be, either go to a private field, or pay for a private game at a public field. Paintball is not chess, or tiddlywinks, it is an action sport with the high likelihood that you will get hit with a flying object. It is not for everyone, and that is okay. My son has been playing since he was 7 or so, and played against a wide range of skill levels…. And doesn’t (nor ever has had) have a problem being hit.

[synreal]

i think it is a great idea that is implemented by 3 local fields (2 by marker class and one by honor system, beginner/advanced) and have seen very few problems with the system so far. another local field does not even allow electric markers, as they cater almost exclusively to the youth group, hockey team, boy scout troop market of the area.

honestly, i think it works out better for both sides. while i love introducing new people to the sport, sometimes i want to play a good challenging game where i don't have to worry about someone brand new to the sport shooting me in the back only because they didn't see me make the 40 off the break and see me purely as a downrange target ;) (not that i haven't been drilled by experienced players in a situation like this, but your chances go down)

in our area the amount of people who feel the need to "jump in" new players has gone down dramatically, and the sport is growing amazingly fast. i feel lucky that, save the occasional wipe or loud mouth, i rarely see anything on the field that gets under my skin. and some teams even have "portray the sport in a positive light, lovingly introduce new players to the game, and ruthlessly hunt down and mark those who threaten the sanctity of our fine sport." right in their mission statement as guidelines for keeping the game clean and letting it grow like wildfire.

basically, i'm saying if you want to ease someone into the sport, bring them to detroit. ;)

[shartley]

Originally posted by synreal
i think it is a great idea that is implemented by 3 local fields (2 by marker class and one by honor system, beginner/advanced) and have seen very few problems with the system so far. another local field does not even allow electric markers, as they cater almost exclusively to the youth group, hockey team, boy scout troop market of the area.

honestly, i think it works out better for both sides. while i love introducing new people to the sport, sometimes i want to play a good challenging game where i don't have to worry about someone brand new to the sport shooting me in the back only because they didn't see me make the 40 off the break and see me purely as a downrange target ;) (not that i haven't been drilled by experienced players in a situation like this, but your chances go down)

in our area the amount of people who feel the need to "jump in" new players has gone down dramatically, and the sport is growing amazingly fast. i feel lucky that, save the occasional wipe or loud mouth, i rarely see anything on the field that gets under my skin. and some teams even have "portray the sport in a positive light, lovingly introduce new players to the game, and ruthlessly hunt down and mark those who threaten the sanctity of our fine sport." right in their mission statement as guidelines for keeping the game clean and letting it grow like wildfire.

basically, i'm saying if you want to ease someone into the sport, bring them to detroit. ;)
Good post… a little different than what I said, but basically the same. I don’t think it is a Detroit thing though, in fact I think all respectable fields do about the same thing. ;) Any reputable field will make appropriate allowances for beginner players, marker class, etc. And anyone who can’t deal with how reputable fields set up teams, they should not be playing the sport… or play private games or on private fields.

[Sir Chopsalot]

hostage, what field do you play at? because im going to be in the tyler area for spring break and i want to get some paintball in

[Stinger]

As a player, stacked teams do make a little mad, but as a reff it really pisses me off. I don't understand how any reff could do anything to turn people away from the sport, we all talk about wanting to see paintball on TV and what not but its not going to get popular if everyone that trys it has a bad time. I think alot of the reffs don't understand how important their job is to this sport, but aside from that most of them do a real crappy job. In my opinion it is the reffing that needs to change in order for the sport to go big. Sorry I drifted off topic a little bit.

[TheJester]

i think playing with more expeirenced players makes you learn more quicker. but key word there, with, not against. but if you can get to play w/ a group that's pretty good, against a team of equal skill, then i think you learn what and what not to do in a hurry. that's honestly how i learned, and i'm not saying i'm good, but i got good in a hurry. with in a month (playing once a week, so about 4 games) i was pretty much up to their skill level.

