Serious Issue: Anger on the Field

[FatMan]

Swearing Versus Anger

I understand some of what's been said about swearing. Swearing too much makes you look rather juvenile, but I differentiate simply uttering curses and ANGER. And the funny thing is, the anger doesn't even have to be expressed overtly. I played at a field once and it came down to me an another guy, about 20ft appart. He was in a huge bunker and I was in a little one. I was in my heyday as far as my technique and I was snap-shooting to save my life. We went on for about 5min and several hundred rounds. Finally I caught the guy comming over the top - caught him right on the tip of his Flex-7 mask - broke the ball and deposited the load (blue, mind you) all over his mouth.

Now, I got up after that shoot-out and walked over to the guy laughing and saying "Dude, that was an awesome shoot out!" Mind you this was a rec game, not a tourney. I walked up to this guy, he turned and looked at me and that look said "I'd like to bash your face in right now!" I held out my hand to shake and said "Sorry about the paint in the mouth, man." but he just turned around, saying nothing. He was pissed off - at me!

So, he didn't swear, he didn't even yell, but he let anger ruin a great game. I can't tell you how many times I was on the other end and I ALWAYS come out with a grin and a pat on the back. Yeah, I might go over to the staging area and have a talk with myself about the stupid move I made to get shot, but that's not ANGER, that's self-criticism.

So, is ANGER a requisite part of our game? I know some players that are so serious about their paintball that they would say "YES, I have to be able to use ANGER to give me an edge. Every game matters to me - I want to WIN every time, or I'd rather not play." Luckily those guys don't play recball - they ONLY play tourney. So is that OK for tourney and not recball?

I think this is an important topic, but its also one we can easily just say "yeah, that stinks and we shouldn't do it" and go on as we were before, but it takes a bit more to take an honest look at ourselves and the people we play with and consider what is behind the behavior.

Keep up the posts, I'm learning a lot just listening to you guys. I'd really like to hear from some younger players too!

FatMan

[xmetal2001]

where I ref, people get mad quite a bit. Its not the more expierenced players, its usually the adult newbs that are coming out with some of their friends(not saying always them, but usually). I've had a couple guys argue with me about whether he took off his mask then threw his rental at me, or at the tree behind me, i dunno. Anyway, obviously they both were kicked out. Usually the anger problems are pretty easily resolved and just kind of a quick thing. I saw a guy whose wife got shota couple times on her way out and he got real mad and started yelling and running after the guy who did it. After the game they shook hands and apologized, it was just a misunderstanding. The thing is alot of paintball player are "intense" people and have a short temper. I try not to get mad and when reffing try to keep people as calm as i can.

Originally posted by FatMan
I'd really like to hear from some younger players too!

FatMan

I'm a younger player(15) and well above is my opinion, but i've noticed that alot of times either its the expierenced young kids, or the older newbs. I dunno why, it just seems that way. I guess because the older expierenced players are mature enough to relize that alot of things happen accidently in paintball and the younger newbs are often times too intimidated by the game and the other players to get mad.

[SlipknotX556]

ok i have witnessed that..... when i wuz playin someguy got hit and i called a paint check on him so the ref went over to look and all of a sudden i hear yellin. The guy i hit was so mad he started shootin at the ref, his barrel was on the ref. so i ran over to check on the ref and help him but before i could 2 other ppl where holdin him down.

[Havoc_online]

dang! I bet that guy got banded from the field, worst anger I've seen personally was a rich guy and his wife just getting into the sport thinking they could buy a great gun and be great, well he was bragging that his gun could shot 26rps(the RT of course) and he had never shot it till the first game, I think he was running like 1000psi with a 9v revy and all him and his wife were good for were shooting soup at 10ft. after that game he got his gun and his wife's gun and through them about 25ft. into the brush. he actually let some kids go get the guns and keep em. I think after that he bought 2 angels-when that did'nt work out I think he stopped playing for a while, lol.

[PaInTbALL zAcH]

i have a teamate like that and its really annoying. Sure i play hard but i play for fun. Im trying to help him though and hopefully its been helping...

[tremis]

I thought Tremis had a very good point about just talking to the head ref about swearing.*

Kind of a misquote here. I would never say a word to anybody about swearing. Three years in the navy left me immune to the effects of vulgarity. I was referring to what someone said about getting all fired up if somebody went out of bounds or played on. Those, I would take to the head ref. Opposing teams can pretty much say whatever they want, I dont care.