[Kevmaster]

as manager of a field for a year or so, heres my insight:
People I want to please: NEWBIES
People I couldnt care less about: Tourny ballers

That being said, yes, the field should go out of its way, always, to help a newbie. Newbies are the customers we want to have if we want to make money. Having 20 newbies come and play as a group, and if they have fun, theyll come back. If I let the tourny players shoot them up, ruin the games, they wont come back. They wont. ive seen it happen. So, what does my field do?
--First, teams are AWLAYS split by a ref. He doesnt care if you and your bud want to play together. Hell split it fair.
--Second, if there are enough people with their own guns, well have an "advanced" game and a "novice" game. This allows the newbies to even have their own group to play in


Just some recommendations for you refs and field guys out there

[hostage]

As far as how the teams were split up if you come in a group then you are placed with them. So you have a tourney team from some random field come together as 6 people and they are conisidered a team. So there was about 5 or 6 6-8 people teams. The three of us were better than a couple of the teams, but I like it at my old field where i could just put down and help the new players out telling them where to go and when to go. My pb club at college is thinking of hosting a clinic on how to play paintball were we will rent out the field and let the kids shoot electronic guns while we instruct them. We don't want them to get laid out. That is how the last field went out of buisness in Tyler, the owner gave two craps about the newbs and would allow 5 experence vs 5 newbs. So he went out of business no new blood and people quit. I am just saying mb they should have one day a week where it would cater to newbs.

Tyler, there is Cross-Fire, I am presonal friend 2 guys that work there, one owns it, tell Jonathan Doron sent you. Plus I made the website. They are pretty laid back the prices are good. I love the barrel field and they have an air ball field setup every couple of weeks. www.crossfirepaintballtexas.com is the website btw I made it :-)

-Doron

[MantisMag]

there's two ways that i think are good to introduce newbs to the game.
1) play a private game with a large group of newbs and a few experienced players who will basically spend the whole day babysitting.
2) play open class but don't bring so many newbs with you that you unbalance the teams by keeping them together. once again have an experienced player babysitting.

[madmatt151]

Originally posted by MantisMag
there's two ways that i think are good to introduce newbs to the game.
1) play a private game with a large group of newbs and a few experienced players who will basically spend the whole day babysitting.
2) play open class but don't bring so many newbs with you that you unbalance the teams by keeping them together. once again have an experienced player babysitting.

This is the best advice. I bring groups of newbies all the time. I try to organize the minimum 20 the field wants for a private field and we play, usually only 2-4 of us are experienced. I find a lot of people who want ot get into the sport, but are afraid or have had bad experiences. You will find the better fields are the ones who cater ot the newer players. These are the fields who have been around the longest. This is also why the fields give incentives to the people organizing these trips, it is difficult to get 20 people to prepay and organize and they know it. Let me tell you when you can get 20 or more poeple together it is a lot of fun, assuming everyone is a good sport and tries to have fun. THEN, when they ave played most of the day and feel experienced, let off on them and show them what a goodplayer looks like!!! ;)

[RusskiX]

First I have to respectfully disagree with a couple comments that a newbie playing with experienced players will learn faster. This may be true for a player who has commited to playing the sport and started to collect equipment, but NOT for the first-time player.
In my experience, the greatest single indicator of whether a first-time player becomes a repeat player is whether or not they eliminate another player on their first day. And if they play against regulars this usually doesn't happen. This USUALLY requires that the newbie play against players of similar caliber.
I have to agree the best way to introduce new players is by setting up a private game with similarly unskilled players and especially with their friends. There is nothing more exciting than watching a player score his first elimination against his buddy/co-worker/family and the stories back in the staging area.
Once they have a taste and want to play some more than its good to see a field have different classes of play for experienced and inexperienced on separate fields. But this is obviously a burden on the field in coordinating multiple groups, having more refs, and making sure the turnout warrants splitting groups.
There will always be some hardcore teams that like to beat up the newbies, so you just have to vote with your dollar and find a more accomodating field. As has already been said, the good fields will prosper and the bad will shut down. Good luck!

[Carbon]

I think ruskix is right about Newbs- i mean newbs, first timers, being discouraged not getting that 1st elimination. I mean, its seems almost all that adreanline was wasted on runnin around and evading as oppose to reaching the climax and catharsis of taggin somone out. I see it when i reff, i try to damndest to make the teams fair and equall and the truth is a private games is the optimal, "mainstream" way to get newbs in the game. Although there are exceptions of course.

Furthermore, shody/under-maintenanced/
malfunctioning rental equipment can bum a newb out. Ya wanna have a positive war story to tell after the experience.

In anycase, like some of you guys said, from a bussines standpoint you want noobs to come and play. Most noobs expect "discomfort" is inherent in paintball AND tend to not realize that it can be painful and demoralizing (especially against overwelming odds).I mean the fact of the matter is these field owners and operators understand they are running AN AMUSEMENT PARK (albeit a selective demographic) not a paintball field. In anycase thats my $.02