Tremis

[TheBigRaguPB4L]

people play paintball and they want to win. other's cheat and don't play fairly(paint checks, wiping, ect.) and this will upset the people that they play against. a lot of the time, as they keep getting away with it, the aggrivation of having to deal with other people ruining a friendly game just builds up and eventually they get to the point where they just take it out on whoever sets them off. i find that it's only really on the field where people lose their tempers. once they get off the field, it's a totally different story.

i'll admit that i sometimes lose my temper. i try not to actually get to aggressive with any particular person. there was one incident where i was yelling as i walked off the field. i managed not to curse but he could tell i was angry. i got shot up so i held up my gun(which got shot about 3 times) and yelled out i was out. the ref came over and yelled i was out so as i proceded to stand up to leave the field, i took two more to the head. i didn't direct anything towards, him, i didn't even look at him. i just turned and yelled for him to pay more attention. when he finally came off the field, he came directly to me and apologized. it was cool, i was calm so it really wasn't a big deal. just when it first happened, it hit me right in my ear so it hurt. i just got aggrivated that they didn't pay attention. it happens. people lose their tempers. i agree that there should be action so that people can/will control themselves, but we're only human. aggression is in our nature.

[hubadlatimmy]

Everybody here has done it at one time or another, yelled, swore, got in a potential fight situation with a player any of those. I don't think that swearing, and fighting on the field is acceptable but it happens. I know I get angry when I walk off the field and get drilled 5 times in the back by some spoiled kid with his angel who doesn't know anything. I am with you on the fact that most stuff shouldn't be tolereated but in some ways yelling is okay but usually it's a friendly atmosphere.

[talls]

Poor behavier by players should not be toleratd in rec ball or tournaments! I have seen many people throw their 1500 dollar gun against a bunker all because they got out. That is just immaturity at its highest IMHO. I think that there should be strict penaltys in tournaments when excessive cussing, throwing stuff, or any poor sportsmanship. Instead I have seen many in which no penalty at all was given. This just says that it will be tolerated and shows younger people to the sport that this is what is expected of them. I recently saw the aftershock vs. dynasty video of Mardi Gra and at the end they about got into a fight because of a one on one gone bad. The back player of I think dynasty (can't really remember) shot out the mid guy from aftershock but he kept coming. So the back guy kept shooting him and probably shot him 10 times. Well the guy tried charging him while yelling holy ****. What does this show?? Two high ranking teams fighting like a bunch of little kids. I am willing to bet to that the refs turned the other way when penaltys could have been given. That is one of the reasons I do not like the NPPL as much as local leagues. Not to mention that cheating runs rampent and is sometimes so obvious that it sickens me. Well it is late and I am getting too worked up but I think you get my opinion on the matter.

Oh and I am not saying that all NPPL teams cheat, but there are a few on some of the teams that do it every time they get the chance.

[polorboy]

Most people will get upset during playing paintball. If for examle I am out and I get lit up while I am walking off I will get a little, shall I say, steamed. So I will shout at the person making sure that they know that I am out. Later we laugh about it. But, I like it how Rose from Team Ground Zero told me. When we enter the feild you become my worst enemy, before hand and after we may be the best of freinds but as soon as I cross that line we are complete enemies. When you are playing you are out to get the person, not to say "is it ok if I shoot you now?". If you play like that then you are gaurenteed to lose. You have to go out there, especialy in tournaments, and go for the kill. Afterwards you can be nice and freindly with each other. Every team that I have played has been the same way. You guys should see Ground Zero practice, it is like they are all arch enemies on the feild. As soon as they get off the feild they are still friends. People who hold a grudge after a game are just dumb, I mean for goodness sake it is JUST A GAME! Still there is going to be anger while playing the game, now people should not be throughing guns and other such equipment out of anger. Usualy your whole team gets disqualified if someone does that. I know I have seen it happen.

edit:
Mountaindude, there is no need to take this personaly. It seems to me like you have a guilty conscience . hehe LOL J/K

[Rahman]

I've actually had a minor atercations before nothing major..
This one time playing centerflag in the woods I was actually the flag runner and as I was running for the opposing teams station to make the hang flag in hand, I got shot in the chest iwent down put my hands up as I put them up I got shot another five-seven times I was really heated about that , I didn't curse or single anyone out but I did hollar rather harshly in the general direction of the four kids that shot me, I was much bigger then them so they really didn't say any thing but I did feel bad I wasn't trying to be PR1*K I was just standing my ground..

[DJSOLID]

This is a huge can of worms that you guys have opened: but it really can be summed up easily by the golden rule "Do onto others as you would have done to yourself." If you don't want to be yelled at, have things thrown at you, be cheated, whatever... don't do it. It will make those in the wrong stand out from the crowd all the more.

Remember your first game and the FUN you had. You probably didn't do too great but you loved every minute of it, right? Competition is key, but if you're having fun you're gonna have a good attitude too.

[giant1515]

The field I've played most at around here is pretty bad about this. Its not really the older folks or the newbies that do it though, its the younger team players. One of them does something minor and then they start at it, cursing hollering and almost fighting... its really sad. What's even worse is that i've seen new kids mothers pack them up into the van and take them home upon hearing this.

[FatMan]

Interesting Info

First off, let me thank all of you who responded - I found it REALLY interesting reading your thoughts.

Next, I find it rather interesting that most of us seem willing to accept a certain amount of anger on the field, even to the point of assuming that MOST people experience and thus it is to be expected. It is also rather interesting that the MOST common incident cited as causing anger is overshooting.

Those who have not read "Walt's Thoughts on Paintball" I'll share with you my first experience at being overshot. I was playing a nice friendly woods game and took one in the groin. I managed to vacate the hot zone before I fell to my knees. Meanwhile, a pair of enterprising youths had swept the bottom tape and flanked my team. They came out of the woods in the backfield, saw me and lit me up. Realize, they didn't know what was up with me, on the other hand my marker was on the ground, I was on my knees not behind any cover and basicly holding my balls! I yelled (OK, I couldn't yell, I more like croaked) that I was out, at which point they admonished me for not holding my gun over my head!

I didn't enjoy being lit up like that. In retrospect it was kind of minor compared to what ELSE was going on, but I didn't get angry. I YELLED, oh yeah, I YELLED: "I'm OUT, I'm OUT, STOP SHOOTING!"

Maybe the reason I don't get worked up about being overshot is that I've done some of it myself - quite by accident. Its hard to hear on the field - its hard to know what's going on. Especially for newbies who aren't used to it. I've made the mistake, and I was yelled at. When someone does it to me, I try to give them a break.

If you walk on the field you've got to be prepared to take some hits. I do a bit of reffing now, and I take more paint as a ref than I ever have as a player. When I'm head ref, I tell my refs "I expect you to get in there and call the game. I expect you'll take more paint than the players. Get ready for it." Nothing irritates me more than a ref who gets all peaved over taking some paint.

OK, so this posting is getting long, but let me finish saying *I* don't think there is a good excuse for losing your temper on the field. Not at a ref, not at an opponent, not at a team mate. Very little is accomplished by losing your temper, and often it has the opposite of the desired effect. I think because this is an *aggresive* game we assume its OK to lose our temper. I don't agree. That guy can become the "enemy" when you walk on the field without going ballistic.

that's my 2 cents.

FatMan

[TheBigRaguPB4L]

one example that i'm rather proud of occured to me this weekend. i ran up dead center of the field and made it to the base of the hill. exchanging a few shots with pretty much they're whole team, i got gogged. i throw the gun up, they stop shooting, and i start walking off to one side to get off. this kid in a blue sweatshirt starts taking shots at me but i don't even look at him as i continue my way off the field. he shot me about 2 times and i figued he thought he took me out. ok cool. i get out of bounds and have a seat against a tree. about 5 seconds after i sit down, i see this kid starting to shoot at me again. i'm not even looking at him and my gun is at my side on the ground. he takes a few misaimed shots and i yell that i'm out. i take another one to the chest during this exchange. he stopped for the moment and i continue to sit and watch. about 5 minutes into the game, they're side is pushing hard down the field. i stood up to progress as they did because the game was almost over. still out of bounds mind you, with my back turned, i took two more shots. i turn around to see the same kid in the blue sweatshirts still shooting at me. i get a ref to yell at him as this is his 3rd time shooting at me when i'm dead. before he finally got let on taht i'm out he shot me right on my p/f tube. i was pissed. it got paint in the gun and i had to clean it. i managed to calm myself and just remember who he was, what gun he had, and where we were going next. speedball!!!!! being that i ref there, i aranged for us to be on oposite teams. they consisted of mostly newbs with m98's and rentals, as did my team with one stock cocker. we pretty much lit them up in about 2 minutes and he was the second to last person out. i knew it was him and took it easy on him for my best oportunity. to my dismay someone on the other team shot him as he advanced on the oposite tapeline. but i couldn't let that stop me, he stood up and i let off a string of about 5 shots go towards him. all 5 hit him dead in the head. after that, "sorry, i didn't know you were out". he headed off without any words or problems. but hey, i got my revenge without any cursing or yelling. just simple exchanging paint out on the field. if everyone could do this, i think we could all be better off.